<P> 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 . 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 . Hot weather, though usually confined to July and August, can sometimes begin as early as April or May, and could spill over into September or October . </P> <P> 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 . 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 . </P> <P> North Dakota is far from major sources of moisture and is in the transition zone between the moist East and the semi-arid West, as precipitation and humidity decrease from east to west . Annual average precipitation across the state ranges from around 14 in (35.6 cm) in the west to 22 in (55.9 cm) in the east . Snow is the main form of precipitation from November through March, while rain is the most common the rest of the year . It has snowed in North Dakota during every month except July and August . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="14"> (show) Climate data for Bismarck Municipal Airport, North Dakota (1981--2010 normals, extremes 1874--present) </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Month </Th> <Th> Jan </Th> <Th> Feb </Th> <Th> Mar </Th> <Th> Apr </Th> <Th> May </Th> <Th> Jun </Th> <Th> Jul </Th> <Th> Aug </Th> <Th> Sep </Th> <Th> Oct </Th> <Th> Nov </Th> <Th> Dec </Th> <Th> Year </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Record high ° F (° C) </Th> <Td> 63 (17) </Td> <Td> 73 (23) </Td> <Td> 81 (27) </Td> <Td> 93 (34) </Td> <Td> 102 (39) </Td> <Td> 111 (44) </Td> <Td> 114 (46) </Td> <Td> 109 (43) </Td> <Td> 105 (41) </Td> <Td> 95 (35) </Td> <Td> 79 (26) </Td> <Td> 66 (19) </Td> <Td> 114 (46) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Mean maximum ° F (° C) </Th> <Td> 46.8 (8.2) </Td> <Td> 51.0 (10.6) </Td> <Td> 65.7 (18.7) </Td> <Td> 81.2 (27.3) </Td> <Td> 86.9 (30.5) </Td> <Td> 93.2 (34) </Td> <Td> 98.8 (37.1) </Td> <Td> 98.2 (36.8) </Td> <Td> 92.2 (33.4) </Td> <Td> 81.9 (27.7) </Td> <Td> 63.9 (17.7) </Td> <Td> 48.5 (9.2) </Td> <Td> 101.6 (38.7) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Average high ° F (° C) </Th> <Td> 23.4 (− 4.8) </Td> <Td> 28.3 (− 2.1) </Td> <Td> 40.4 (4.7) </Td> <Td> 57.0 (13.9) </Td> <Td> 68.4 (20.2) </Td> <Td> 77.2 (25.1) </Td> <Td> 84.7 (29.3) </Td> <Td> 83.5 (28.6) </Td> <Td> 72.1 (22.3) </Td> <Td> 57.5 (14.2) </Td> <Td> 39.6 (4.2) </Td> <Td> 26.2 (− 3.2) </Td> <Td> 54.9 (12.7) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Daily mean ° F (° C) </Th> <Td> 12.8 (− 10.7) </Td> <Td> 18.1 (− 7.7) </Td> <Td> 29.9 (− 1.2) </Td> <Td> 43.8 (6.6) </Td> <Td> 55.5 (13.1) </Td> <Td> 64.7 (18.2) </Td> <Td> 71.1 (21.7) </Td> <Td> 69.5 (20.8) </Td> <Td> 58.5 (14.7) </Td> <Td> 44.8 (7.1) </Td> <Td> 29.2 (− 1.6) </Td> <Td> 16.2 (− 8.8) </Td> <Td> 42.8 (6) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Average low ° F (° C) </Th> <Td> 2.2 (− 16.6) </Td> <Td> 7.9 (− 13.4) </Td> <Td> 19.4 (− 7) </Td> <Td> 30.7 (− 0.7) </Td> <Td> 42.7 (5.9) </Td> <Td> 52.0 (11.1) </Td> <Td> 57.4 (14.1) </Td> <Td> 55.5 (13.1) </Td> <Td> 44.9 (7.2) </Td> <Td> 32.2 (0.1) </Td> <Td> 18.8 (− 