Aberdeen, South Dakota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Aberdeen's normal year runs from 2°F January nights to 85°F July afternoons, with 21.8 inches of precipitation and 43 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.7°C, January lows of −17°C, July highs of 29°C, 554 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationAberdeen Regional Airport
- Station IDUSW00014929
- Location45.46°N 98.41°W
- Elevation1,302 ft (397 m)
- Population27,919
On October 22, the normal high in Aberdeen is 56°F and the normal low 31°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 23%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Aberdeen.
- Jan 24° 2°
- Feb 29° 6°
- Mar 42° 19°
- Apr 58° 31°
- May 70° 44°
- Jun 80° 55°
- Jul 85° 60°
- Aug 83° 57°
- Sep 75° 47°
- Oct 59° 33°
- Nov 43° 19°
- Dec 29° 8°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Aberdeen each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 85°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 2°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.76 in), the least in January (0.55 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24°F | 2°F | 12.8°F | 0.55 | 7.8 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 29°F | 6°F | 17.5°F | 0.62 | 8.6 | 7 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 42°F | 19°F | 30.5°F | 0.89 | 6.3 | 8 | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 58°F | 31°F | 44.5°F | 1.91 | 4.2 | 8 | <1 | 16 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 70°F | 44°F | 57.3°F | 3.28 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 80°F | 55°F | 67.6°F | 3.76 | 0.0 | 12 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 85°F | 60°F | 72.3°F | 3.09 | 0.0 | 10 | 6 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 83°F | 57°F | 69.7°F | 2.24 | 0.0 | 8 | 4 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 75°F | 47°F | 60.9°F | 1.99 | 0.0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 59°F | 33°F | 46.3°F | 2.14 | 1.3 | 8 | <1 | 14 | 11 h |
| November | 43°F | 19°F | 30.9°F | 0.74 | 6.5 | 6 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 29°F | 8°F | 18.3°F | 0.61 | 8.0 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 56°F | 32°F | 44.1°F | 21.82 | 42.7 | 98 | 15 | 179 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5°C | −17°C | −10.7°C | 14 mm | 20 cm |
| February | −2°C | −14°C | −8.1°C | 16 mm | 22 cm |
| March | 5°C | −7°C | −0.8°C | 23 mm | 16 cm |
| April | 14°C | 0°C | 6.9°C | 49 mm | 11 cm |
| May | 21°C | 7°C | 14.1°C | 83 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 27°C | 13°C | 19.8°C | 96 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 29°C | 15°C | 22.4°C | 78 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 28°C | 14°C | 20.9°C | 57 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 24°C | 8°C | 16.1°C | 51 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 15°C | 1°C | 7.9°C | 54 mm | 3 cm |
| November | 6°C | −7°C | −0.6°C | 19 mm | 17 cm |
| December | −2°C | −13°C | −7.6°C | 15 mm | 20 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014929; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Aberdeen?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (8).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014929.
When is the last frost in Aberdeen?
In Aberdeen, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 9 in half of years and after May 22 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 26 in half of years and before September 14 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- May 91 year in 10 after May 22; 9 in 10 after April 27
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 261 year in 10 before September 14; 9 in 10 before October 7
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 139 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 156 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 30 in half of springs and before October 4 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Aberdeen in zone 4a in ZIP code 57401, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Aberdeen's NOAA station is in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −28°F (30 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in South Dakota · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00014929; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Aberdeen?
