Climate · Tappen

Tappen, ND climate

Tappen has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 0°, and about 49 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
82°
509th hottest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
January low
0°
759th mildest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Rain + melted snow
20 in
769th wettest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Snow a winter
49 in
301st snowiest of 1,453 North Dakota towns
A normal year

What a year in Tappen feels like

Winter

22° / 4°
Typical high / low · 21 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

52° / 29°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 14

Summer

79° / 55°
Typical high / low · 6 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

55° / 32°
Typical high / low · First frost around Sep 27
Best months to be outsideMayJunJulAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Tappen 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
January19°0°0.5" 9.9"630 -3° – 25°
February24°5°0.5" 8.1"526 -3° – 27°
March37°17°0.8" 8.0"522 16° – 42°
April53°29°1.3" 3.5"65 31° – 49°
May67°41°2.8" 0.8"90 49° – 61°
June76°53°3.4" 0110 59° – 69°
July82°57°3.2" 090 62° – 76°
August80°55°2.3" 070 61° – 73°
September71°45°1.9" 060 52° – 64°
October55°32°1.7" 1.9"71 35° – 49°
November38°19°0.6" 5.9"511 16° – 39°
December24°7°0.7" 10.8"624 4° – 24°
Year52°30°19.7"48.9"81119

“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 Tappen

Tappen gets 20 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 81 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 119 days of the year.

20 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 89% of U.S. towns
49 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 81% of U.S. towns
119 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
More than 96% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
3.4"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
11"
Frost & the growing season

About 135 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 14 and the first one by September 27. That leaves about 135 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 92% of U.S. towns.

186
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
45
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 Tappen

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

97%heating
9,315 heating degree daysMore heating than 96% of U.S. towns
335 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 89% 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.

Compared with other towns

How Tappen compares

Summer heat82° July high
Cooler than 77% of U.S. towns509th hottest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Winter cold0° January low
Colder than 96% of U.S. towns759th mildest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Precipitation20" a year
Drier than 89% of U.S. towns769th wettest of 1,711 North Dakota towns
Snow49" a winter
Snowier than 81% of U.S. towns301st snowiest 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

+1.3°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Tappen averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.9°). The shift is larger than in 53% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+3.3° now 13°, was 10°
🌷 Spring+0.5° now 41°, was 40°
☀️ Summer+0.3° now 67°, was 67°
🍂 Fall+0.9° now 43°, was 42°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Tappen’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 -3° to 27°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Tappen’s climate

What is the coldest month in Tappen?

January, with a typical high of 19° and a low of 0°.

What is the hottest month in Tappen?

July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 57°. About 6 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Tappen get?

About 49 inches in a normal winter, most of it in December.

When is the first frost in Tappen?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 27, and the last spring frost by May 14.

What is the rainiest month in Tappen?

June, with 3.4 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 20 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Tappen itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Streeter 5 Nw, ND (14 mi, snow) and Jamestown 38 Wsw, ND (10 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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