7.3) </Td> <Td> 6.1 (− 14.4) </Td> <Td> 30.8 (− 0.7) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Mean minimum ° F (° C) </Th> <Td> − 22.8 (− 30.4) </Td> <Td> − 19.3 (− 28.5) </Td> <Td> − 5.3 (− 20.7) </Td> <Td> 13.7 (− 10.2) </Td> <Td> 27.0 (− 2.8) </Td> <Td> 38.8 (3.8) </Td> <Td> 45.6 (7.6) </Td> <Td> 41.6 (5.3) </Td> <Td> 28.6 (− 1.9) </Td> <Td> 15.3 (− 9.3) </Td> <Td> − 1.7 (− 18.7) </Td> <Td> − 17.5 (− 27.5) </Td> <Td> − 29.4 (− 34.1) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Record low ° F (° C) </Th> <Td> − 45 (− 43) </Td> <Td> − 45 (− 43) </Td> <Td> − 36 (− 38) </Td> <Td> − 12 (− 24) </Td> <Td> 13 (− 11) </Td> <Td> 30 (− 1) </Td> <Td> 32 (0) </Td> <Td> 32 (0) </Td> <Td> 10 (− 12) </Td> <Td> − 10 (− 23) </Td> <Td> − 30 (− 34) </Td> <Td> − 43 (− 42) </Td> <Td> − 45 (− 43) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Average precipitation inches (mm) </Th> <Td> 0.43 (10.9) </Td> <Td> 0.51 (13) </Td> <Td> 0.87 (22.1) </Td> <Td> 1.26 (32) </Td> <Td> 2.40 (61) </Td> <Td> 3.17 (80.5) </Td> <Td> 2.89 (73.4) </Td> <Td> 2.28 (57.9) </Td> <Td> 1.59 (40.4) </Td> <Td> 1.25 (31.8) </Td> <Td> 0.71 (18) </Td> <Td> 0.49 (12.4) </Td> <Td> 17.85 (453.4) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Average snowfall inches (cm) </Th> <Td> 8.9 (22.6) </Td> <Td> 8.1 (20.6) </Td> <Td> 9.1 (23.1) </Td> <Td> 4.2 (10.7) </Td> <Td> 0.4 (1) </Td> <Td> 0 (0) </Td> <Td> 0 (0) </Td> <Td> 0 (0) </Td> <Td> 0.2 (0.5) </Td> <Td> 2.2 (5.6) </Td> <Td> 8.8 (22.4) </Td> <Td> 9.3 (23.6) </Td> <Td> 51.2 (130) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) </Th> <Td> 7.5 </Td> <Td> 7.0 </Td> <Td> 7.9 </Td> <Td> 7.4 </Td> <Td> 10.1 </Td> <Td> 11.2 </Td> <Td> 9.7 </Td> <Td> 8.2 </Td> <Td> 7.5 </Td> <Td> 6.6 </Td> <Td> 7.0 </Td> <Td> 7.6 </Td> <Td> 97.7 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) </Th> <Td> 9.7 </Td> <Td> 8.1 </Td> <Td> 6.4 </Td> <Td> 2.5 </Td> <Td> 0.4 </Td> <Td> 0 </Td> <Td> 0 </Td> <Td> 0 </Td> <Td> 0.1 </Td> <Td> 1.4 </Td> <Td> 6.6 </Td> <Td> 10.0 </Td> <Td> 45.2 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Average relative humidity (%) </Th> <Td> 71.3 </Td> <Td> 72.4 </Td> <Td> 69.9 </Td> <Td> 61.8 </Td> <Td> 60.1 </Td> <Td> 65.0 </Td> <Td> 61.8 </Td> <Td> 60.6 </Td> <Td> 63.7 </Td> <Td> 63.8 </Td> <Td> 72.0 </Td> <Td> 74.5 </Td> <Td> 66.4 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Mean monthly sunshine hours </Th> <Td> 149.4 </Td> <Td> 153.5 </Td> <Td> 222.3 </Td> <Td> 244.3 </Td> <Td> 296.1 </Td> <Td> 318.1 </Td> <Td> 354.6 </Td> <Td> 316.2 </Td> <Td> 245.9 </Td> <Td> 191.7 </Td> <Td> 122.6 </Td> <Td> 122.9 </Td> <Td> 2,737.6 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Percent possible sunshine </Th> <Td> 53 </Td> <Td> 53 </Td> <Td> 60 </Td> <Td> 60 </Td> <Td> 64 </Td> <Td> 67 </Td> <Td> 74 </Td> <Td> 72 </Td> <Td> 65 </Td> <Td> 57 </Td> <Td> 43 </Td> <Td> 46 </Td> <Td> 61 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="14"> Source: NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961--1990), The Weather Channel </Td> </Tr> </Table>

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