In a normal year in Aberdeen, 15 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 179 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 98 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 15a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 179a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 78high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 98a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 13a normal year
The highest temperature in Aberdeen's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1893) is 115°F, on July 9, 1936; the lowest is −46°F, on January 12, 1912.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1908, with 32.99 in; the snowiest season is 1936–37, with 109.8 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014929; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record ABRthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Aberdeen, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 59°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 60°F; the driest air comes in December (9°F). March is the windiest month (12.1 mph on average), and August has the most clear or nearly clear hours (78%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10°F | 79% | 69% | 10.3 mph | 53% | 36% |
| February | 14°F | 77% | 65% | 10.8 mph | 54% | 36% |
| March | 27°F | 67% | 47% | 12.1 mph | 58% | 30% |
| April | 37°F | 60% | 39% | 11.9 mph | 61% | 26% |
| May | 50°F | 64% | 45% | 10.5 mph | 61% | 21% |
| June | 59°F | 68% | 48% | 9.8 mph | 74% | 11% |
| July | 60°F | 72% | 50% | 7.9 mph | 77% | 10% |
| August | 57°F | 71% | 48% | 9.3 mph | 78% | 12% |
| September | 42°F | 66% | 42% | 10.2 mph | 71% | 19% |
| October | 29°F | 70% | 49% | 10.6 mph | 62% | 29% |
| November | 17°F | 76% | 62% | 10.2 mph | 58% | 34% |
| December | 9°F | 79% | 70% | 10.3 mph | 51% | 39% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014929. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Aberdeen?
Over a year 78% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Aberdeen, 4.1 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (85%) and December the cloudiest (70%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 79% | 1.9 |
| February | 81% | 3.0 |
| March | 75% | 4.0 |
| April | 73% | 5.0 |
| May | 73% | 5.8 |
| June | 79% | 6.5 |
| July | 85% | 6.8 |
| August | 83% | 5.6 |
| September | 79% | 4.3 |
| October | 72% | 2.8 |
| November | 73% | 1.9 |
| December | 70% | 1.4 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Aberdeen need?
A normal year in Aberdeen brings 8,222 heating degree days, 53% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 630 cooling degree days, 31% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,569 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,618 | 0 |
| February | 1,331 | 0 |
| March | 1,068 | 0 |
| April | 616 | 1 |
| May | 268 | 31 |
| June | 51 | 130 |
| July | 10 | 237 |
| August | 26 | 172 |
| September | 180 | 56 |
| October | 583 | 4 |
| November | 1,022 | 0 |
| December | 1,448 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,222 | 630 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014929. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Has Aberdeen been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 45.0°F, 0.9°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 44.1°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 47.7°F | +3.6°F | 19.26 | 25.6 |
| 2022 | 43.6°F | −0.5°F | 21.13 | 37.4 |
| 2023 | 45.2°F | +1.1°F | 25.29 | 60.9 |
| 2024 | 47.8°F | +3.7°F | 20.13 | 16.1 |
| 2025 | 45.0°F | +0.9°F | 25.56 | 39.9 |
Over 117 complete years from 1893 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 2.6°F per century (+0.15°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00014929; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Aberdeen's climate compare?
Aberdeen is warmer than 26 of the other 99 places with their own NOAA record in South Dakota, and wetter than 43. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 44.1°F is warmer than 16%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Aberdeen is Dfa: continental, no dry season, hot summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Aberdeen share this climate record?
5 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Prairiewood Village, SD496 people · 4 mi N
- Warner, SD450 people · 10 mi SW
- Bath, SD116 people · 4 mi E
- Bath Corner, SD81 people · 4 mi E
- Stratford, SD59 people · 11 mi SE
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Aberdeen's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Aberdeen. This page uses Aberdeen Regional Airport; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen (3 mi E) USC00390022 | in town | 1,301 ft | 42.8°F | 2°F | 83°F | 22.4 | – | May 8 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Aberdeen's climate
What is the coldest month in Aberdeen?
January, with a normal high of 24°F and a normal low of 2°F. The warmest is July (85°F by day, 60°F at night).
Does it snow in Aberdeen?
Yes: 43 inches in a normal year, falling on 34 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (8.6 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Aberdeen?
June, with 3.76 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.55 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Aberdeen in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Aberdeen in zone 4a in ZIP code 57401, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Aberdeen's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −28°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 4a.
How late can frost come in Aberdeen?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 9; in one year in ten it comes after May 22. Waiting until May 22 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Aberdeen in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- South Dakota climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Columbia, SD19 miles from this station, 42.9°F a year
- Mellette, SD22 miles from this station, 42.8°F a year
- Andover, SD25 miles from this station, 44.2°F a year
- Conde, SD26 miles from this station, 43.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made