Stock Exchange Bank · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Fargo reaches 100° on about 18 days a year, more than 95% of U.S. towns
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 22°. June is the wettest month here, with about 4.8 times the rain of January. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 87% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to March, which average under 50°.
A year in Fargo at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fargo’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fargo’s place in Oklahoma beside it.
What a year in Fargo feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 185 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 17 and the first by October 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Gage Airport, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fargo’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 1°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 11 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Fargo 3ene, OK, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 25 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 56 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fargo
68% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Gage Airport.
Living with Fargo’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
185 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 17 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fargo from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (22%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 36%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fargo and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Fargo yet.
Climates most like Fargo’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fargo, OK | 22° | 94° | 25" | 11" |
| Hays, KS | 18° | 93° | 25" | 16" |
| Canyon, TX | 23° | 93° | 19" | 7.6" |
| Ogden, UT | 20° | 92° | 20" | 23" |
| Tucumcari, NM | 24° | 95° | 16" | 15" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Fargo averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 90% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Fargo compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fargo’s place among Oklahoma’s.
Fargo weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fargo’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Fargo 3ene, OK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 22° | 0.8" | 3.3" | 3 | 30° – 44° |
| February | 53° | 26° | 0.9" | 1.7" | 3 | 32° – 47° |
| March | 62° | 35° | 1.7" | 1.4" | 5 | 42° – 58° |
| April | 71° | 43° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 5 | 51° – 63° |
| May | 80° | 54° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 61° – 75° |
| June | 89° | 63° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 70° – 83° |
| July | 94° | 68° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 5 | 77° – 88° |
| August | 92° | 66° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 73° – 85° |
| September | 85° | 58° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 67° – 79° |
| October | 73° | 45° | 2.5" | 0.1" | 5 | 52° – 65° |
| November | 60° | 33° | 1.1" | 1.5" | 3 | 40° – 53° |
| December | 49° | 24° | 1.1" | 3.4" | 3 | 28° – 41° |
| Year | 71° | 45° | 24.8" | 11.4" | 56 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 42° to 58°. July is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Fargo’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Fargo’s center.
- Snow: Fargo 3ene, OK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Gage Airport, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Fargo’s climate
What is the weather like in Fargo?
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 11 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 53% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 93% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fargo in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 118 nights a year reach 32° or below and 1 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 30°.
How much snow does Fargo get?
About 11 inches in a normal winter at Fargo 3ene, OK, most of it in January and December.
How hot does it get in Fargo?
July, with a typical high of 94° and a low of 68°. About 85 days a year reach 90° and 18 reach 100° (Gage Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Fargo?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 17 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 185 frost-free days, at Gage Airport.
What growing zone is Fargo in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Fargo?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Fargo getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 90% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fargo.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.