Dickinson in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Dickinson sees average daytime highs around 27°F and overnight lows near 10°F, with 1.8 in of precipitation over about 12 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Dickinson's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Dickinson's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
27°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
10°F
Precipitation
1.8 in
12 wet days
Avg wind
12 mph
Travel score
0.0
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Dickinson in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°F.

A typical winter day in Dickinson reaches about 27°F and drops to 10°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.

-20°20°40°60°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Dickinson

Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 90 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
90
90 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Dickinson weather by month

How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 0.64.34.58.80.0
Feb28° / 11°0.644.2100.0
Mar40° / 20°1.05.94.411.60.4
Apr52° / 31°2.08.43.413.32.9
May64° / 43°2.910.80.814.85.6
Jun74° / 53°3.211.1015.66.6
Jul81° / 58°2.78.9015.36.9
Aug81° / 56°2.27.50147.2
Sep70° / 46°2.06.20.112.47.2
Oct55° / 34°1.55.91.710.63.9
Nov39° / 21°0.83.73.19.20.2
Dec28° / 12°0.64.14.38.40.0

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Dickinson gets around 1.8 in of rain and snow over 12 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 12 mph across winter.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 36 min in early December to 10 h 42 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.0 kWh/m².

01234DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Is winter a good time to visit Dickinson?

Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

0.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dickinson.

What to pack for Dickinson in Winter

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

In winter, Dickinson sees daytime highs around 27°F and nights near 10°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Dickinson in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dickinson peaks around June 21 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 21UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep5High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Dickinson?

Dickinson sits at 46.9°N, 102.8°W, 2,411 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Mandan, 90 mi away.

Topography around Dickinson

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Dickinson has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 243 ft around an average of 2,441 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 479 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,650 ft.

The land around Dickinson is covered by grassland (39%) and artificial surfaces (34%) within 2 miles, grassland (54%) and cropland (42%) within 10 miles, and grassland (64%) and cropland (34%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
243 ft
10 miles
479 ft
50 miles
1,650 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Winter weather nearby: Mandan 90 mi · Bismarck 95 mi · Williston 96 mi · Minot 117 mi · Jamestown 193 mi · Rapid City 194 mi · Gillette 222 mi · Aberdeen 228 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 Dickinson (46.8792°, -102.7896°, elevation 2,411 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.