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Williams County, ND

No sale barn with a published report is within 100 miles of Williams 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: Williams 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 Dickinson ND 5-wt steers $448▲ $19 since last sale

Williams County rain, outlook and forecast

On the Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map, most of Williams County, ND showed no drought, though 12% at moderate drought (D1); 12% of the county is in moderate drought (D1) or worse, the same as four weeks earlier. Rain has run 76% of normal over the last 30 days (below normal); the NWS forecast peaks at a 71% rain chance on Wednesday (high 38°) and the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans wetter than normal (33% chance of above-normal rain). Williams County is on FSA's 2026 LFP list with up to 2 monthly payments, and the nearest USDA-reported sale barn is Dickinson ND, 106 miles away.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 76% 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 (33% chance of above-normal rain)
  • 8-14 day outlook (Nov 22–28) Leans drier than normal (33% chance of below-normal rain)

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

Next 7 days

  1. Today Mostly Sunny, high 53°, low 32°, 0% rain, wind 9 mph
  2. Monday Mostly Cloudy, high 53°, low 35°, 0% rain, wind 6–9 mph
  3. Tuesday Mostly Cloudy, high 50°, low 32°, 3% rain, wind 6–15 mph
  4. Wednesday Light Rain Likely, high 38°, low 26°, 71% rain, wind 12–17 mph
  5. Thursday Mostly Cloudy, high 34°, low 25°, 11% rain, wind 5–10 mph
  6. Friday Chance Light Snow, high 35°, low 22°, 30% rain, wind 8–15 mph
  7. Saturday Slight Chance Light Snow, high 31°, low 18°, 22% rain, wind 6–16 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 Williams 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.

Williams County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Williams County grew about 1,463 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 122% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 1,197 pounds per acre. That was the 2nd best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2016 at 1,570 pounds per acre; worst: 1988 at 854.

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 Williams 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

Williams 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 Williams County

Forecast for the center point of Williams County.

  • Freeze on 6 nights
  1. Today Mostly Sunny 53° 32° SW 9 mph 0% rain
  2. Mon Mostly Cloudy 53° 35° S 6–9 mph 0% rain
  3. Tue Mostly Cloudy 50° 32° NE 6–15 mph 3% rain
  4. Wed Light Rain Likely 38° 26° N 12–17 mph 71% rain
  5. Thu Mostly Cloudy 34° 25° NW 5–10 mph 11% rain
  6. Fri Chance Light Snow 35° 22° NE 8–15 mph 30% rain
  7. Sat Slight Chance Light Snow 31° 18° NW 6–16 mph 22% 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
0.66 in 67% of normal
Last 12 months
13.41 in 87%
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 0.98 in; same month last year 1.29 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 Williams County. Frost = 32°F; hard freeze = 28°F.

Williston Sloulin Intl Ap weather station (14 mi away)

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
123-day growing season
 May 21
1 year in 10 it's after Jun 3
 Sep 21
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 9
Hard freeze (28°F)
140-day growing season
 May 11
1 year in 10 it's after May 25
 Sep 28
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 16

Williston Exp Farm weather station (19 mi away)

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
135-day growing season
 May 13
1 year in 10 it's after May 25
 Sep 26
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 17
 Oct 3
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 21

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

Text me Williams County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Stockmen's Livestock Exchange (feeder cattle) Dickinson, ND 106 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Nov 12, 2026
  2. Kist Livestock (feeder cattle) Mandan, ND 161 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
  3. Miles City Livestock Commission Miles City, MT 174 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Nov 10, 2026
  4. Napoleon Livestock (feeder cattle) Napoleon, ND 216 mi · sells Thursdays · latest USDA report Nov 12, 2026
  5. Herried Livestock Market Herreid, SD 237 mi · sells Fridays · latest USDA report Nov 13, 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 Williams County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Williams 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 Williams County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Williams County was in no drought, and the worst part was moderate drought (D1) on 12% 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 Williams 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 Williams County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Dickinson ND (106 mi), last report Nov 12, 2026; Mandan ND (161 mi), last report Nov 11, 2026; Miles City MT (174 mi), last report Nov 10, 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.