Arlington, South Dakota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Arlington's normal year runs from 5°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons, with 26.2 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.1°C, January lows of −15°C, July highs of 28°C, 666 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationArlington (1 mi W)
- Station IDUSC00390281
- Location44.36°N 97.17°W
- Elevation1,824 ft (556 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population926
On October 23, the normal high in Arlington is 54°F and the normal low 33°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 18%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Arlington.
- Jan 24° 5°
- Feb 29° 10°
- Mar 41° 21°
- Apr 57° 33°
- May 69° 46°
- Jun 78° 57°
- Jul 83° 61°
- Aug 80° 59°
- Sep 73° 50°
- Oct 58° 36°
- Nov 42° 23°
- Dec 28° 11°
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 Arlington each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 5°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.10 in), the least in December (0.58 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24°F | 5°F | 14.5°F | 0.79 | 6 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 29°F | 10°F | 19.1°F | 0.76 | 5 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 41°F | 21°F | 31.2°F | 1.38 | 6 | <1 | 26 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 57°F | 33°F | 44.9°F | 2.60 | 8 | <1 | 13 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 69°F | 46°F | 57.6°F | 3.97 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 78°F | 57°F | 67.5°F | 4.10 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 83°F | 61°F | 71.7°F | 3.19 | 9 | 5 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 80°F | 59°F | 69.5°F | 3.08 | 8 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 73°F | 50°F | 61.4°F | 2.55 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 58°F | 36°F | 47.3°F | 2.15 | 6 | <1 | 11 | 11 h |
| November | 42°F | 23°F | 32.3°F | 1.09 | 4 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 28°F | 11°F | 19.6°F | 0.58 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 55°F | 34°F | 44.7°F | 26.24 | 85 | 10 | 166 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5°C | −15°C | −9.7°C | 20 mm |
| February | −2°C | −12°C | −7.2°C | 19 mm |
| March | 5°C | −6°C | −0.4°C | 35 mm |
| April | 14°C | 1°C | 7.2°C | 66 mm |
| May | 21°C | 8°C | 14.2°C | 101 mm |
| June | 26°C | 14°C | 19.7°C | 104 mm |
| July | 28°C | 16°C | 22.1°C | 81 mm |
| August | 27°C | 15°C | 20.8°C | 78 mm |
| September | 23°C | 10°C | 16.3°C | 65 mm |
| October | 15°C | 2°C | 8.5°C | 55 mm |
| November | 5°C | −5°C | 0.2°C | 28 mm |
| December | −2°C | −12°C | −6.9°C | 15 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, De Smet (19 miles away), gets 41 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00390281; 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 Arlington?
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 (7).
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 USC00390281.
When is the last frost in Arlington?
In Arlington, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 3 in half of years and after May 15 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 2 in half of years and before September 19 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 31 year in 10 after May 15; 9 in 10 after April 21
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 21 year in 10 before September 19; 9 in 10 before October 16
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 151 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 170 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 25 in half of springs and before October 10 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Arlington in zone 4b in ZIP code 57212, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Arlington's NOAA station is in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −24°F (19 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 USC00390281; 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 Arlington?
In a normal year in Arlington, 10 days a year reach 90°F, 166 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 85 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 10a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 166a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 78high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 85a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00390281.
How sunny is Arlington?
Over a year 76% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Arlington, 4.1 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (85%) and December the cloudiest (67%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 77% | 2.0 |
| February | 79% | 3.0 |
| March | 71% | 3.8 |
| April | 71% | 4.9 |
| May | 72% | 5.7 |
| June | 77% | 6.4 |
| July | 85% | 6.7 |
| August | 82% | 5.6 |
| September | 79% | 4.4 |
| October | 73% | 2.9 |
| November | 73% | 2.0 |
| December | 67% | 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 Arlington need?
A normal year in Arlington brings 7,959 heating degree days, 48% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 605 cooling degree days, 33% 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 2,585 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,565 | 0 |
| February | 1,284 | 0 |
| March | 1,048 | 0 |
| April | 605 | 2 |
| May | 256 | 28 |
| June | 50 | 125 |
| July | 13 | 220 |
| August | 25 | 165 |
| September | 167 | 60 |
| October | 555 | 4 |
| November | 983 | 0 |
| December | 1,409 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,959 | 605 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00390281. 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 Arlington's climate compare?
Arlington is warmer than 36 of the other 99 places with their own NOAA record in South Dakota, and wetter than 77. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 44.7°F is warmer than 18%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Arlington 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 Arlington 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.
- Badger, SD135 people · 9 mi N
- Oldham, SD118 people · 12 mi SW
- Sinai, SD100 people · 10 mi SE
- Spring Lake Colony, SD38 people · 9 mi S
- Hetland, SD18 people · 3 mi W
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Arlington's climate
What is the coldest month in Arlington?
January, with a normal high of 24°F and a normal low of 5°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 61°F at night).
Does it snow in Arlington?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Arlington's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, De Smet (19 miles away), records 41 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Arlington?
June, with 4.10 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is December with 0.58 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Arlington in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Arlington in zone 4b in ZIP code 57212, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Arlington's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −24°F (19 years, 1991-2020): zone 4b.
How late can frost come in Arlington?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 3; in one year in ten it comes after May 15. Waiting until May 15 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
- De Smet, SD19 miles from this station, 44.0°F a year
- Brookings, SD20 miles from this station, 43.3°F a year
- Wentworth, SD26 miles from this station, 45.9°F a year
- Madison, SD26 miles from this station, 44.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made