Sure, a Saturday morning right after a foot of fluffy snow is the best thing ever. But that same amount of snow on Tuesday in North Dakota can make a commute last forever. Imagine it’s the dead of winter and the time of year when the ground is frozen, the air is bone-chilling, and there are piles of dirty, nasty, ice-encrusted snow all over the place.
This is about the time of year when you’re just about ready for spring — especially in Bowman, the snowiest place in North Dakota.
So, put on your parkas, snow boots, and gloves, and let’s go outside to see which North Dakota cities get dumped on the most every year. After analyzing all the cities in North Dakota with Saturday Night Science, we came up with this list as the 10 snowiest cities in Peace Garden State.
54.1 inches of snow per year
52.1 inches of snow per year
Located in
Cass County, North Dakota
Fargo is the most populous city in the state of North Dakota, accounting for nearly 16% of the state population. Fargo is also the county seat of Cass County. According to the 2016 United States Census estimates, its population was 120,762, making it the 229th-most populous city in the United States. Fargo, along with its twin city of Moorhead, Minnesota, as well as the adjacent cities of West Fargo, North Dakota and Dilworth, Minnesota, form the core of the Fargo-Moorhead, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in 2016 contained a population of 238,124. In 2014, Forbes magazine ranked Fargo as the fourth fastest-growing small city in the United States.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
50.7 inches of snow per year
Located in
Cass County, North Dakota
West Fargo is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. It is, as of the 2016 Census Estimates, the fifth largest city in the state of North Dakota with a population estimated at 34,858, and it is one of the state’s fastest growing cities. West Fargo was founded in 1926. The city is part of the Fargo-Moorhead, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
50.1 inches of snow per year
Located in
Burleigh County, North Dakota
Bismarck is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second-most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city’s population was estimated in 2016 at 72,417, while its metropolitan population was 131,635. In 2015, Forbes magazine ranked Bismarck as the seventh fastest-growing small city in the United States.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
49.8 inches of snow per year
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
48.7 inches of snow per year
Located in
Morton County, North Dakota
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
48.2 inches of snow per year
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
47.5 inches of snow per year
Located in
Ward County, North Dakota
Minot MY-not) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state’s north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base located approximately 15 miles north of the city. With a population of 40,888 at the 2010 census, Minot is the fourth largest city in the state and a trading center for a large portion of northern North Dakota, southwestern Manitoba, and southeastern Saskatchewan. Founded in 1886 during the construction of the Great Northern Railway, Minot is also known as “Magic City”, commemorating its remarkable growth in size over a short time.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
47.5 inches of snow per year
46.5 inches of snow per year
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is North Dakota’s statewide median.
On the map
Where North Dakota’s snowiest cities are
Saturday Night Science
How We Determined The Cities In North Dakota With The Most Snow
In order to rank the snowiest cities in North Dakota, we used Saturday Night Science and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database, to see which cities in the Peace Garden State get the most annual snowfall.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our second time ranking the snowiest cities in North Dakota.
Before we get too far, here are the annual snowfall rates for major cities: Fargo (52.1 inches), Bismarck (50.1 inches), and Grand Forks (43.3 inches).
The snowiest cities in North Dakota are Bowman, Fargo, West Fargo, Bismarck, Horace, Mandan, Watford City, Minot, Burlington, and Surrey.
