Fargo weather in August

In August, Fargo sees average daytime highs of 79°F and overnight lows near 58°F, with 3.2 in of rain across 8.8 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 80°F in the first days to 77°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% 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 Fargo's 1st-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fargo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
79°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
58°
11th coldest
Rainfall
3.2 in
8.8 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:30 AM – 7:32 PM
Cloud cover
46%
1st clearest
Wind
7 mph
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.1
out of 10

Fargo is city in and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, United States of America.

Density
928/km²
people per km²
Founded
1871

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 80°F in the first days to 77°F by the end.

A typical August day in Fargo reaches about 79°F in the afternoon and slips back to 58°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 70°F and 88°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 2°F cooler than July and about 9°F warmer than September.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18060
28059
38059
48059
58059
68059
78059
88059
97959
107958
117958
127958
137958
147958
157958
167958
177958
187958
197957
207857
217857
227857
237857
247857
257856
267856
277756
287756
297756
307655
317655

How August really feels in Fargo

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.

Fargo 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
Jan18° / 0.84.74.98.80.0
Feb23° / 0.74.54.4100.0
Mar37° / 19°1.46.24.111.60.2
Apr53° / 33°2.07.72.313.33.1
May67° / 46°3.511.30.114.85.9
Jun76° / 57°4.311.9015.66.5
Jul80° / 61°3.810.6015.36.6
Aug79° / 58°3.28.80147.1
Sep70° / 49°2.88.1012.46.8
Oct54° / 36°2.47.7110.63.5
Nov37° / 22°1.15.33.79.20.2
Dec23° / 0.95.75.98.40.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% 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 36%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16436
26436
36436
46337
56337
66238
76238
86238
96238
106238
116238
126337
136337
146337
156337
166436
176436
186436
196436
206535
216535
226535
236535
246634
256634
266634
276634
286634
296634
306535
316535

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Fargo gets around 3.2 in of rain over 8.8 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 29% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
127
227
327
427
527
628
728
828
929
1029
1129
1229
1329
1429
1529
1629
1729
1829
1929
2029
2129
2229
2329
2429
2529
2629
2729
2829
2929
3029
3129

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 36% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 13% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1282928113
2292928113
3292828113
4302828112
5312728112
6312728112
7322728112
8322727112
9332727122
10332727122
11332726122
12342726121
13342726121
14342725121
15352725121
16352625131
17352625131
18362625131
19362625131
20362624130
21372624130
22372624130
23382524120
24392524120
25392524120
26402424110
27422423110
28432423100
29442322100
3046232191
3148232181

Wind in August

Winds average 7 mph in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light 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 5:11 AM to 5:50 AM, and sunset from 7:56 PM to 7:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.75:117:56
214.75:127:54
314.75:137:53
414.65:157:51
514.65:167:50
614.55:177:49
714.55:187:47
814.45:207:45
914.45:217:44
1014.35:227:42
1114.35:247:41
1214.25:257:39
1314.25:267:37
1414.15:287:36
1514.15:297:34
1614.05:307:32
1714.05:317:31
1813.95:337:29
1913.95:347:27
2013.85:357:25
2113.85:377:23
2213.75:387:22
2313.75:397:20
2413.65:417:18
2513.65:427:16
2613.55:437:14
2713.55:457:12
2813.45:467:10
2913.35:477:08
3013.35:497:06
3113.25:507:04

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.58 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.29 kWh/m² to a high of 6.34 kWh/m² in July across the year — August's 5.58 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.1Intense
36.0Intense
46.0Intense
56.0Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Fargo

In seasonPeak

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

Fargo'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 Fargo?

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

7.1
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.7
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Fargo in August

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

In August, Fargo sees daytime highs around 79°F and nights near 58°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Fargo in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Fargo peaks around June 18 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 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 18UV 8Jan 11UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Fargo in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Fargo is worst in August — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (October, 6 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodAug 1115 µg/m³Oct 206 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun10Good
Jul15Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct6Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Fargo?

Fargo sits at 46.9°N, 96.8°W, 906 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Moorhead, 1.2 mi away.

Topography around Fargo

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Fargo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 95 ft around an average of 906 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 837 ft.

The land around Fargo is covered by artificial surfaces (48%) and trees (34%) within 2 miles, cropland (65%) within 10 miles, and cropland (78%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
95 ft
10 miles
121 ft
50 miles
837 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: Moorhead 1.2 mi · West Fargo 5.0 mi · Grand Forks 73 mi · Jamestown 91 mi · Aberdeen 127 mi · Watertown 137 mi · Willmar 147 mi · Sartell 151 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 Fargo (46.8772°, -96.7898°, elevation 906 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).