Climate averages 1991–2020
Bismarck weather
in December.
A freezing month with light precipitation: the 11th warmest and the joint 2nd driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
December is a freezing month in Bismarck: daytime highs average -3.4°C and nights cool to about -11.4°C. By daytime temperature it is the 11th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 18 mm of precipitation on roughly 4 days, which makes December a month with light precipitation (the joint 2nd driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 8 h 37 min on an average December day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Fargo (304 km away). In December its highs average -4.7°C, 1.3°C cooler than Bismarck, with 24 mm of precipitation.
Among the 498 cities listed in the United States, Bismarck ranks 496th of 498 for the warmest December highs and joint 10th of 498 for the driest December (precipitation, lowest first). The mean December high of those 498 cities is 10.5°C; Bismarck is 13.9°C cooler than that mean.
From December to January, average highs fall by 2.5°C to -5.9°C, and monthly precipitation falls from 18 mm to 16 mm.
The annual picture
December in context
Monthly precipitation
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Bismarck climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Precipitation mm/month | Wet days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -5.9°C-15.1°C | -15.1°C | 16 | 4.5 | 9.09 h |
| February | -2.9°C-12.5°C | -12.5°C | 18 | 4.5 | 10.310 h |
| March | 3.8°C-6.6°C | -6.6°C | 26 | 5.0 | 11.912 h |
| April | 11.4°C-0.1°C | -0.1°C | 46 | 7.5 | 13.614 h |
| May | 18.4°C7.3°C | 7.3°C | 73 | 9.8 | 15.015 h |
| June | 23.6°C13.3°C | 13.3°C | 96 | 10.9 | 15.816 h |
| July | 27.3°C16.7°C | 16.7°C | 77 | 9.7 | 15.515 h |
| August | 26.9°C15.9°C | 15.9°C | 58 | 7.4 | 14.214 h |
| September | 21.4°C10.9°C | 10.9°C | 46 | 6.5 | 12.613 h |
| October | 12.7°C3.3°C | 3.3°C | 45 | 6.5 | 10.911 h |
| November | 3.6°C-4.6°C | -4.6°C | 21 | 4.1 | 9.49 h |
| December, selected | -3.4°C-11.4°C | -11.4°C | 18 | 4.4 | 8.69 h |
Precipitation (rain or snow, as water) is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A wet day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
December in nearby cities
- Fargo in DecemberUnited States · 304 kmHigh -4.7°C · Low -12.7°C · 24 mm precipitation
- Rapid City in DecemberUnited States · 358 kmHigh 2.8°C · Low -6.9°C · 15 mm rain
- Winnipeg in DecemberCanada · 435 kmHigh -8.7°C · Low -16.4°C · 22 mm precipitation
- Sioux Falls in DecemberUnited States · 482 kmHigh -1.3°C · Low -9.5°C · 27 mm precipitation
- Regina in DecemberCanada · 493 kmHigh -6.8°C · Low -14.9°C · 17 mm precipitation
- Sioux City in DecemberUnited States · 591 kmHigh 0.3°C · Low -8.0°C · 30 mm precipitation
- Plymouth, United States in DecemberUnited States · 601 kmHigh -2.5°C · Low -9.6°C · 34 mm precipitation
- Billings in DecemberUnited States · 603 kmHigh 1.8°C · Low -7.5°C · 20 mm precipitation
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Bismarck) is explained once on the Bismarck year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.