Hereford (12 mi SW), South Dakota climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Hereford (12 mi SW)'s normal year runs from 12°F January nights to 86°F July afternoons, with 18.0 inches of precipitation and 56 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.3°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 30°C, 456 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationHereford (12 mi SW)
- Station IDUSC00393764
- Location44.33°N 103.11°W
- Elevation2,810 ft (857 m)
On October 22, the normal high in Hereford (12 mi SW) is 57°F and the normal low 33°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 15%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Hereford (12 mi SW).
- Jan 35° 12°
- Feb 37° 14°
- Mar 48° 24°
- Apr 58° 33°
- May 67° 43°
- Jun 78° 52°
- Jul 86° 59°
- Aug 86° 57°
- Sep 76° 47°
- Oct 60° 35°
- Nov 47° 22°
- Dec 36° 15°
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 Hereford (12 mi SW) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F. The most precipitation falls in May (3.47 in), the least in January (0.32 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35°F | 12°F | 23.5°F | 0.32 | 5.3 | 4 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 37°F | 14°F | 25.5°F | 0.35 | 10.1 | 5 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 48°F | 24°F | 36.0°F | 0.99 | 9.5 | 5 | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 58°F | 33°F | 45.0°F | 2.11 | 9.5 | 8 | <1 | 14 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 67°F | 43°F | 54.9°F | 3.47 | 2.0 | 10 | <1 | 4 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 78°F | 52°F | 65.1°F | 3.00 | 0.0 | 10 | 4 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 86°F | 59°F | 72.6°F | 2.30 | 0.0 | 7 | 13 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 86°F | 57°F | 71.4°F | 1.57 | 0.0 | 6 | 11 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 76°F | 47°F | 61.6°F | 1.30 | 0.1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 60°F | 35°F | 47.7°F | 1.69 | 4.2 | 5 | <1 | 12 | 11 h |
| November | 47°F | 22°F | 34.6°F | 0.50 | 6.6 | 3 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 36°F | 15°F | 25.5°F | 0.37 | 8.3 | 3 | <1 | 30 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 60°F | 34°F | 46.9°F | 17.97 | 55.6 | 70 | 33 | 166 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2°C | −11°C | −4.7°C | 8 mm | 13 cm |
| February | 3°C | −10°C | −3.6°C | 9 mm | 26 cm |
| March | 9°C | −5°C | 2.2°C | 25 mm | 24 cm |
| April | 14°C | 0°C | 7.2°C | 54 mm | 24 cm |
| May | 19°C | 6°C | 12.7°C | 88 mm | 5 cm |
| June | 26°C | 11°C | 18.4°C | 76 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 30°C | 15°C | 22.6°C | 58 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 30°C | 14°C | 21.9°C | 40 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 24°C | 9°C | 16.4°C | 33 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 16°C | 2°C | 8.7°C | 43 mm | 11 cm |
| November | 8°C | −5°C | 1.4°C | 13 mm | 17 cm |
| December | 2°C | −10°C | −3.6°C | 9 mm | 21 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00393764; 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 Hereford (12 mi SW)?
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 USC00393764.
When is the last frost at Hereford (12 mi SW)?
In Hereford (12 mi SW), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 8 in half of years and after May 22 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 3 in half of years and before September 20 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 81 year in 10 after May 22; 9 in 10 after April 27
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 31 year in 10 before September 20; 9 in 10 before October 18
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 147 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 167 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 30 in half of springs and before October 14 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Hereford (12 mi SW) in zone 5a in ZIP code 57785, 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 USC00393764; 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 at Hereford (12 mi SW)?
In a normal year in Hereford (12 mi SW), 33 days a year reach 90°F (5 of them 100°F or more), 166 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 70 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 33a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 5a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 166a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 43high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 70a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 19a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00393764.
How sunny is it at Hereford (12 mi SW)?
Over a year 78% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Hereford (12 mi SW), 4.3 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (86%) and April the cloudiest (71%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 1.9 |
| February | 76% | 2.9 |
| March | 74% | 4.0 |
| April | 71% | 5.0 |
| May | 72% | 5.9 |
| June | 80% | 6.8 |
| July | 86% | 7.0 |
| August | 86% | 6.0 |
| September | 82% | 4.7 |
| October | 75% | 3.1 |
| November | 75% | 2.1 |
| December | 72% | 1.6 |
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 Hereford (12 mi SW) record?
A normal year at Hereford (12 mi SW) brings 7,183 heating degree days, 34% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 638 cooling degree days, 30% 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 2,544 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,287 | 0 |
| February | 1,106 | 0 |
| March | 899 | 0 |
| April | 601 | 1 |
| May | 326 | 13 |
| June | 86 | 89 |
| July | 11 | 245 |
| August | 21 | 219 |
| September | 168 | 66 |
| October | 540 | 4 |
| November | 914 | 0 |
| December | 1,224 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,183 | 638 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00393764. 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.
Have recent years at Hereford (12 mi SW) been warmer than normal?
2024 averaged 50.7°F, 3.8°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 46.9°F. 2 of the 2 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48.8°F | +1.9°F | 15.36 | 31.5 |
| 2024 | 50.7°F | +3.8°F | 14.42 | 31.8 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00393764. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Hereford (12 mi SW)'s climate compare?
Hereford (12 mi SW) is warmer than 68 of the 100 places with their own NOAA record in South Dakota, and wetter than 12. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 46.9°F is warmer than 27%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Hereford (12 mi SW) is Dwa: continental, dry-winter, 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 Hereford (12 mi SW)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Hereford (12 mi SW)?
January, with a normal high of 35°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 59°F at night).
Does it snow at Hereford (12 mi SW)?
Yes: 56 inches in a normal year, falling on 24 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (10.1 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Hereford (12 mi SW)?
May, with 3.47 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.32 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Hereford (12 mi SW) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Hereford (12 mi SW) in zone 5a in ZIP code 57785, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Hereford (12 mi SW)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 8; in one year in ten it comes after May 22. Waiting until May 22 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
- Fort Meade, SD19 miles from this station, 48.2°F a year
- Rapid City, SD20 miles from this station, 46.7°F a year
- Johnson Siding, SD23 miles from this station, 45.1°F a year
- Pactola Dam, SD26 miles from this station, 42.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made