Climate · Deer Lake

Deer Lake, ND climate

Deer Lake has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 1°, and about 46 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
80°
473rd coolest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
January low
1°
656th mildest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Rain + melted snow
20 in
690th wettest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Snow a winter
46 in
593rd snowiest of 1,453 North Dakota towns
A normal year

What a year in Deer Lake feels like

Winter

21° / 4°
Typical high / low · 17 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

51° / 29°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 11

Summer

78° / 55°
Typical high / low · 9 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

54° / 33°
Typical high / low · First frost around Sep 28
Best months to be outsideMayJunJulAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Deer Lake weather by month

Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet days30-yr range
January18°1°0.5" 11.4"6 -4° – 25°
February23°5°0.5" 7.4"6 -2° – 26°
March35°17°0.7" 6.5"5 14° – 40°
April52°29°1.3" 2.5"8 30° – 49°
May66°42°3.1" 0.4"12 49° – 60°
June75°53°3.4" 013 59° – 68°
July80°57°3.5" 011 62° – 74°
August79°55°2.4" 08 61° – 71°
September70°46°2.1" 08 52° – 63°
October54°33°1.7" 1.9"7 34° – 49°
November37°19°0.6" 4.2"6 15° – 39°
December23°7°0.6" 11.8"6 1° – 24°
Year51°30°20.3"46.1"95

“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.

Rain & snow

Rain and snow in Deer Lake

Deer Lake gets 20 inches of rain and melted snow a year. July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 95 days a year.

20 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 88% of U.S. towns
46 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 78% of U.S. towns
95 days
With rain or snow (0.01"+)

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
3.5"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
12"
Frost & the growing season

About 138 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 11 and the first one by September 28. That leaves about 138 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 90% of U.S. towns.

181
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
41
nights below 0° in a normal year
9
days that reach 90° in a normal year

Freezing nights by month

Average nights at or below 32°

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Deer Lake

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Deer Lake, 96% of that work is heating and 4% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

96%heating
9,010 heating degree daysMore heating than 95% of U.S. towns
419 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 83% of U.S. towns

Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.

Around Deer Lake

Deer Lake and its neighbors

Deer Lake borders 4 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.6°. Hidden has both the coldest January nights (1°) and the hottest July afternoons (81°). Deer Lake’s January low is 1° and its July high 80°.

Buchanan: January low 0°, July high 81°Plainview: January low 0°, July high 81°Eldridge: January low 1°, July high 81°Paris: January low 1°, July high 80°Pipestem Valley: January low 0°, July high 81°Weld: January low 1°, July high 80°Iosco: January low 1°, July high 80°Flint: January low 1°, July high 80°Moon Lake: January low 1°, July high 81°Hidden: January low 1°, July high 81°Round Top: January low 1°, July high 80°Valley Spring: January low 1°, July high 80°Windsor: January low 1°, July high 81°Deer Lake: January low 1°, July high 80° Deer LakeHiddenRound TopValley SpringWindsor
ColderMilder0° to 1°
Hidden0.6° −0.2°
Valley Spring0.6° −0.2°
Deer Lake0.8°
Round Top0.9° +0.1°
Windsor1.2° +0.4°

Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.

Compared with other towns

How Deer Lake compares

Summer heat80° July high
Cooler than 87% of U.S. towns473rd coolest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Winter cold1° January low
Colder than 95% of U.S. towns656th mildest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Precipitation20" a year
Drier than 88% of U.S. towns690th wettest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Snow46" a winter
Snowier than 78% of U.S. towns593rd snowiest of 1,453 North Dakota towns
Growing season138 frost-free days
Shorter than 90% of U.S. towns622nd longest of 1,688 North Dakota towns

Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

+1.1°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Deer Lake averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.6°). The shift is smaller than in 59% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+3.0° now 13°, was 10°
🌷 Spring+0.5° now 40°, was 40°
☀️ Summer+0.3° now 67°, was 66°
🍂 Fall+0.8° now 43°, was 42°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Deer Lake’s spot on NOAA’s grid

Year to year

How much a month can swing

A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. January swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from -4° to 25°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Deer Lake’s climate

What is the coldest month in Deer Lake?

January, with a typical high of 18° and a low of 1°.

What is the hottest month in Deer Lake?

July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 57°. About 9 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Deer Lake get?

About 46 inches in a normal winter, most of it in December.

When is the first frost in Deer Lake?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 28, and the last spring frost by May 11.

What is the rainiest month in Deer Lake?

July, with 3.5 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 20 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Deer Lake itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Jamestown State Hosp, ND (20 mi, snow) and Jamestown Municipal Airport, ND (19 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.

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You’re in Deer Lake, NDStutsman CountyView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01