What Are the Warmest Cities in North Dakota?

In this article I’m going to share with you my ranking of the warmest places in North Dakota.

I created my list by researching data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other climate data providers.

Below I’m listing the top 10 warmest places in North Dakota that have the highest average yearly temperatures. Later in the article I share a table with 30 most populous cities in North Dakota.

Top 10 Warmest Cities in North Dakota

Here are the top 10 warmest places in North Dakota ranked by their daily mean temperature. The state’s climate is generally humid continental, with warm summers and cold winters. No place in the North Dakota is warm year round or anywhere close to it. The top 10 cities listed below feature overall the highest temperatures.

For the top five cities I also give average winter and summer temperatures.

1. Belfield – daily mean temperature of 44.35 °F

The small town of Belfield, with about 1,000 residents, is the warmest city in the entire state. Unlike most of North Dakota, it has a cold semi-arid climate. Located near Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Western North Dakota, the city features average high temperatures in the winter of about 24-25 °F with the average temperature at nights dipping to 10-13 °F. Spring begins roughly around April-May when nighttime temperatures on average don’t go below freezing (though snow is still a possibility even in April). Summers bring warm temperatures reaching 72-83 °F.

Despite being the hottest city in North Dakota, Belfield is still a cold city and it doesn’t have warm weather most of the year. The average coldest temperature in the coldest months is much, much lower than in other, more temperate states. The hottest temperature in the summer months is also moderate when compared to more southerly states.

Winter temperatures: highs of 24-25 °F, lows of 10-13 °F

Summer temperatures: highs of 75-83 °F, lows of 55-62 °F

2. Beach – daily mean temperature of 43.7 °F

Beach is another small town with almost the same population as Belfield. It’s located 43 miles west of the warmest city in North Dakota, along the border with Montana. Like Belfield, it has a cold semi-arid climate. Beach has noticeably higher average daytime temperatures than Belfield. For example, winter days are on average 4-6 degrees warmer while summer days are about 2-3 degrees warmer.

The reason why Beach is in the second place is because it has much colder low temperatures. Winter nights are up to 3-4 degrees colder while summer nights can be up to 6 degrees colder. While Belfield is the hottest city in the summer at night in North Dakota, Beach is the hottest city in the summer during the day.

Winter temperatures: highs of 27-31 °F, lows of 6-10 °F

Summer temperatures: highs of 77-85 °F, lows of 51-56 °F

3. Bismarck – daily mean temperature of 43.1 °F

Bismarck is the second most populous city in North Dakota and the third warmest city in the entire state. Like most of North Dakota, Bismarck features a humid continental climate with long, cold winters and humid, warm summers. The rainiest month is June with 11-12 days of precipitation. The hottest month is July with average daytime temperatures of up to 85 °F. Despite cold weather, the city is fairly sunny year round, getting 2,738 hours of sunshine.

Winter temperatures: highs of 23-28 °F, lows of 2-8 °F

Summer temperatures: highs of 78-85 °F, lows of 53-58 °F

4. Linton – daily mean temperature of 42.95 °F

Linton is a small town of about 1,100 residents, located about 65 miles southeast of Bismarck. Linton has a climate very similar to Bismarck, with the only difference being little lower annual precipitation. In the hottest month (July) temperatures reach 85 °F while in the coldest month (January), the daily average temperature is 22 °F.

Winter temperatures: highs of 22-28 °F, lows of 1-7 °F

Summer temperatures: highs of 78-85 °F, lows of 55-59 °F

5. Dickinson – daily mean temperature of 42.8 °F

Dickinson is a rapidly developing city with a population of about 26,000 residents. It’s located in Western North Dakota, 22 miles east of Belfield. It has a similar climate to Bismarck, only it gets fewer average inches of precipitation a year and has milder daytime temperatures in the winter.

Winter temperatures: highs of 27-30 °F, lows of 6-10 °F

Summer temperatures: highs of 76-84 °F, lows of 49-55 °F

6. Mandan – daily mean temperature of 42.4 °F

Mandan is a city of 24,000 people located right across the Missouri River from Bismarck, together forming the metropolitan area of Bismarck and Mandan. Daytime temperatures in the summer are cooler by about two degrees in Mandan than in Bismarck. Other than that, the weather is almost the same in both cities (after all, they’re just 5 miles apart).

7. Bowman – daily mean temperature of 42.3 °F

Bowman is located 58 miles south of Belfield. Like Belfield and Beach, it has a cold semi-arid climate, though its slightly higher precipitation amounts make it border North Dakota’s more typical humid continental climate. Compared to the other two towns, Bowman has a bit higher population (about 1,500 residents). Weather-wise, its climate is more similar to Beach than Belfield, with its hotter days and lower temperatures at night.

8. Fargo – daily mean temperature of 42.2 °F

Fargo is the most populous city in North Dakota. It’s the only place in the state where there are more than 100,000 residents. Compared to Bismarck, Fargo has noticeably colder winters with average daytime temperatures between 18-24 °F compared to 23-28 °F in Bismarck. Summer days are cooler by about two degrees. Fargo also gets more rain than Bismarck. If you prefer more moderate summers, Fargo is a better choice than Bismarck. But if you prefer overall warmer weather, Bismarck is definitely a better option.

9. Watford City – daily mean temperature of 42.1 °F

Watford City is one of the two cities in the top10 that are situated in the northern part of North Dakota. Watford City has about 6,000 residents and is 67 miles north of Belfield. It has fewer snowy days but its average low temperatures during the winter can be up to 5 degrees colder. Don’t expect early spring: Watford City has possible snow and freezing temperatures at night even in April.

10. Williston – daily mean temperature of 41.75 °F

Williston is the last city in the top 10. It has a population of about 29,000 residents. It’s located about 47 miles northwest of Watford City, close to the border with Montana. Its annual daily mean temperature of 41.75 °F is about 1 degree higher than the average for the entire state. Its cold semi-arid climate gives it slightly more annual sunshine hours than Bismarck (2,807 compared to 2,738 in Bismarck).

Video Summary of the Warmest North Dakota Cities

30 Biggest Cities in North Dakota Ranked by Daily Mean Temperature

I created the table below by researching data for the most populous municipalities in North Dakota. When I couldn’t find data for a given city, I moved on to another. While the list includes 30 cities, some of the bigger cities may be missing because there was no data for them. Please check the closest geographically city then.

Check the Warmest Cities in Neighboring States

If you’re interested in learning about the warmest cities in states neighboring North Dakota, check out the following articles:

• What Are the Warmest Cities in Minnesota?
• What Are the Warmest Cities in Montana?
• What Are the Warmest Cities in South Dakota?

Also check my article on the warmest cities in the US in every state. You may be also interested in the coldest cities in the US. I also included North Dakota in my guide on best weather states in the section on the best cold climates to live in.