The climate of North Dakota (United
States of America)
North Dakota is located in the northern part of the United States and
borders Canada. The western half of North Dakota is part of the Great
Plains which are a broad expanse of flat land stretching out from
Canada to the Mexican border. The Great Plains mainly consist of
steppe, prairie and grasslands and are situated directly east from the
Rocky Mountains. A fair amount of Indian Reserves can be found on the
Great Plains. Nowadays only a small percentage of the total population
of North Dakota is Indian.
North Dakota has two climate types. Because
precipitation figures determine the climate type classification the
two climate types gradually change into each other. North Dakota has a
moderate continental climate which is fairly erratic, both in weather
conditions and in temperatures. The western part of the state has a
cold steppe climate. This is mainly because annual precipitation
figures remain below 500 millimeters. Because of the absence of a sea
or ocean extremes in weather may occur here. Several natural phenomena
occur here which are typical for the region, such as a downburst. A
downburst is a strong ground-level wind system that emanates from a
single source, blowing in a straight line in all directions from that
source. Often producing damaging winds, it may be confused with a
tornado, but is actually quite different: In a tornado, high velocity
winds circle a central point, moving inward and upward whereas in a
downburst, winds are directed downward and then outward from the
surface landing point. There is also a risk of tornadoes in North
Dakota as well as there is a risk of snowstorms (blizzards), heavy
thunderstorms and straight-line winds which are also known as the
hurricanes of the prairie. During the winter an Arctic current may
cause extreme cold weather in North Dakota. Just like most places with
a continental climate summers are warm to very warm. The climate of
North Dakota is very erratic. Large changes in weather within a week’s
time are not uncommon.
Climate information of places in North Dakota
The climate information given on this page is only brief. Specific
information on weather and climate can be found on the pages per
region or city. The following climate information is available for
North Dakota:
Climate information
Throughout North Dakota several climate figures and temperatures can
be recorded. The figures below are for Bismarck and cannot be seen as
an average for this state. For climate figures for other places and
regions in North Dakota please, visit the individual climate pages.
More climate information
Climate tables are useful but they don’t give an overall picture of
the climate and possible weather conditions during a period of time.
How high the chances are of hot or cold weather or hurricanes can
often not be found in these tables. This is why we offer extra climate
information per month. The figures below apply to Bismarck. For
climate figures on specific regions and places please, visit the
relevant individual climate pages
Disclaimer
The information at this site was carefully composed from climate data collected by meteorological services, meteorological offices, climate experts and other sources. “More climate info” is based on statistics, climate data and personal experience. No rights can be derived from this site. Weather has no memory and gives no guaranties. Nothing is as changeable and unpredictable as the weather. The authors of this site feel in no way responsible for any damages caused by misinterpretation or other circumstances that may influence your holiday or trip to a certain destination. We provide information, it’s up to the reader to use it to it’s benefit.
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