Bismarck weather in August

In August, Bismarck sees average daytime highs of 81°F and overnight lows near 57°F, with 2.3 in of rain across 7.4 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 82°F in the first days to 79°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 42 min at the start of August to 13 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Bismarck's 1st-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bismarck's year-round climate.

Daytime high
81°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
57°
11th coldest
Rainfall
2.3 in
7.4 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:46 AM – 7:48 PM
Cloud cover
41%
1st clearest
Wind
9 mph
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.82 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.2
out of 10

Bismarck is capital city of the U.S. state of North Dakota and seat of Burleigh County.

Density
58,300/km²
people per km²
Founded
1872

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 82°F in the first days to 79°F by the end.

A typical August day in Bismarck reaches about 81°F in the afternoon and slips back to 57°F overnight — a 24°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 70°F and 90°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 10°F warmer than September.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18259
28259
38259
48259
58258
68258
78258
88158
98158
108158
118158
128158
138158
148157
158157
168157
178157
188157
198157
208157
218056
228056
238056
248056
258056
268056
278055
287955
297955
307855
317854

How August really feels in Bismarck

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

August sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Bismarck weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 0.64.54.88.80.0
Feb26° / 0.74.44.6100.0
Mar38° / 20°1.05411.60.2
Apr53° / 32°1.87.52.913.33.1
May66° / 44°2.99.80.414.85.9
Jun75° / 55°3.811.1015.66.7
Jul81° / 60°3.09.8015.36.8
Aug81° / 57°2.37.40147.2
Sep71° / 48°1.86.5012.47.2
Oct55° / 35°1.86.51.510.64.0
Nov38° / 22°0.84.13.59.20.2
Dec26° / 10°0.74.44.98.40.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in August, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 29%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17426
27426
37426
47327
57228
67228
77129
87129
97030
107030
117030
127030
137030
147030
157129
167129
177129
187129
197129
207129
217129
227129
237129
247129
257129
267129
277129
287030
296931
306931
316832

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Bismarck gets around 2.3 in of rain over 7.4 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 24% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
226
326
426
526
626
726
826
926
1026
1125
1225
1325
1425
1524
1624
1723
1823
1923
2023
2122
2222
2322
2422
2522
2622
2722
2822
2922
3022
3122

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of August feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 45% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 6% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
136292591
236292491
336302491
437302491
537302491
637302391
738302381
839302381
939302281
1040302280
1141302170
1242302170
1342302160
1443302060
1544302060
1645292060
1746292050
1846291950
1946291950
2047291950
2147291940
2248291940
2348291940
2449281840
2550281840
2650281840
2752271740
2852271740
2955261630
3057251530
3158241530

Wind in August

Winds average 9 mph in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 42 min at the start of August to 13 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 90 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:27 AM to 6:06 AM, and sunset from 8:11 PM to 7:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.75:278:11
214.75:288:10
314.75:308:09
414.65:318:07
514.65:328:06
614.55:338:04
714.55:358:03
814.45:368:01
914.45:378:00
1014.35:387:58
1114.35:407:57
1214.25:417:55
1314.25:427:53
1414.15:447:52
1514.15:457:50
1614.05:467:48
1714.05:487:46
1813.95:497:45
1913.95:507:43
2013.85:527:41
2113.85:537:39
2213.75:547:37
2313.75:567:36
2413.65:577:34
2513.65:587:32
2613.56:007:30
2713.56:017:28
2813.46:027:26
2913.36:047:24
3013.36:057:22
3113.26:067:20

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.82 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.43 kWh/m² to a high of 6.7 kWh/m² in July across the year — August's 5.82 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.4Intense
26.3Intense
36.3Intense
46.2Intense
56.2Intense
66.2Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.0Intense
106.0Intense
116.0Bright
126.0Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Bismarck

In seasonPeak

In August, Bismarck sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Bismarck's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is August a good time to visit Bismarck?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

7.2
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.3
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

August is one of the better times to visit Bismarck for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Bismarck in August

From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In August, Bismarck sees daytime highs around 81°F and nights near 57°F. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Bismarck in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bismarck peaks around June 22 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 22UV 8Dec 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep5High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Bismarck?

Bismarck sits at 46.8°N, 100.8°W, 1,686 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Mandan, 5.0 mi away.

Topography around Bismarck

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Bismarck.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bismarck has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 285 ft around an average of 1,713 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 505 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 915 ft.

The land around Bismarck is covered by artificial surfaces (54%) and trees (23%) within 2 miles, grassland (63%) and cropland (20%) within 10 miles, and grassland (62%) and cropland (34%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
285 ft
10 miles
505 ft
50 miles
915 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: Mandan 5.0 mi · Dickinson 95 mi · Jamestown 98 mi · Minot 101 mi · Aberdeen 144 mi · Williston 162 mi · West Fargo 183 mi · Fargo 189 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Bismarck (46.8083°, -100.7837°, elevation 1,686 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).