Climate · South Viking

South Viking, ND climate

South Viking has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to -2°, and about 34 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
81°
642nd coolest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
January low
-2°
318th coldest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Rain + melted snow
18 in
660th driest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Snow a winter
34 in
90th least snowy of 1,453 North Dakota towns
A normal year

What a year in South Viking feels like

Winter

20° / 1°
Typical high / low · 12 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

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

Summer

79° / 54°
Typical high / low · 11 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

53° / 31°
Typical high / low · First frost around Sep 26
Best months to be outsideMayJunJulAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

South Viking weather by month

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

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet days30-yr range
January17°-2°0.4" 7.5"4 -7° – 25°
February22°2°0.4" 5.2"4 -4° – 26°
March35°15°0.6" 4.6"3 12° – 39°
April52°28°1.1" 1.8"4 27° – 48°
May67°41°2.6" 0.1"7 48° – 61°
June75°52°3.7" 08 58° – 68°
July81°56°3.2" 06 62° – 73°
August80°53°2.2" 05 60° – 71°
September71°44°1.9" 04 52° – 63°
October54°31°1.4" 0.6"3 33° – 48°
November36°17°0.6" 4.5"2 12° – 39°
December22°4°0.5" 9.2"3 0° – 23°
Year51°28°18.4"33.5"52

“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 South Viking

South Viking gets 18 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 52 days a year.

18 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 90% of U.S. towns
34 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 61% of U.S. towns
52 days
With rain or snow (0.01"+)

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
3.7"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
9.2"
Frost & the growing season

About 135 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 12 and the first one by September 26. That leaves about 135 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 92% of U.S. towns.

189
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
46
nights below 0° in a normal year
11
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 South Viking

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

96%heating
9,518 heating degree daysMore heating than 97% of U.S. towns
362 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 South Viking

South Viking and its neighbors

South Viking borders 4 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.9°. Arne has both the coldest January nights (-2°) and the hottest July afternoons (81°). South Viking’s January low is -2° and its July high 81°.

East Fork: January low -2°, July high 80°Hesper: January low -2°, July high 80°Heimdal: January low -2°, July high 80°Valhalla: January low -2°, July high 81°Aurora: January low -2°, July high 80°Hamburg: January low -1°, July high 81°Hamberg: January low -2°, July high 80°Arne: January low -2°, July high 81°West Antelope: January low -2°, July high 81°Norway Lake: January low -2°, July high 80°North Viking: January low -2°, July high 80°South Viking: January low -2°, July high 81° South VikingArneWest AntelopeNorway LakeNorth Viking
ColderMilder-2° to -1°
South Viking-2.4°
Arne-2.4° same
North Viking-2.4° same
West Antelope-2.1° +0.3°
Norway Lake-1.5° +0.9°

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

Compared with other towns

How South Viking compares

Summer heat81° July high
Cooler than 85% of U.S. towns642nd coolest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Winter cold-2° January low
Colder than 98% of U.S. towns318th coldest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Precipitation18" a year
Drier than 90% of U.S. towns660th driest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Snow34" a winter
Snowier than 61% of U.S. towns90th least snowy of 1,453 North Dakota towns
Growing season135 frost-free days
Shorter than 92% of U.S. towns713th 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

+1.5°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in South Viking averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.2°). The shift is larger than in 69% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+3.3° now 11°, was 7°
🌷 Spring+0.9° now 40°, was 39°
☀️ Summer+0.6° now 66°, was 66°
🍂 Fall+1.1° now 42°, was 41°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at South Viking’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 -7° to 25°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about South Viking’s climate

What is the coldest month in South Viking?

January, with a typical high of 17° and a low of -2°.

What is the hottest month in South Viking?

July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 56°. About 11 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does South Viking get?

About 34 inches in a normal winter, most of it in December.

When is the first frost in South Viking?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 26, and the last spring frost by May 12.

What is the rainiest month in South Viking?

June, with 3.7 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 18 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for South Viking itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Fessenden, ND (19 mi, snow) and Harvey 4ne, ND (20 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 porch light’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in South Viking, 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