North Dakota's climate is typical of a continental climate with cold winters and hot summers. The state's location in the Upper Midwest allows it to experience some of the widest variety of weather in the United States, and each of the four seasons has its own distinct characteristics. The eastern half of the state has a humid continental climate (K?ppen climate classification Dfb) with warm to hot, somewhat humid summers and cold, windy winters and the western half has a semi-arid climate (K?ppen climate classification BSk) with less precipitation and less humidity but similar temperature profiles. It appears that the areas east of the Missouri river get slightly colder winters, while those west of the stream get higher summer daytime temperatures. In general, the diurnal temperature difference is prone to be more significant in the west due to higher elevation and less humidity.

General climatology

Flooding in North Dakota in March 2010.

Due to its location in the center of North America North Dakota experiences temperature extremes characteristic of a continental climate, with cold winters and mild to hot summers.[2] Each season has distinctive upper air patterns which bring different weather conditions with them. One feature of a continental climate is that weather patterns can be unpredictable. For example, an Alberta clipper, a low pressure system originating in the province of Alberta in Canada, would be a common winter occurrence in North Dakota. But with the general unpredictability of weather in a continental climate, such a storm system could occur in spring, or in late autumn.[3] Hot weather, though usually confined to June, July, and August, can sometimes begin as early as April or May, and could spill over into September.[4]

Being 1,000 miles (1,609 km) from any large body of water (with the exception of Lake Superior), temperatures and precipitation in North Dakota can vary widely. North Dakota is far enough north to experience ?60 °F (?51 °C) temperatures and blizzards during the winter months, but far enough south to experience 121 °F (49 °C) temperatures and tornado outbreaks in the summer.[5] The 181°F degree (100 °C) variation between North Dakota's highest and lowest temperature is the 3rd largest variation of any U.S. State, and the largest of any non-mountainous state.

Go to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_North_D... for more information.

The normal average annual temperature in North Dakota ranges from 37° F in the northeast to 43° F along the southern border. January is the coldest month with average temperatures ranging from 2° F in the northeast to 17° F in the southwest. July is the warmest month with temperatures averaging 67° F in the northeast to 73° F in parts of the south. The range of normal average monthly temperatures between the coldest and warmest months is 54° F in the southwest and 65° F in the northeast. These large annual ranges attest to the continental nature of North Dakota's climate.

The highest temperature ever recorded in North Dakota was 121° F at Steele on July 6, 1936, and the lowest temperature measured was -60° F at Parshall on February 15, 1936.

Temperatures of 100° or higher occur nearly every year somewhere in North Dakota. Chances of this occurring are greatest in the south central area where in about 85 percent of the years maximum temperature will equal or exceed 100° F. These temperatures of 100° F or more last only for a day or two. In the northeast, temperatures reach 100° F or higher in only three years out of 10.

We no longer have spring and fall. It's anywhere from 30 degrees to 30 below from Oct through April. And April-Oct is anywhere from 60-105. Windy, and dry.

Darn cold in the Winter.

Balmy, palm trees and normally 70F. A great vacation spot. And anyone who says different is a global warming denier.