Climate · Taft

Taft, ND climate

Taft has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 1°, and about 45 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
82°
263rd hottest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
January low
1°
556th mildest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Rain + melted snow
18 in
688th driest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Snow a winter
45 in
677th snowiest of 1,453 North Dakota towns
A normal year

What a year in Taft feels like

Winter

23° / 5°
Typical high / low · 18 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

53° / 30°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 11

Summer

80° / 55°
Typical high / low · 21 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

55° / 32°
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

Taft weather by month

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

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet daysSnow on ground30-yr range
January20°1°0.4" 8.9"527 -2° – 25°
February25°5°0.4" 6.8"524 -2° – 28°
March38°18°0.8" 6.5"519 17° – 42°
April54°30°1.3" 4.3"76 33° – 49°
May67°42°2.7" 0.2"100 49° – 61°
June76°53°3.3" 0110 59° – 69°
July82°57°3.1" 090 63° – 76°
August81°55°2.2" 070 62° – 74°
September72°45°1.7" 070 53° – 64°
October56°33°1.5" 2.6"72 36° – 49°
November39°19°0.6" 6.9"512 16° – 39°
December25°7°0.6" 8.5"520 5° – 26°
Year53°30°18.5"44.7"83110

“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 Taft

Taft gets 18 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 83 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 110 days of the year.

18 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 90% of U.S. towns
45 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 76% of U.S. towns
110 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
More than 94% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
3.3"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
8.9"
Frost & the growing season

About 139 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 11 and the first one by September 29. That leaves about 139 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 90% of U.S. towns.

179
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
40
nights below 0° in a normal year
21
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 Taft

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Taft, 93% of that work is heating and 7% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

93%heating
8,349 heating degree daysMore heating than 90% of U.S. towns
593 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 70% 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 Taft

Taft and its neighbors

Taft borders 4 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.9°. Thelma has the coldest January nights (1°) and Logan the hottest July afternoons (83°). Taft’s January low is 1° and its July high 82°.

Crown Hill: January low 1°, July high 82°Wild Rose: January low 1°, July high 83°Driscoll: January low 1°, July high 82°Christiania: January low 1°, July high 82°McKenzie: January low 1°, July high 83°Boyd: January low 2°, July high 83°Morton: January low 2°, July high 83°Thelma: January low 1°, July high 83°Sterling: January low 1°, July high 82°Logan: January low 1°, July high 83°Long Lake: January low 2°, July high 83°Taft: January low 1°, July high 82° TaftThelmaSterlingLoganLong Lake
ColderMilder1° to 2°
Thelma0.6° −0.6°
Taft1.2°
Sterling1.4° +0.2°
Logan1.4° +0.2°
Long Lake1.5° +0.3°

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

Compared with other towns

How Taft compares

Summer heat82° July high
Cooler than 71% of U.S. towns263rd hottest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Winter cold1° January low
Colder than 95% of U.S. towns556th mildest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Precipitation18" a year
Drier than 90% of U.S. towns688th driest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Snow45" a winter
Snowier than 76% of U.S. towns677th snowiest of 1,453 North Dakota towns
Growing season139 frost-free days
Shorter than 90% of U.S. towns437th 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 Taft averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.2°). The shift is larger than in 62% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+3.5° now 14°, was 11°
🌷 Spring+0.8° now 41°, was 41°
☀️ Summer+0.3° now 67°, was 67°
🍂 Fall+0.9° now 44°, was 43°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Taft’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 28°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Taft’s climate

What is the coldest month in Taft?

January, with a typical high of 20° and a low of 1°.

What is the hottest month in Taft?

July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 57°. About 21 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Taft get?

About 45 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.

When is the first frost in Taft?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 29, and the last spring frost by May 11.

What is the rainiest month in Taft?

June, with 3.3 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 18 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Taft itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Hazelton 4nw, ND (18 mi, snow) and Moffit 3 Se, ND (7 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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