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Ward County, ND

No sale barn with a published report is within 100 miles of Ward County, North Dakota. This page still has drought, programs and weather for the county when those are loaded.

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CRP emergency haying & grazing: Ward County is on FSA's list (since Sep 1, 2026). Check with your FSA county office first. Details · FSA list as of Nov 5, 2026.
Drought No droughtNone · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Eligibleup to 2 payments Burn ban Checkcall the county Mandan ND 5-wt steers $430▲ $7 since last sale

Ward County rain, outlook and forecast

The Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map shows most of Ward County, ND with no drought, though 22% at abnormally dry (D0); 22% of the county is abnormally dry (D0) or worse, the same as four weeks earlier. Rain has run 68% of normal over the last 30 days (below normal); the best rain chance this week is 51% on Wednesday (high 40°) and the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans wetter than normal (40% chance of above-normal rain). Ward County is on FSA's 2026 LFP list with up to 2 monthly payments, and the nearest USDA-reported sale barn is Mandan ND, 101 miles away.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 68% of normal
  • Last 60 days not read yet
  • Last 90 days not read yet

NOAA river forecast center rain (radar plus gauges) at the county center, Nov 15, 2026. Source.

Rain outlook

  • 6-10 day outlook (Nov 20–24) Leans wetter than normal (40% chance of above-normal rain)
  • 8-14 day outlook (Nov 22–28) Leans toward near-normal rain

NOAA Climate Prediction Center precipitation outlook, issued Nov 14, 2026. Source.

Next 7 days

  1. Today Sunny, high 54°, low 35°, 0% rain, wind 8–18 mph
  2. Monday Partly Sunny, high 57°, low 37°, 0% rain, wind 2–12 mph
  3. Tuesday Mostly Cloudy, high 48°, low 34°, 1% rain, wind 3–10 mph
  4. Wednesday Mostly Cloudy then Chance Light Rain, high 40°, low 30°, 51% rain, wind 8–17 mph
  5. Thursday Mostly Cloudy, high 37°, low 27°, 11% rain, wind 3–15 mph
  6. Friday Chance Rain And Snow, high 35°, low 24°, 44% rain, wind 7–17 mph
  7. Saturday Chance Light Snow, high 31°, low 19°, 28% rain, wind 6–18 mph

National Weather Service forecast for the county center, updated Nov 15, 2026. Wind, warnings and burn bans.

PRF pasture insurance: sign up by Dec 1, 2026

The 2027 Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF) insurance sales closing date for Ward County is Dec 1, 2026, 16 days from today. PRF (Rainfall Index) pays on a rainfall index for your grid, not on your own rain gauge. You buy it through a crop insurance agent.

How PRF works · PRF 2027 sign-up · Find your grid on RMA's PRF tool

Date from USDA RMA's actuarial data, read Aug 28, 2026 · RMA dates map. Your agent confirms the date for your policy.

Ward County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Ward County grew about 1,844 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 127% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 1,455 pounds per acre. That was the 1st best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2025 at 1,844 pounds per acre; worst: 1986 at 1,005.

Pounds per acre of new grass and forbs each year on rangeland and pasture, from the Rangeland Analysis Platform (satellite-based estimates). See every year on the Land tab.

Open loss windows

No open loss windows in Ward County right now. A 30-day window opens when the county first hits severe drought (D2), jumps to D3 or D4, or after a blizzard, extreme heat or cold, flood or ice warning, a wildfire, or a USDA disaster designation. Keep a Drought Ledger.

Information only; not financial, tax or legal advice. FSA decides eligibility. Cownty sends nothing to FSA.

Drought-sale tax flag IRS list

Ward County is on IRS Notice 2026-54 (severe or worse drought, Sep 1, 2025 to Aug 31, 2026).

Why it matters: if you sold breeding, dairy or draft livestock because of drought, the tax code may let you put off the gain (more time to buy replacement animals, or report the extra-sale income a year later). Your tax preparer decides whether either applies.

Work out your numbers and print a page for your preparer

Information only; not financial, tax or legal advice. Ask your tax preparer. FSA decides program eligibility. IRS Notice 2026-54 (PDF)

Next 7 days · National Weather Service

Weather for Ward County

Forecast for the center point of Ward County.

  • Freeze on 4 nights
  1. Today Sunny 54° 35° SW 8–18 mph 0% rain
  2. Mon Partly Sunny 57° 37° SW 2–12 mph 0% rain
  3. Tue Mostly Cloudy 48° 34° E 3–10 mph 1% rain
  4. Wed Mostly Cloudy then Chance Light Rain 40° 30° N 8–17 mph 51% rain
  5. Thu Mostly Cloudy 37° 27° N 3–15 mph 11% rain
  6. Fri Chance Rain And Snow 35° 24° NE 7–17 mph 44% rain
  7. Sat Chance Light Snow 31° 19° NW 6–18 mph 28% rain

Forecast from the National Weather Service, updated Nov 15, 2026. Wind arrows point where the wind is going; the letters say where it comes from. Windy = 25 mph or more; freeze = a low of 32°F or less. Open the full forecast.

