Climate · Saddle Butte

Saddle Butte, ND climate

Saddle Butte has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 38 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
84°
52nd hottest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
January low
6°
82nd mildest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Rain + melted snow
16 in
186th driest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Snow a winter
38 in
362nd least snowy of 1,453 North Dakota towns
A normal year

What a year in Saddle Butte feels like

Winter

29° / 8°
Typical high / low · 18 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

55° / 29°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 27

Summer

81° / 52°
Typical high / low · 23 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

56° / 31°
Typical high / low · First frost around Sep 16
Best months to be outsideJunAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Saddle Butte weather by month

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

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet days30-yr range
January26°6°0.4" 6.4"4 6° – 29°
February31°9°0.5" 7.9"5 -2° – 31°
March43°19°0.6" 4.0"5 17° – 43°
April55°29°1.5" 4.7"7 36° – 48°
May66°40°2.6" 1.3"9 47° – 58°
June76°49°2.8" 010 58° – 67°
July84°55°2.4" 07 60° – 75°
August84°53°1.6" 05 63° – 74°
September73°43°1.7" 0.1"6 52° – 64°
October56°31°1.2" 2.3"6 35° – 49°
November41°19°0.6" 4.4"4 17° – 40°
December29°9°0.5" 6.9"5 7° – 27°
Year55°30°16.4"38.0"73

“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 Saddle Butte

Saddle Butte 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 73 days a year.

16 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 93% of U.S. towns
38 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 67% of U.S. towns
73 days
With rain or snow (0.01"+)

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
2.8"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
7.9"
Frost & the growing season

About 112 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 27 and the first one by September 16. That leaves about 112 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 98% of U.S. towns.

194
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
34
nights below 0° in a normal year
23
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 Saddle Butte

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

96%heating
8,692 heating degree daysMore heating than 92% of U.S. towns
353 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 Saddle Butte

Saddle Butte and its neighbors

Saddle Butte borders 2 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.6°. Beach has both the coldest January nights (6°) and the hottest July afternoons (84°). Saddle Butte’s January low is 6° and its July high 84°.

Elk Creek: January low 6°, July high 84°Sentinel: January low 6°, July high 84°Lone Tree: January low 6°, July high 85°Delhi: January low 6°, July high 84°Beach: January low 6°, July high 84°Saddle Butte: January low 6°, July high 84° Saddle ButteDelhiBeach
ColderMilder6° to 6°
Saddle Butte5.5°
Beach5.9° +0.4°
Delhi6.1° +0.6°

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

Compared with other towns

How Saddle Butte compares

Summer heat84° July high
Cooler than 54% of U.S. towns52nd hottest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Winter cold6° January low
Colder than 89% of U.S. towns82nd mildest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Precipitation16" a year
Drier than 93% of U.S. towns186th driest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Snow38" a winter
Snowier than 67% of U.S. towns362nd least snowy of 1,453 North Dakota towns
Growing season112 frost-free days
Shorter than 98% of U.S. towns2nd 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

+1.0°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Saddle Butte averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.8°). The shift is smaller than in 72% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+2.7° now 18°, was 16°
🌷 Spring+0.6° now 42°, was 41°
☀️ Summer+0.2° now 67°, was 67°
🍂 Fall+0.4° now 44°, was 43°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Saddle Butte’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 -2° to 31°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Saddle Butte’s climate

What is the coldest month in Saddle Butte?

January, with a typical high of 26° and a low of 6°.

What is the hottest month in Saddle Butte?

July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 55°. About 23 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Saddle Butte get?

About 38 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.

When is the first frost in Saddle Butte?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 16, and the last spring frost by May 27.

What is the rainiest month in Saddle Butte?

June, with 2.8 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 16 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Saddle Butte itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Wibaux 2 E, MT (9 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.

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