There’s a complete chart at the bottom.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Snowiest Places In North Dakota
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Snow (Inches) | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bowman | 54.1 | 1,677 |
| 2 | Fargo | 52.1 | 113,464 |
| 3 | West Fargo | 50.7 | 29,892 |
| 4 | Bismarck | 50.1 | 66,980 |
| 5 | Horace | 49.8 | 2,523 |
| 6 | Mandan | 48.7 | 19,962 |
| 7 | Watford City | 48.2 | 3,728 |
| 8 | Minot | 47.5 | 46,194 |
| 9 | Burlington | 47.5 | 1,234 |
| 10 | Surrey | 46.5 | 1,054 |
| 11 | Parshall | 46.4 | 1,071 |
| 12 | Minot AFB | 45.5 | 5,890 |
| 13 | Grand Forks AFB | 45.1 | 2,663 |
| 14 | Williston | 44.6 | 22,051 |
| 15 | Larimore | 44.6 | 1,513 |
| 16 | Lincoln | 44.2 | 3,093 |
| 17 | Bottineau | 43.8 | 2,273 |
| 18 | Stanley | 43.8 | 2,118 |
| 19 | Thompson | 43.4 | 1,067 |
| 20 | Grand Forks | 43.3 | 54,944 |
| 21 | Hillsboro | 43.3 | 1,673 |
| 22 | Velva | 43.2 | 1,132 |
| 23 | Lisbon | 42.5 | 2,081 |
| 24 | Langdon | 42.2 | 1,833 |
| 25 | Carrington | 41.1 | 2,011 |
| 26 | Ellendale | 41.0 | 1,466 |
| 27 | Jamestown | 40.6 | 15,418 |
| 28 | Cooperstown | 40.4 | 1,091 |
| 29 | New Town | 40.3 | 2,306 |
| 30 | Mayville | 40.3 | 1,787 |
| 31 | Tioga | 40.1 | 1,072 |
| 32 | Grafton | 39.9 | 4,282 |
| 33 | Hettinger | 39.9 | 1,233 |
| 34 | Devils Lake | 39.7 | 7,275 |
| 35 | Washburn | 39.6 | 1,421 |
| 36 | Fort Totten | 39.0 | 1,284 |
| 37 | Linton | 38.8 | 1,042 |
| 38 | Oakes | 38.5 | 1,975 |
| 39 | Shell Valley | 37.9 | 1,396 |
| 40 | Casselton | 37.8 | 2,466 |
| 41 | Walhalla | 37.8 | 1,084 |
| 42 | Crosby | 37.7 | 1,064 |
| 43 | Garrison | 37.4 | 1,377 |
| 44 | Rugby | 37.2 | 3,112 |
| 45 | Park River | 37.2 | 1,480 |
| 46 | Hazen | 36.9 | 2,578 |
| 47 | Cavalier | 36.4 | 1,230 |
| 48 | Belcourt | 36.2 | 1,904 |
| 49 | Rolla | 36.1 | 1,316 |
| 50 | Valley City | 35.8 | 6,626 |
| 51 | Beulah | 35.2 | 3,286 |
| 52 | Dickinson | 34.9 | 21,097 |
| 53 | Cando | 34.4 | 1,089 |
| 54 | New Rockford | 33.3 | 1,428 |
| 55 | Wahpeton | 30.6 | 7,835 |
| 56 | Harvey | 27.6 | 1,920 |
Source: NOAA snowfall data via Saturday Night Science. 56 North Dakota cities ranked.
Summary
Summary: The Snowiest Cities In North Dakota For 2026
If you’re looking for the North Dakota cities that get buried in snow each winter, this is an accurate list.
The snowiest cities in North Dakota are Bowman, Fargo, West Fargo, Bismarck, Horace, Mandan, Watford City, Minot, Burlington, and Surrey. Not sold on North Dakota? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Snowiest Cities In North Dakota FAQs
What is the snowiest city in North Dakota?
Bowman is the snowiest city in North Dakota for 2026, with 54.1 inches of snow in an average year, per NOAA data. Fargo and West Fargo are next.
What are the snowiest cities in North Dakota?
The snowiest cities in North Dakota are Bowman, Fargo, West Fargo, Bismarck, Horace, Mandan, Watford City, Minot, Burlington, and Surrey. We ranked all 56 North Dakota cities with measurable snowfall.
How much snow do North Dakota’s biggest cities get?
Fargo averages 52.1 inches of snow a year, Bismarck gets 50.1, and Grand Forks gets 43.3. Wherever you land in North Dakota, the shovel situation varies a lot.
Which city on the list gets the least snow?
Harvey gets the least snow of the 56 North Dakota cities with measurable snowfall. It still made the list, which is more than most of the Sun Belt can say.
Where does the snowfall data come from?
Average annual snowfall comes from NOAA weather station records. Cities are ranked purely on that average — no bonus points for dramatic blizzard stories.
