Climate averages 1991–2020
Bismarck weather
in January.
A freezing month with light precipitation: the coolest and the driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
January is a freezing month in Bismarck: daytime highs average -5.9°C and nights cool to about -15.1°C. By daytime temperature it is the coolest month of the year.
Expect about 16 mm of precipitation on roughly 5 days, which makes January a month with light precipitation (the driest month of the year). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 9 h 00 min on an average January day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Fargo (304 km away). In January its highs average -7.9°C, 2.0°C cooler than Bismarck, with 19 mm of precipitation.
Among the 498 cities listed in the United States, Bismarck ranks 495th of 498 for the warmest January highs and joint 10th of 498 for the driest January (precipitation, lowest first). The mean January high of those 498 cities is 9.5°C; Bismarck is 15.4°C cooler than that mean.
From January to February, average highs rise by 3.0°C to -2.9°C, and monthly precipitation rises from 16 mm to 18 mm.
The annual picture
January 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, selected | -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 | -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
January in nearby cities
- Fargo in JanuaryUnited States · 304 kmHigh -7.9°C · Low -17.3°C · 19 mm precipitation
- Rapid City in JanuaryUnited States · 358 kmHigh 2.5°C · Low -8.1°C · 13 mm rain
- Winnipeg in JanuaryCanada · 435 kmHigh -12.0°C · Low -21.0°C · 16 mm precipitation
- Sioux Falls in JanuaryUnited States · 482 kmHigh -3.5°C · Low -12.8°C · 20 mm precipitation
- Regina in JanuaryCanada · 493 kmHigh -9.0°C · Low -18.3°C · 17 mm precipitation
- Sioux City in JanuaryUnited States · 591 kmHigh -1.9°C · Low -11.2°C · 23 mm precipitation
- Plymouth, United States in JanuaryUnited States · 601 kmHigh -5.5°C · Low -13.6°C · 24 mm precipitation
- Billings in JanuaryUnited States · 603 kmHigh 1.3°C · Low -8.8°C · 22 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.