Fargo, ND Climate & Monthly Averages
Fargo has a humid continental climate. July is the hottest month, averaging 83° by day; January is the coldest at 21°.
Winter sets the pace in Fargo
Seasons are the whole story in Fargo. The gap between an average July and an average January is 34°C - warm summers and cold, often snowy winters - which in practice means 83°F (28°C) afternoons at one end of the calendar and 21°F (-6°C) at the other.
July
83° by day 64° at nightJanuary
21° by day 4° at nightThe cold-weather pattern in numbers
At its warmest, in July, Fargo runs to 83°F (28°C) in the afternoon and back to 64°F (18°C) by dawn. January sits at the other end of the year: 21°F (-6°C) by day, 4°F (-15°C) at night. The gridded 2015-2024 daily record for this location tops out at 103°F (39°C) and bottoms at -39°F (-40°C) - decade extremes, not all-time station records.
Four of the twelve months pair mild highs with fewer than twelve wet days; the longest unbroken run is May through June.
Between the average July and the average January lie 34°C, a wider spread than almost anywhere else we cover. Overnight lows average at or below freezing for 6 months, November through April. Precipitation concentrates in August - 3.7 inches (93 mm) on 9 days - and thins out by January. Sunshine averages 8.8 hours a day over the year, peaking in July at 13.3 hours.
More climate facts for Fargo
- Hottest month: July - highs near 83°F (28°C)
- Coldest month: January - highs near 21°F (-6°C)
- Decade extremes (2015-2024): 103°F (39°C) high · -39°F (-40°C) low
- Wettest month: August (9 rainy days) · Sunniest: July (13.3 h sun/day)
- Climate type: humid continental
- Annual swing: 34°C between the average warmest and coolest month · day to night: 10°C
- Snow: about 20 days a year
- Months with freezing average lows: 6
- Average humidity: 68%
From snow season to the warmest stretch in Fargo
Spring (March through May)
Spring runs cold here - highs near 53°F (12°C), nights near 33°F (0°C), and expect showers on roughly 24 days across the season, plus about 6 snowy days.
Summer (June through August)
Summer brings comfortable warmth here - highs near 80°F (27°C), nights near 61°F (16°C), and expect showers on roughly 28 days across the season. Daylight is generous - around 12.4 hours of sun a day.
Fall (September through November)
Through fall, Fargo stays on the cool side of mild: 56°F (13°C) by day, 40°F (4°C) after dark, and expect showers on roughly 20 days across the season, plus about 3 snowy days.
Winter (December through February)
Through winter, Fargo runs to hard cold: 24°F (-5°C) by day, 7°F (-14°C) after dark, and rain comes on about 16 days over the three months, plus about 12 snowy days. Wind sharpens cold like this considerably; pair the forecast winds with the wind speed converter to judge exposed conditions.
The coldest and warmest values in the dataset
Derived from ERA5 reanalysis data, 2015–2024. Official station records may differ. Need another precipitation unit? Use the rainfall converter.
Planning around winter in Fargo
The easier weather window
Aim for May to September if you get the choice: these are the warmest and brightest weeks of the year, and highs average 76°F (25°C) against roughly 9 wet days a month. For the same question asked the other way round, see where else is warm in May.
Cold-weather packing
Pack for Fargo with light clothing for the warm months and a heavy insulated coat, hat and gloves for winter. Note the gap between afternoon and night: July pairs 83°F (28°C) with 64°F (18°C).
Monthly highs, lows and seasonal change
| Month | High | Low | Rain days | Precipitation | Sunshine | Daylight | Wet-day chance | Humidity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21° | 4° | 4 | 0.6 in | 5.5 h/day | 8.9 h | 13% | 78% |
| February | 24° | 5° | 5 | 0.8 in | 7.5 h/day | 10.2 h | 17% | 71% |
| March | 39° | 20° | 6 | 1.0 in | 8.4 h/day | 11.8 h | 19% | 67% |
| April | 51° | 32° | 9 | 2.3 in | 8.7 h/day | 13.5 h | 31% | 63% |
| May | 68° | 47° | 9 | 3.4 in | 10.9 h/day | 15.0 h | 30% | 60% |
| June | 80° | 60° | 9 | 3.1 in | 12.4 h/day | 15.9 h | 29% | 61% |
| July | 83° | 64° | 10 | 3.3 in | 13.3 h/day | 15.5 h | 31% | 66% |
| August | 79° | 61° | 9 | 3.7 in | 11.4 h/day | 14.2 h | 29% | 70% |
| September | 72° | 55° | 8 | 2.5 in | 9.5 h/day | 12.5 h | 25% | 68% |
| October | 56° | 40° | 7 | 2.0 in | 7.2 h/day | 10.8 h | 24% | 67% |
| November | 40° | 25° | 5 | 1.1 in | 5.6 h/day | 9.3 h | 17% | 71% |
| December | 26° | 11° | 8 | 1.5 in | 4.8 h/day | 8.5 h | 24% | 77% |
The route from winter to summer, month by month
Each card shows the average high and low. The bar places that month between Fargo's coldest night and warmest afternoon.
January
- Rain
- 4 days
- Sunshine
- 5.5 h
- Daylight
- 8.9 h
- Snow
- 3 days
February
- Rain
- 5 days
- Sunshine
- 7.5 h
- Daylight
- 10.2 h
- Snow
- 3 days
March
- Rain
- 6 days
- Sunshine
- 8.4 h
- Daylight
- 11.8 h
- Snow
- 3 days
April
- Rain
- 9 days
- Sunshine
- 8.7 h
- Daylight
- 13.5 h
- Snow
- 2 days
May
- Rain
- 9 days
- Sunshine
- 10.9 h
- Daylight
- 15.0 h
June
- Rain
- 9 days
- Sunshine
- 12.4 h
- Daylight
- 15.9 h
July
- Rain
- 10 days
- Sunshine
- 13.3 h
- Daylight
- 15.5 h
August
- Rain
- 9 days
- Sunshine
- 11.4 h
- Daylight
- 14.2 h
September
- Rain
- 8 days
- Sunshine
- 9.5 h
- Daylight
- 12.5 h
October
- Rain
- 7 days
- Sunshine
- 7.2 h
- Daylight
- 10.8 h
- Snow
- 1 day
November
- Rain
- 5 days
- Sunshine
- 5.6 h
- Daylight
- 9.3 h
- Snow
- 2 days
December
- Rain
- 8 days
- Sunshine
- 4.8 h
- Daylight
- 8.5 h
- Snow
- 6 days
Looking for warmer alternatives? Browse warm places by month, or compare Fargo's coolest part of the year: January, February, December.
Where Fargo sits among other climates
- Fargo averages 44°F (7°C) across the year - cooler than all but 3% of the 3496 cities we track.
These comparisons use the same ten-year window for every city in the dataset.