Ardmore, South Dakota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Ardmore's normal year runs from 9°F January nights to 91°F July afternoons, with 18.1 inches of precipitation and 44 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.6°C, January lows of −13°C, July highs of 33°C, 459 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationArdmore (1 mi NW)
- Station IDUSC00390236
- Location43.03°N 103.66°W
- Elevation3,540 ft (1,079 m)
- Population (census place)0
On October 22, the normal high in Ardmore is 62°F and the normal low 28°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 16%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Ardmore.
- Jan 39° 9°
- Feb 42° 12°
- Mar 54° 22°
- Apr 62° 30°
- May 71° 41°
- Jun 82° 50°
- Jul 91° 56°
- Aug 90° 54°
- Sep 80° 44°
- Oct 65° 31°
- Nov 51° 18°
- Dec 40° 9°
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 Ardmore each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 91°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 9°F. The most precipitation falls in June (2.98 in), the least in January (0.46 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39°F | 9°F | 23.6°F | 0.46 | 7.1 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 42°F | 12°F | 26.9°F | 0.62 | 6.4 | 4 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 54°F | 22°F | 37.8°F | 1.25 | 6.1 | 6 | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 62°F | 30°F | 45.8°F | 1.95 | 6.9 | 8 | <1 | 19 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 71°F | 41°F | 55.9°F | 2.96 | 1.0 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 82°F | 50°F | 66.1°F | 2.98 | 0.0 | 9 | 6 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 91°F | 56°F | 73.6°F | 2.24 | 0.0 | 7 | 17 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 90°F | 54°F | 71.9°F | 1.71 | 0.0 | 6 | 16 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 80°F | 44°F | 61.9°F | 1.40 | 0.4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 65°F | 31°F | 47.9°F | 1.43 | 3.6 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 51°F | 18°F | 34.4°F | 0.52 | 4.8 | 3 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 40°F | 9°F | 24.2°F | 0.56 | 7.8 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 64°F | 31°F | 47.5°F | 18.08 | 44.1 | 69 | 47 | 191 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4°C | −13°C | −4.7°C | 12 mm | 18 cm |
| February | 6°C | −11°C | −2.8°C | 16 mm | 16 cm |
| March | 12°C | −6°C | 3.2°C | 32 mm | 15 cm |
| April | 17°C | −1°C | 7.7°C | 50 mm | 18 cm |
| May | 22°C | 5°C | 13.3°C | 75 mm | 3 cm |
| June | 28°C | 10°C | 18.9°C | 76 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 33°C | 13°C | 23.1°C | 57 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 32°C | 12°C | 22.2°C | 43 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 27°C | 6°C | 16.6°C | 36 mm | 1 cm |
| October | 19°C | −1°C | 8.8°C | 36 mm | 9 cm |
| November | 10°C | −8°C | 1.3°C | 13 mm | 12 cm |
| December | 4°C | −13°C | −4.3°C | 14 mm | 20 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00390236; 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 Ardmore?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, September and October. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (5).
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 USC00390236.
When is the last frost in Ardmore?
In Ardmore, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 16 in half of years and after May 31 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 23 in half of years and before September 9 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 161 year in 10 after May 31; 9 in 10 after May 3
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 231 year in 10 before September 9; 9 in 10 before October 6
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 128 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 147 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 6 in half of springs and before October 2 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Ardmore in zone 4b in ZIP code 57735, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Ardmore's NOAA station is in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −23°F (21 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 USC00390236; 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 Ardmore?
In a normal year in Ardmore, 47 days a year reach 90°F (7 of them 100°F or more), 191 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 69 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 47a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 7a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 191a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 32high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 69a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 18a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1912) is 114°F, on July 12, 1954; the lowest is −43°F, on December 22, 1989.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1942, with 24.07 in; the snowiest season is 1985–86, with 76.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00390236; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00390236. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Ardmore?
Over a year 79% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Ardmore, 4.4 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (86%) and April the cloudiest (72%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 78% | 2.1 |
| February | 75% | 3.0 |
| March | 74% | 4.1 |
| April | 72% | 5.1 |
| May | 73% | 6.0 |
| June | 82% | 7.0 |
| July | 86% | 7.1 |
| August | 86% | 6.1 |
| September | 83% | 4.8 |
| October | 77% | 3.3 |
| November | 77% | 2.3 |
| December | 75% | 1.8 |
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 Ardmore need?
A normal year in Ardmore brings 7,032 heating degree days, 31% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 688 cooling degree days, 24% 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 2,639 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,282 | 0 |
| February | 1,067 | 0 |
| March | 845 | 0 |
| April | 577 | 1 |
| May | 300 | 16 |
| June | 70 | 103 |
| July | 9 | 274 |
| August | 16 | 232 |
| September | 154 | 61 |
| October | 532 | 2 |
| November | 918 | 0 |
| December | 1,263 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,032 | 688 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00390236. 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.
How does Ardmore's climate compare?
Ardmore is warmer than 77 of the other 99 places with their own NOAA record in South Dakota, and wetter than 15. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 47.5°F is warmer than 30%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Ardmore 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.
Questions about Ardmore's climate
What is the coldest month in Ardmore?
January, with a normal high of 39°F and a normal low of 9°F. The warmest is July (91°F by day, 56°F at night).
Does it snow in Ardmore?
Yes: 44 inches in a normal year, falling on 20 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (7.8 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Ardmore?
June, with 2.98 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.46 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Ardmore in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Ardmore in zone 4b in ZIP code 57735, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Ardmore's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −23°F (21 years, 1991-2020): zone 4b.
How late can frost come in Ardmore?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 16; in one year in ten it comes after May 31. Waiting until May 31 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- South Dakota climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Edgemont, SD21 miles from this station, 44.4°F a year
- Oelrichs, SD24 miles from this station, 47.6°F a year
- Harrison, NE26 miles from this station, 44.6°F a year
- Fort Robinson, NE27 miles from this station, 48.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made