Climate · Kennedy

Kennedy, ND climate

Kennedy has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 44 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
84°
85th hottest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
January low
6°
70th mildest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Rain + melted snow
16 in
101st driest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Snow a winter
44 in
694th snowiest of 1,453 North Dakota towns
A normal year

What a year in Kennedy feels like

Winter

29° / 8°
Typical high / low · 16 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

54° / 29°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 16

Summer

81° / 53°
Typical high / low · 20 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

57° / 31°
Typical high / low · First frost around Sep 24
Best months to be outsideJunJulAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Kennedy weather by month

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

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet days30-yr range
January27°6°0.3" 6.3"3 8° – 29°
February31°9°0.4" 7.0"3 0° – 32°
March42°19°0.7" 7.0"4 18° – 44°
April55°29°1.5" 6.1"6 35° – 48°
May66°40°2.6" 1.3"8 47° – 59°
June76°50°2.9" 0.1"9 58° – 67°
July84°55°2.2" 07 61° – 75°
August84°53°1.6" 05 63° – 74°
September73°43°1.5" 04 52° – 64°
October57°31°1.3" 4.2"4 35° – 49°
November42°19°0.5" 5.9"3 18° – 40°
December30°9°0.3" 6.4"3 8° – 28°
Year55°30°15.8"44.3"60

“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 Kennedy

Kennedy gets 16 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 60 days a year.

16 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 93% of U.S. towns
44 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 76% of U.S. towns
60 days
With rain or snow (0.01"+)

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
2.9"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
7.0"
Frost & the growing season

About 128 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 16 and the first one by September 24. That leaves about 128 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 95% of U.S. towns.

188
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
32
nights below 0° in a normal year
20
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 Kennedy

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Kennedy, 95% of that work is heating and 5% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

95%heating
8,317 heating degree daysMore heating than 89% of U.S. towns
438 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 81% 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 Kennedy

Kennedy and its neighbors

Kennedy borders 5 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.6°. Tepee Butte has the coldest January nights (6°) and Cedar Creek the hottest July afternoons (84°). Kennedy’s January low is 6° and its July high 84°.

New England: January low 5°, July high 84°Darling Springs: January low 6°, July high 84°Cedar: January low 6°, July high 84°Woodberry: January low 6°, July high 84°Buena Vista: January low 7°, July high 84°Rainy Butte: January low 6°, July high 83°Hume: January low 7°, July high 84°Havelock: January low 5°, July high 84°Strehlow: January low 6°, July high 84°Wagendorf: January low 6°, July high 84°Cedar Creek: January low 6°, July high 84°Carroll: January low 6°, July high 84°Tepee Butte: January low 6°, July high 84°Kennedy: January low 6°, July high 84° KennedyStrehlowWagendorfCedar CreekCarrollTepee Butte
ColderMilder5° to 7°
Tepee Butte5.5° −0.3°
Strehlow5.7° −0.1°
Wagendorf5.7° −0.1°
Kennedy5.8°
Cedar Creek6.1° +0.3°
Carroll6.1° +0.3°

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

Compared with other towns

How Kennedy compares

Summer heat84° July high
Cooler than 58% of U.S. towns85th hottest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Winter cold6° January low
Colder than 89% of U.S. towns70th mildest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Precipitation16" a year
Drier than 93% of U.S. towns101st driest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Snow44" a winter
Snowier than 76% of U.S. towns694th snowiest of 1,453 North Dakota towns
Growing season128 frost-free days
Shorter than 95% of U.S. towns365th shortest 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

+1.4°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Kennedy averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.4°). The shift is larger than in 60% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+3.4° now 19°, was 15°
🌷 Spring+0.9° now 42°, was 41°
☀️ Summer+0.4° now 67°, was 67°
🍂 Fall+0.8° now 44°, was 43°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Kennedy’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. February swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 0° to 32°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Kennedy’s climate

What is the coldest month in Kennedy?

January, with a typical high of 27° and a low of 6°.

What is the hottest month in Kennedy?

July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 55°. About 20 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Kennedy get?

About 44 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.

When is the first frost in Kennedy?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 24, and the last spring frost by May 16.

What is the rainiest month in Kennedy?

June, with 2.9 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 16 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Kennedy itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at New England, ND (15 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.

The door’s open

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Kennedy, NDHettinger 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