Bismarck climate — normals and trends
Bismarck (United States) has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 5.8 °C and it receives 525 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (21.8 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-11.3 °C). Rainfall peaks in June.
Bismarck averages 168 frost days, 26 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 82 rainy days per year.
Bismarck has warmed by +1.2 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.14 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 41.4 °C (on 30 July 2006) and the coldest -39.4 °C (on 9 February 1994).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
BismarckNorth Dakota
- coords
- 46.81°, -100.78°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
5.8°C
Average daily high
11.4°C
Average daily low
0.5°C
Annual rainfall
525mm
Sunshine / day
9.2h
Mean relative humidity
69%
Average peak wind
22.7km/h
Seasonal range
33.1°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
168 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
26 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
82 d/yr
Annual snowfall
78.3 cm
Average feels-like high
8.0 °C
Average feels-like low
-3.4 °C
Average peak gust
40.5 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
5 d/yr
Solar radiation
14.9 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.2 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.09 · p = 0.004
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
41.4 °C
30 July 2006
Coldest day
-39.4 °C
9 February 1994
Wettest day
81 mm
1 July 1997
Windiest day
74.1 km/h
4 March 1966
Strongest gust
119.2 km/h
5 April 2000
Hottest feels-like
42.5 °C
19 July 2011
Coldest feels-like
-45.1 °C
9 February 1994
Snowiest day
32.9 cm
14 April 2013
Sunniest day
15.4 h
27 June 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -5.0 °C | +1.6 °C | 7 mm | -9 mm |
| Feb | -8.0 °C | -4.2 °C | 16 mm | -2 mm |
| Mar | 7.9 °C | +5.4 °C | 6 mm | -22 mm |
| Apr | 13.2 °C | +1.7 °C | 63 mm | +10 mm |
| May | 20.2 °C | +1.5 °C | 126 mm | +52 mm |
| Jun | 24.4 °C | +0.5 °C | 40 mm | -51 mm |
| Jul | 27.6 °C | -0.3 °C | 120 mm | +52 mm |
| Aug | 26.7 °C | -0.6 °C | 49 mm | -7 mm |
| Sep | 24.2 °C | +2.8 °C | 44 mm | -2 mm |
| Oct | 15.9 °C | +2.1 °C | 96 mm | +58 mm |
| Nov | 6.2 °C | +2.8 °C | 30 mm | +9 mm |
| Dec | -2.2 °C | +1.5 °C | 25 mm | +7 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Bismarck?
Bismarck has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 5.8 °C and it receives 525 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Bismarck?
The hottest day measured in Bismarck between 1940 and 2025 was 30 July 2006, reaching 41.4 °C.
What is the coldest day in Bismarck?
The coldest day measured in Bismarck between 1940 and 2025 was 9 February 1994, at -39.4 °C.
Does it snow in Bismarck?
Yes. Bismarck gets on average 78.3 cm of snow per year and has around 168 frost days.
Has the climate of Bismarck warmed?
Yes: Bismarck warmed by +1.2 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Bismarck?
The wettest day measured in Bismarck between 1940 and 2025 was 1 July 1997, with 81 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Bismarck?
The windiest day measured in Bismarck between 1940 and 2025 was 4 March 1966, with winds reaching 74.1 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Bismarck?
The warmest month in Bismarck is July (21.8 °C on average); the coldest is January (-11.3 °C).
How much does it rain in Bismarck?
Bismarck receives on average 525 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 82 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Bismarck?
Bismarck gets on average 9.2 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,358 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Bismarck?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Bismarck between 1940 and 2025 was 14 April 2013, with 32.9 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Bismarck?
Yes: Bismarck has on average 5 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Bismarck?
In Bismarck, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 42.5 °C on 19 July 2011, and the lowest was -45.1 °C on 9 February 1994.
Compare Bismarck with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Bismarck