Clark, South Dakota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Clark's normal year runs from 3°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons, with 24.0 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.1°C, January lows of −16°C, July highs of 27°C, 609 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationClark No2
- Station IDUSC00391740
- Location44.88°N 97.73°W
- Elevation1,814 ft (553 m)
- From the centerunder 1 mile
- Population1,167
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Clark.
- Jan 21° 3°
- Feb 26° 7°
- Mar 39° 20°
- Apr 54° 32°
- May 67° 45°
- Jun 77° 56°
- Jul 81° 60°
- Aug 79° 58°
- Sep 72° 49°
- Oct 57° 35°
- Nov 40° 21°
- Dec 27° 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 Clark each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 3°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.92 in), the least in January (0.49 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21°F | 3°F | 12.1°F | 0.49 | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 26°F | 7°F | 16.2°F | 0.69 | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 39°F | 20°F | 29.1°F | 1.01 | – | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 54°F | 32°F | 42.8°F | 2.29 | – | <1 | 18 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 67°F | 45°F | 55.7°F | 3.10 | – | <1 | 3 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 77°F | 56°F | 66.0°F | 3.92 | – | 2 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 81°F | 60°F | 70.5°F | 3.44 | – | 2 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 79°F | 58°F | 68.6°F | 2.77 | – | 2 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 72°F | 49°F | 60.6°F | 2.54 | – | <1 | <1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 57°F | 35°F | 45.8°F | 2.11 | – | <1 | 13 | 11 h |
| November | 40°F | 21°F | 30.5°F | 0.83 | – | <1 | 26 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 27°F | 9°F | 18.2°F | 0.78 | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 53°F | 33°F | 43.0°F | 23.97 | – | 6 | 178 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −6°C | −16°C | −11.1°C | 12 mm |
| February | −3°C | −14°C | −8.8°C | 18 mm |
| March | 4°C | −7°C | −1.6°C | 26 mm |
| April | 12°C | 0°C | 6.0°C | 58 mm |
| May | 19°C | 7°C | 13.2°C | 79 mm |
| June | 25°C | 13°C | 18.9°C | 100 mm |
| July | 27°C | 16°C | 21.4°C | 87 mm |
| August | 26°C | 15°C | 20.3°C | 70 mm |
| September | 22°C | 10°C | 15.9°C | 65 mm |
| October | 14°C | 2°C | 7.7°C | 54 mm |
| November | 4°C | −6°C | −0.8°C | 21 mm |
| December | −3°C | −13°C | −7.7°C | 20 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station, and no record within 25 miles keeps one, so snow is left out here rather than estimated.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00391740; 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 Clark?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September.
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 USC00391740.
When is the last frost in Clark?
In Clark, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 5 in half of years and after May 17 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 5 in half of years and before September 24 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 51 year in 10 after May 17; 9 in 10 after April 22
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 51 year in 10 before September 24; 9 in 10 before October 18
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 152 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 173 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 26 in half of springs and before October 15 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Clark in zone 4b in ZIP code 57225, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in South Dakota · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00391740; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. 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 Clark?
In a normal year in Clark, 6 days a year reach 90°F and 178 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 6a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 178a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 92high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00391740.
How sunny is Clark?
Over a year 76% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Clark, 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 Clark need?
A normal year in Clark brings 8,474 heating degree days, 58% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 489 cooling degree days, 46% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,378 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,640 | 0 |
| February | 1,368 | 0 |
| March | 1,115 | 0 |
| April | 667 | 1 |
| May | 310 | 21 |
| June | 67 | 97 |
| July | 15 | 184 |
| August | 30 | 140 |
| September | 178 | 44 |
| October | 599 | 3 |
| November | 1,035 | 0 |
| December | 1,452 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,474 | 489 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00391740. 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 Clark been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 47.0°F, 4.0°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 43.0°F. 3 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 46.8°F | +3.8°F | 24.55 |
| 2022 | 42.8°F | −0.2°F | 21.96 |
| 2023 | 45.7°F | +2.7°F | 22.78 |
| 2024 | 47.0°F | +4.0°F | 21.53 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00391740. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Clark's climate compare?
Clark is warmer than 11 of the other 99 places with their own NOAA record in South Dakota, and wetter than 58. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 43.0°F is warmer than 12%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Clark is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm 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 Clark share this climate record?
13 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.
- Henry, SD266 people · 13 mi E
- Mayfield Colony, SD84 people · 15 mi SE
- Bradley, SD66 people · 15 mi N
- Clark Colony, SD63 people · 14 mi SW
- Raymond, SD56 people · 10 mi W
- Vienna, SD53 people · 17 mi SE
- Naples, SD41 people · 13 mi SE
- Garden City, SD36 people · 9 mi NE
- Crocker, SD24 people · 16 mi N
- Fordham Colony, SD0 people · 12 mi SW
- Hillcrest Colony, SD0 people · 5 mi NE
- Hillside Colony, SD0 people · 18 mi SW
- Silver Lake Colony, SD0 people · 6 mi E
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 Clark's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Clark. This page uses Clark No2; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clark station USC00391739 | in town | 1,804 ft | 43.1°F | 4°F | 82°F | 24.4 | – | May 5 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Clark's climate
What is the coldest month in Clark?
January, with a normal high of 21°F and a normal low of 3°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 60°F at night).
What is the rainiest month in Clark?
June, with 3.92 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.49 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Clark in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Clark in zone 4b in ZIP code 57225, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Clark?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 5; in one year in ten it comes after May 17. Waiting until May 17 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
- Turton, SD21 miles from this station, 44.2°F a year
- Conde, SD26 miles from this station, 43.6°F a year
- Watertown, SD29 miles from this station, 43.0°F a year
- Rauville (2 mi W), SD29 miles from this station, 42.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made