North Dakota Climate – June 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Minot, and West Fargo
This month in numbers
North Dakota experienced a June that was slightly warmer than average, with an average temperature of 17.72°C, an anomaly of +0.1°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This ranked as the 37th warmest June in 77 years of records. Precipitation for June was 88.39 mm, which was +7.4 mm above the baseline, ranking 32nd wettest. Globally, June 2026 was the 3rd warmest June on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1°C.
What changed
Looking at the broader picture, the April–June 2026 period saw an average temperature of 11.48°C, a -0.3°C anomaly, ranking 42nd coolest in 77 years. This three-month period was also notably drier, with precipitation at 49.61 mm, a -10.9 mm anomaly, making it the 60th driest on record. North Dakota was among the coolest regions globally for this three-month period, ranking 232nd out of 234 regions for its temperature anomaly. In contrast, global land temperatures for April–June 2026 ranked as the 2nd warmest on record, with an anomaly of +1°C.
What’s driving change?
North Dakota experienced significant severe weather events in early June, including confirmed tornadoes, severe thunderstorms with straight-line winds approaching 100 mph, and hail up to 3 inches in diameter. These storms caused an estimated $4.6 million in damage to electrical infrastructure, homes, farms, and businesses, leading Governor Kelly Armstrong to declare a statewide disaster. Additionally, the region has seen an unusual concentration of wildfires, with four events recorded in the past month, representing 100% of the annual total. This elevated fire risk is driven by a severe heat wave, critically low humidity, and increasingly dry conditions, which are rapidly curing fine fuels across the state.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Climate Map – USA
Source: NOAA Climate at a Glance — US states & climate regions (tavg, pcp). Anomalies are vs the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) or 1991–2020 (rainfall). See methodology.
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – North Dakota
Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
North Dakota – Monthly Temperature – All Years
Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Records – North Dakota
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Warm/cold + wet/dryKöppen Dwb · ContinentalNorth Dakota has both a clear warm/cold cycle (±18.0°C) and a wet/dry cycle (8× wet:dry ratio). Both sides of the annual rhythm are shown below.
Monthly rainfall climatology. A “wet month” exceeds the baseline monthly mean (dashed gold line). Biggest month-to-month shift: Oct (+14 mm, +60%).
Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Rainfall & Precipitation
Rainfall & Rain Days – Totals
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for North Dakota
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) - see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in North Dakota changing?
North Dakota is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The headline panel also shows the long-term trend rate per decade and the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for North Dakota come from?
Climate data for North Dakota comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the North Dakota climate data cover?
The North Dakota climate profile covers Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Minot and surrounding areas. North Dakota climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance
How often is the North Dakota climate update refreshed?
The North Dakota climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.