Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW), South Dakota climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW)'s normal year runs from 8°F January nights to 90°F July afternoons, with 18.3 inches of precipitation and 31 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.7°C, January lows of −13°C, July highs of 32°C, 464 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationFort Pierre (17 mi WSW)
- Station IDUSC00393076
- Location44.24°N 100.66°W
- Elevation1,590 ft (485 m)
On October 24, the normal high in Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW) is 58°F and the normal low 31°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 Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW).
- Jan 32° 8°
- Feb 36° 12°
- Mar 49° 23°
- Apr 61° 33°
- May 71° 45°
- Jun 82° 56°
- Jul 90° 62°
- Aug 88° 59°
- Sep 79° 49°
- Oct 62° 35°
- Nov 47° 21°
- Dec 34° 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 at Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 90°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 8°F. The most precipitation falls in May (2.93 in), the least in January (0.41 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32°F | 8°F | 19.7°F | 0.41 | 6.1 | 6 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 36°F | 12°F | 24.3°F | 0.57 | 5.5 | 5 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 49°F | 23°F | 35.9°F | 0.85 | 3.9 | 6 | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 61°F | 33°F | 47.1°F | 1.89 | 4.5 | 8 | <1 | 13 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 71°F | 45°F | 58.2°F | 2.93 | 0.1 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 82°F | 56°F | 68.6°F | 2.83 | 0.0 | 10 | 6 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 90°F | 62°F | 75.6°F | 2.43 | 0.0 | 8 | 17 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 88°F | 59°F | 73.5°F | 2.20 | 0.0 | 7 | 16 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 79°F | 49°F | 63.9°F | 1.50 | 0.0 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 62°F | 35°F | 48.7°F | 1.67 | 1.0 | 6 | 1 | 12 | 11 h |
| November | 47°F | 21°F | 33.8°F | 0.53 | 4.2 | 4 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 34°F | 11°F | 22.8°F | 0.45 | 6.0 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 61°F | 34°F | 47.7°F | 18.26 | 31.3 | 80 | 49 | 170 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0°C | −13°C | −6.8°C | 10 mm | 15 cm |
| February | 2°C | −11°C | −4.3°C | 14 mm | 14 cm |
| March | 9°C | −5°C | 2.2°C | 22 mm | 10 cm |
| April | 16°C | 1°C | 8.4°C | 48 mm | 11 cm |
| May | 22°C | 7°C | 14.6°C | 74 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 28°C | 13°C | 20.3°C | 72 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 32°C | 16°C | 24.2°C | 62 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 31°C | 15°C | 23.1°C | 56 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 26°C | 9°C | 17.7°C | 38 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 17°C | 2°C | 9.3°C | 42 mm | 3 cm |
| November | 8°C | −6°C | 1.0°C | 13 mm | 11 cm |
| December | 1°C | −11°C | −5.1°C | 11 mm | 15 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00393076; 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.
Which months are mildest at Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW)?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June and September. 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 USC00393076.
When is the last frost at Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW)?
In Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 10 in half of years and after May 25 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 27 in half of years and before September 13 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 101 year in 10 after May 25; 9 in 10 after April 29
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 271 year in 10 before September 13; 9 in 10 before October 10
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 138 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 156 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 1 in half of springs and before October 5 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW) in zone 4b in ZIP code 57532, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −25°F (22 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in South Dakota · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00393076; 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 at Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW)?
In a normal year in Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW), 49 days a year reach 90°F (10 of them 100°F or more), 170 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 80 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 49a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 10a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 170a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 46high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 80a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 10a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00393076.
How sunny is it at Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW)?
Over a year 78% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW), 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (87%) and December the cloudiest (70%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 1.9 |
| February | 75% | 2.9 |
| March | 73% | 3.9 |
| April | 72% | 5.0 |
| May | 74% | 6.0 |
| June | 81% | 6.8 |
| July | 87% | 6.9 |
| August | 84% | 5.8 |
| September | 81% | 4.5 |
| October | 74% | 3.0 |
| November | 74% | 2.0 |
| December | 70% | 1.5 |
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 many heating and cooling degree days does Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW) record?
A normal year at Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW) brings 7,173 heating degree days, 34% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 894 cooling degree days, 2% 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 2,991 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,404 | 0 |
| February | 1,139 | 0 |
| March | 901 | 0 |
| April | 540 | 3 |
| May | 246 | 35 |
| June | 44 | 150 |
| July | 4 | 331 |
| August | 13 | 277 |
| September | 127 | 92 |
| October | 511 | 6 |
| November | 935 | 0 |
| December | 1,310 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,173 | 894 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00393076. 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 Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW)'s climate compare?
Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW) is warmer than 83 of the 100 places with their own NOAA record in South Dakota, and wetter than 18. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 47.7°F is warmer than 31%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW) 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 Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW)?
January, with a normal high of 32°F and a normal low of 8°F. The warmest is July (90°F by day, 62°F at night).
Does it snow at Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW)?
Yes: 31 inches in a normal year, falling on 21 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (6.1 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW)?
May, with 2.93 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.41 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW) in zone 4b in ZIP code 57532, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −25°F (22 years, 1991-2020): zone 4a.
How late can frost come at Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 10; in one year in ten it comes after May 25. Waiting until May 25 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
- Oahe Dam, SD18 miles from this station, 46.9°F a year
- Pierre, SD21 miles from this station, 47.0°F a year
- Pierre (24 mi S), SD22 miles from this station, 47.0°F a year
- Murdo, SD25 miles from this station, 47.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made