Climate · Riggin

Riggin, ND climate

Riggin has cold winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to -3°.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
80°
429th coolest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
January low
-3°
247th coldest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Rain + melted snow
19 in
827th driest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
A normal year

What a year in Riggin feels like

Winter

20° / 1°
Typical high / low · Snow is rare

Spring

51° / 28°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 12

Summer

78° / 54°
Typical high / low · 6 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

53° / 31°
Typical high / low · First frost around Sep 29
Best months to be outsideMayJunJulAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Riggin weather by month

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

MonthHighLowRain + melt30-yr range
January17°-3°0.4" -6° – 24°
February21°1°0.4" -4° – 25°
March34°15°0.7" 12° – 38°
April52°28°1.0" 27° – 48°
May66°41°2.6" 48° – 61°
June75°52°3.8" 59° – 68°
July80°57°3.2" 61° – 73°
August80°54°2.4" 60° – 71°
September70°45°1.9" 52° – 64°
October54°31°1.4" 33° – 48°
November35°17°0.6" 12° – 40°
December22°4°0.5" -1° – 24°
Year50°29°18.9"

“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 Riggin

Riggin gets 19 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and January the driest.

19 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 90% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
3.8"

Snowfall by month

No snow records from a nearby station.
Frost & the growing season

About 138 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 12 and the first one by September 29. That leaves about 138 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 90% of U.S. towns.

191
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
54
nights below 0° in a normal year
6
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 Riggin

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Riggin, 97% of that work is heating and 3% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

97%heating
9,598 heating degree daysMore heating than 98% of U.S. towns
348 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 88% 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 Riggin

Riggin and its neighbors

Riggin borders 5 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.8°. Normania has the coldest January nights (-3°) and West Bay the hottest July afternoons (80°). Riggin’s January low is -3° and its July high 80°.

Grand Harbor: January low -3°, July high 80°Coulee: January low -3°, July high 80°Oberon: January low -2°, July high 80°Eldon: January low -2°, July high 80°Lallie: January low -2°, July high 80°Lake Ibsen: January low -3°, July high 80°Irvine: January low -4°, July high 80°Butte Valley: January low -3°, July high 79°Pelican: January low -3°, July high 80°West Bay: January low -2°, July high 80°Brinsmade: January low -3°, July high 80°Normania: January low -3°, July high 80°McClellan: January low -3°, July high 80°Riggin: January low -3°, July high 80° RigginPelicanWest BayBrinsmadeNormaniaMcClellan
ColderMilder-4° to -2°
Normania-3.2° −0.5°
Brinsmade-2.8° −0.1°
Riggin-2.7°
McClellan-2.6° +0.1°
Pelican-2.5° +0.2°
West Bay-2.4° +0.3°

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

Compared with other towns

How Riggin compares

Summer heat80° July high
Cooler than 88% of U.S. towns429th coolest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Winter cold-3° January low
Colder than 99% of U.S. towns247th coldest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Precipitation19" a year
Drier than 90% of U.S. towns827th driest of 1,711 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

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

The last 30 years in Riggin averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.0°). The shift is larger than in 62% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+3.2° now 10°, was 7°
🌷 Spring+0.8° now 39°, was 39°
☀️ Summer+0.4° now 66°, was 66°
🍂 Fall+1.0° now 42°, was 41°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Riggin’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 -6° to 24°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Riggin’s climate

What is the coldest month in Riggin?

January, with a typical high of 17° and a low of -3°.

What is the hottest month in Riggin?

July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 57°. About 6 days a year reach 90°.

When is the first frost in Riggin?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 29, and the last spring frost by May 12.

What is the rainiest month in Riggin?

June, with 3.8 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 19 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Riggin itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Minnewaukan, ND (5 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.

The door’s open

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Riggin, NDBenson 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