Williston in Fall

In fall (September, October and November), Williston sees average daytime highs around 53°F and overnight lows near 33°F, with 3.8 in of precipitation over about 17 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.

Over the season highs ease from about 76°F in early September to 30°F by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.

Fall is Williston's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Williston's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
53°F
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
33°F
Precipitation
3.8 in
17 wet days
Avg wind
9 mph
Travel score
3.6
2nd-best season
Months
Sep · Oct · Nov

Temperature in Williston in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 76°F in early September to 30°F by late November.

A typical fall day in Williston reaches about 53°F and drops to 33°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.

20°40°60°80°SepOctNov

How fall really feels in Williston

Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 58 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
58
25 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Williston weather by month

How the three fall months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan20° / 0.64.24.58.60.0
Feb25° / 0.53.73.89.90.0
Mar37° / 19°0.95.3411.60.2
Apr53° / 31°1.57.12.813.43.1
May65° / 42°2.69.30.714.95.8
Jun73° / 53°3.110.7015.86.7
Jul80° / 58°2.38.2015.47.1
Aug80° / 55°1.77.7014.17.3
Sep70° / 46°1.75.8012.47.2
Oct54° / 33°1.35.91.510.63.6
Nov37° / 20°0.84.93.890.1
Dec24° / 0.64.74.98.20.0

Cloud cover in Fall

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time across fall.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Chance of precipitation in Fall

Any precipitationSnow

Williston gets around 3.8 in of rain and snow over 17 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%SepOctNov

Humidity in Fall

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Wind in Fall

Winds average 9 mph across fall.

051015SepOctNov

Sunrise & sunset in Fall

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min in early September to 8 h 30 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMSepOctNov

Solar energy in Fall

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 2.9 kWh/m².

0246SepOctNov
Planning a trip in fall

Is fall a good time to visit Williston?

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

3.6
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
1.5
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

fall is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Williston.

What to pack for Williston in Fall

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

In fall, Williston sees daytime highs around 53°F and nights near 33°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 17 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Williston in Fall

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Williston peaks around June 21 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 21UV 8Dec 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Williston in Fall

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Williston is worst in August — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (October, 5 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1216 µg/m³Oct 226 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar12Good
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun9Good
Jul14Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct5Good
Nov6Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Williston?

Williston sits at 48.1°N, 103.6°W, 1,877 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Dickinson, 96 mi away.

Topography around Williston

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Williston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 243 ft around an average of 1,867 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 650 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 912 ft.

The land around Williston is covered by grassland (42%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 2 miles, grassland (61%) and cropland (25%) within 10 miles, and grassland (56%) and cropland (38%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
243 ft
10 miles
650 ft
50 miles
912 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Fall weather nearby: Dickinson 96 mi · Minot 107 mi · Mandan 157 mi · Bismarck 162 mi · Arcola East 163 mi · Dewdney East 165 mi · Regina 165 mi · Moose Jaw 178 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 Williston (48.147°, -103.618°, elevation 1,877 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.