Burn ban

Data pending. Cownty doesn't read an official statewide burn-ban list for North Dakota; county commissions, sheriffs and fire districts post local fire restrictions, so check your county's own notices

No official ban list to check here, so Cownty shows the National Weather Service fire-weather alerts for the county instead: none right now.

Guide: Burn bans: where to check and what they mean

Weather warnings right now

None right now

National Weather Service active alerts for this county, as of Nov 15, 2026 (source). Fetched Nov 15, 2026.

Rainfall vs normal

Oct 2026
0.73 in 57% of normal
Last 12 months
14.19 in 80%
How to read this

Bars are the rain that fell each month; the dashed line is a normal month (1991-2020 average). Bars below the line = drier than normal.

County-average precipitation, Nov 2025 to Oct 2026. Normal = NCEI's own 1991-2020 average for each month (Oct 2026 normal 1.27 in; same month last year 2.72 in). NCEI posts each month around the 8th of the next and may revise recent months. Source: NOAA NCEI Climate at a Glance. Fetched Nov 14, 2026.

Wildfires

No current fire perimeter in the county

No current perimeter within 100 mi of the county center (48 mapped nationally).

See the fire map

Interagency fire outlines. Small or brand-new fires are often not mapped yet; call 911 for a fire you can see. Layer updated Nov 15, 2026. Source: National Interagency Fire Center. Fetched Nov 15, 2026.

Frost dates

Frost and freeze dates

30-year averages (1991–2020) from the weather stations nearest Ward County. Frost = 32°F; hard freeze = 28°F.

Minot Exp Stn weather station (12 mi away)

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
136-day growing season
 May 13
1 year in 10 it's after May 26
 Sep 27
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 14
Hard freeze (28°F)
154-day growing season
 May 3
1 year in 10 it's after May 16
 Oct 5
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 22

Minot Intl Ap weather station (13 mi away)

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
144-day growing season
 May 10
1 year in 10 it's after May 22
 Oct 1
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 19
Hard freeze (28°F)
163-day growing season
 Apr 30
1 year in 10 it's after May 14
 Oct 10
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 27

Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Minot Exp Stn, Minot Intl Ap), NOAA files as of Jun 27, 2023. Fetched Nov 11, 2026.

Text me Ward County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Kist Livestock (feeder cattle) Mandan, ND 101 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
  2. Stockmen's Livestock Exchange (feeder cattle) Dickinson, ND 109 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Nov 12, 2026
  3. Napoleon Livestock (feeder cattle) Napoleon, ND 145 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Nov 12, 2026
  4. Herried Livestock Market Herreid, SD 178 mi · sells Fridays · latest USDA report Nov 13, 2026
  5. Mobridge Livestock Exchange Mobridge, SD 192 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Nov 12, 2026

Miles are straight-line from the county center. Sale days come from the barns' recent USDA AMS reports; call the barn to confirm. All barns

Printable county brief (PDF) · Everything on one page · Nearest USDA hay reports (none for North Dakota): South Dakota, Montana

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Ward County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Ward County is on FSA's 2026 Livestock Forage Disaster Program county list, with up to 2 monthly payments for some pasture types. FSA decides each operation's eligibility; apply at your county FSA office by March 1 after the loss year.

Source: FSA LFP county file of Nov 5, 2026

What is the drought level in Ward County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Ward County was in no drought, and the worst part was abnormally dry (D0) on 22% of the county. 0 straight weeks with some severe drought (D2) or worse.

Source: U.S. Drought Monitor, map of Nov 10, 2026

Is there a burn ban in Ward County?

No official statewide list to check: Cownty doesn't read an official statewide burn-ban list for North Dakota; county commissions, sheriffs and fire districts post local fire restrictions, so check your county's own notices.

What sale barns are near Ward County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Mandan ND (101 mi), last report Nov 11, 2026; Dickinson ND (109 mi), last report Nov 12, 2026; Napoleon ND (145 mi), last report Nov 12, 2026.

Source: USDA AMS Market News reports

What are the upcoming FSA and farm deadlines?

Next: Nov 20, 2026: Micro Farm 2027: last day to buy crop insurance; Nov 20, 2026: Whole Farm Revenue Protection 2027: last day to buy crop insurance. FSA program dates not posted officially are marked "confirm at source" on the calendar.

Source: official agency pages (see Calendar)

Information only; not financial or legal advice. FSA decides eligibility. Always check the linked official source.