Edgemont, SD Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Explore NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 climate normals → and a clearly labeled PlainClimate comfort calculation
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Edgemont's primary NOAA station, EDGEMONT - 2 stations mapped to the area.
The climate verdict for Edgemont
Dryness leads the climate profile for Edgemont, South Dakota, with 16.1 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 44°F. At 39/100 (below average) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 4% of scores.
- 44°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 39/100
- comfort score, above 4% of station-mapped location scores
- 16.1"
- annual precipitation · 36" snow
- 120 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Edgemont: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00392557 · Edgemont, SD 44°F mean · 16.1" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-WIDE · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-MULTI · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 44°F
- RANK-COOL #1,166
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Amidon
- PRCP-DRY 16.1"
- SWING-WIDE 53°F
- COMF-LOW 39/100
- LOAD-HEAT 7,990 HDD
- STN-MULTI USC00392557
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Amidon, ND (+ 0.1 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every SD station list.
- Hot Worland, WY 45°F
- Near Amidon, ND 45°F
- Edgemont (this station) 44°F
- Cold Ridgeway, MT 44°F
- Near Rock Springs, MT 44°F
Climate Living Index · Edgemont
Edgemont: 18/100 · grade F
Edgemont publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Edgemont, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 39/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 16.1 in · 18.9 from 35 in | 32/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 36.2 inches/year | 32/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 44.4°F · 23.1° from 67.5°F | 18/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 120 days/year | 7/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 216 calendar days | 7/100 · F |
Edgemont · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Edgemont's normals sit in a dry climate class: BSk
Precipitation is low relative to temperature but above true desert thresholds: cold semi-arid steppe (BSk). Class BSk is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically cold semi-arid steppe.
- Köppen code
- BSk
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 71.8°F
- Coldest month
- 18.9°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Edgemont sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Edgemont's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 83%
- Among 6,861 stations, Edgemont sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 80%
- Edgemont's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 88%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Edgemont is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Edgemont compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Edgemont's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
39 4th percentile score exceeds 4% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). This entry sits in this band.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Above this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Edgemont's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 38 complete annual observations from 1980 to 2025, EDGEMONT warmed at a fitted rate of 0.14°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Edgemont primary station fitted change +0.14 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34°F (1°C) | 4°F (-15°C) | 19°F (-7°C) | 0.4" | 5.0" | 30.8 | 0.0 |
| February | 38°F (4°C) | 8°F (-13°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 0.5" | 5.6" | 27.4 | 0.0 |
| March | 50°F (10°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 0.9" | 6.4" | 26.6 | 0.0 |
| April | 59°F (15°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 1.8" | 4.6" | 16.3 | 0.1 |
| May | 69°F (20°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 2.6" | 1.0" | 4.6 | 0.9 |
| June | 80°F (27°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 2.6" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 5.7 |
| July | 89°F (32°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 2.2" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 16.4 |
| August | 87°F (31°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 1.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 15.3 |
| September | 78°F (25°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 1.2" | 0.1" | 2.2 | 6.2 |
| October | 62°F (17°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 1.3" | 2.7" | 15.8 | 0.2 |
| November | 47°F (8°C) | 15°F (-10°C) | 31°F (-1°C) | 0.6" | 4.7" | 28.3 | 0.0 |
| December | 35°F (2°C) | 5°F (-15°C) | 20°F (-7°C) | 0.4" | 6.1" | 30.9 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Edgemont works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 90°F by July 25 and hold at or above 90°F on 8 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 208 dates, bottoming at 3°F around January 1.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from July 22 through July 29, covering 8 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs May 20 to September 30.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into May 1, then returns to freezing around October 7, covering 208 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is May 26, when 39% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is December 6 at 13%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 83 wet dates a year.
The widest day
September 6 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 37°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Edgemont.
Where Edgemont Stands Nationally
Winters bite deep and often: the normal nightly low dips to freezing or below on around 208 nights a year, placing this among the most frost-prone tenth of ranked stations.
Day-to-night contrast is extreme by national standards — the widest normal daily swing reaches about 37°F, sharper than nine in ten ranked stations see.
Edgemont earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 5.0"
4.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.6"
5.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 6.4"
6.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.6"
8.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.0"
11.4 days with precipitation
10.3 days with precipitation
7.9 days with precipitation
7.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
6.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.7"
6.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.7"
4.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 6.1"
4.0 days with precipitation
Edgemont runs a summer-peaked wet season
39% of Edgemont's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is May at 2.6", on a wide 52.9°F gap between its warmest and coldest month. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: May, June, July, taking 47% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: January at 0.4".
- Winter share: 8% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
Edgemont is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 83 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 23% of the calendar, and they carry 16.1" between them. At roughly 0.19 inches on an average wet day, this is not the damp drizzle of a marine climate; it is an arid record in which precipitation is both uncommon and light when it appears.
The wettest month by count is May at about 11 wet days; the driest is December at about 4.
A low per-event average in a dry record is a statement about typical days only. Arid regions can still take a large share of a year's total from a single convective storm, which a normal cannot show.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, not the extremes within it.
Winter brings real snow to Edgemont
Edgemont averages 36.2 inches of snowfall a year, with March the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 20 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 36.2 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 20 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 22% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
September 20
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 23
50% probability date
Growing Season
120 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
7,990
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
533
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside SD closest to Edgemont on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (44°F here).
- Baker, MT 44°F · 0.0°F off
- Bellemont, AZ 44°F · 0.0°F off
- Bridgeport, CA 44°F · 0.0°F off
- Challis, ID 44°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (16.1" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Crosby, ND 16.1" · 0.0" off
- Portales, NM 16.1" · 0.0" off
- Ridgway, CO 16.1" · 0.0" off
- Kim, CO 16.1" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Edgemont
heating led · dry · mid swing
Edgemont's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 7,990 annual heating degree days against 533 for cooling. Its 52.9°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 120 days are frost-free in a normal year. That short interval is consistent with the cold-season signal, but the measure does not predict the exact first or last freeze in any one year.
-
1. Edgemont coldest normal
January
Averaging 19°F (-7°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Edgemont typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Edgemont snow peak
March
Edgemont averages 36.2 inches of snow a year, with March the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Edgemont's climate
How much snow does Edgemont get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Edgemont get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Edgemont? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Edgemont's primary station: EDGEMONT (USC00392557). 2 NOAA stations are mapped to the Edgemont area; the primary station's record is used for consistency. For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 4618300). Match rule for Edgemont: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Edgemont comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.