Triple-digit heat returns to area, but 1936’s record still stands
Travis Bateman
Farmer Staff Writer
Triple-digit temperatures returned to western North Dakota, with Watford City reaching 106 degrees during the July 2026 heat wave. While the heat has been dangerous and among the hottest experienced by many residents in years, it remains short of the community’s all-time temperature record established nearly a century ago.
According to historical National Weather Service climate records compiled from the Watford City weather station, the highest temperature ever officially recorded in Watford City is 112 degrees, set on July 6, 1936, during the infamous Dust Bowl era. That record has stood for 90 years.
The recent 106-degree reading is one of the hottest temperatures experienced locally in modern years, but it still falls six degrees shy of the all-time record.
A Benchmark Set During
the Dust Bowl
The summer of 1936 remains one of the most extreme weather periods ever experienced across North America. Severe drought gripped much of the Great Plains, vegetation withered, soils dried, and powerful heat domes settled over the region. Those conditions combined to produce many of the highest temperatures ever recorded throughout North Dakota and neighboring states. Watford City was no exception.
Historical records show an extraordinary string of extreme temperatures during July 1936:
• July 5 - 110°F
• July 6 - 112°F (all-time record)
• July 10 - 105°F
• July 11 - 108°F
• July 15 - 106°F
• July 18 - 106°F
• July 21 - 104°F
• July 23 - 102°F
• July 31 - 106°F
The year 1936 alone established 17 daily high-temperature records in Watford City, tied with 1931 for the most of any year on record. Much of the community’s hottest weather benchmarks today still originate from that remarkable summer.
Hot weather is not unusual - but this is exceptional.
Average highs in mid-July for Watford City are only in the low 80s, with an average high of approximately 83 degrees by mid-month. A temperature of 106 degrees is therefore more than 20 degrees above normal, underscoring just how unusual this week’s weather has been.
Although western North Dakota occasionally experiences temperatures above 100 degrees, readings above 105 degrees remain relatively uncommon.
While Watford City’s record remains 112 degrees, the North Dakota state record is 121 degrees, recorded at Steele on July 6, 1936 - the very same day Watford City reached its all-time high. That remarkable day remains one of the hottest ever documented anywhere in the northern Great Plains.
Safety Remains the Priority
Whether temperatures reach 100 or 112 degrees, prolonged exposure to extreme heat can quickly become dangerous.
Health officials encourage residents to remain hydrated, avoid strenuous outdoor activity during the hottest part of the day, check on elderly neighbors and vulnerable family members, never leave children or pets inside parked vehicles, and recognize the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
While the July 2026 heat wave will likely be remembered as one of the hottest in recent memory for McKenzie County, it also serves as a reminder of the extraordinary weather history preserved in North Dakota’s climate records.
For now, the 112-degree mark set on July 6, 1936, remains the standard against which every summer in Watford City continues to be measured.
In summer 2024, the Banks NDAWN (North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network) station, located about 3.5 miles north of Watford City in McKenzie County, recorded 111°F. That was the highest temperature observed anywhere in the NDAWN network during the summer of 2024 and set a record for the mesonet, but it did not exceed the county’s all-time official climate record of 112°F from Watford City.