Ludlow (3 mi SSE), South Dakota climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Ludlow (3 mi SSE)'s normal year runs from 9°F January nights to 84°F July afternoons, with 17.1 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.7°C, January lows of −13°C, July highs of 29°C, 434 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationLudlow (3 mi SSE)
- Station IDUSC00395048
- Location45.78°N 103.37°W
- Elevation2,990 ft (911 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Ludlow (3 mi SSE) is 54°F and the normal low 30°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 12%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Ludlow (3 mi SSE).
- Jan 30° 9°
- Feb 32° 11°
- Mar 44° 21°
- Apr 55° 30°
- May 65° 41°
- Jun 75° 50°
- Jul 84° 57°
- Aug 84° 55°
- Sep 73° 45°
- Oct 58° 33°
- Nov 43° 21°
- Dec 32° 12°
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 Ludlow (3 mi SSE) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 84°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 9°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.36 in), the least in January (0.30 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30°F | 9°F | 19.3°F | 0.30 | 3 | <1 | 30 | 9 h |
| February | 32°F | 11°F | 21.8°F | 0.30 | 3 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 44°F | 21°F | 32.0°F | 0.53 | 4 | <1 | 27 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 55°F | 30°F | 42.2°F | 2.13 | 7 | <1 | 18 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 65°F | 41°F | 53.0°F | 2.97 | 8 | <1 | 5 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 75°F | 50°F | 62.7°F | 3.36 | 9 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 84°F | 57°F | 70.2°F | 2.25 | 7 | 8 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 84°F | 55°F | 69.1°F | 1.41 | 5 | 8 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 73°F | 45°F | 59.1°F | 1.39 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 58°F | 33°F | 45.3°F | 1.65 | 4 | <1 | 14 | 11 h |
| November | 43°F | 21°F | 31.6°F | 0.46 | 3 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 32°F | 12°F | 21.9°F | 0.33 | 3 | <1 | 30 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 56°F | 32°F | 44.0°F | 17.08 | 59 | 19 | 179 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1°C | −13°C | −7.1°C | 8 mm |
| February | 0°C | −11°C | −5.7°C | 8 mm |
| March | 6°C | −6°C | 0.0°C | 13 mm |
| April | 13°C | −1°C | 5.7°C | 54 mm |
| May | 19°C | 5°C | 11.7°C | 75 mm |
| June | 24°C | 10°C | 17.1°C | 85 mm |
| July | 29°C | 14°C | 21.2°C | 57 mm |
| August | 29°C | 13°C | 20.6°C | 36 mm |
| September | 23°C | 7°C | 15.1°C | 35 mm |
| October | 14°C | 1°C | 7.4°C | 42 mm |
| November | 6°C | −6°C | −0.2°C | 12 mm |
| December | 0°C | −11°C | −5.6°C | 8 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Ladner (9 mi SW) (24 miles away), gets 46 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00395048; 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 Ludlow (3 mi SSE)?
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 (4).
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 USC00395048.
When is the last frost at Ludlow (3 mi SSE)?
In Ludlow (3 mi SSE), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 16 in half of years and after May 29 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 26 in half of years and before September 9 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 161 year in 10 after May 29; 9 in 10 after May 4
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 261 year in 10 before September 9; 9 in 10 before October 8
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 131 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 150 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 6 in half of springs and before October 4 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Ludlow (3 mi SSE) in zone 4b in ZIP code 57755, 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 4b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −23°F (22 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 USC00395048; 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 Ludlow (3 mi SSE)?
In a normal year in Ludlow (3 mi SSE), 19 days a year reach 90°F (2 of them 100°F or more), 179 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 59 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 19a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 2a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 179a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 59high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 59a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1924) is 115°F, on July 7, 1981; the lowest is −38°F, on January 10, 1982.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2013, with 32.39 in; the snowiest season is 2010–11, with 103.9 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00395048; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00395048. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Ludlow (3 mi SSE)?
Over a year 79% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Ludlow (3 mi SSE), 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (87%) and April the cloudiest (73%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 77% | 1.9 |
| February | 79% | 2.9 |
| March | 74% | 3.9 |
| April | 73% | 5.0 |
| May | 74% | 6.0 |
| June | 80% | 6.8 |
| July | 87% | 7.0 |
| August | 86% | 6.0 |
| September | 82% | 4.5 |
| October | 75% | 3.0 |
| November | 75% | 2.0 |
| December | 73% | 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 Ludlow (3 mi SSE) record?
A normal year at Ludlow (3 mi SSE) brings 8,064 heating degree days, 50% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 449 cooling degree days, 50% 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 2,159 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,415 | 0 |
| February | 1,211 | 0 |
| March | 1,022 | 0 |
| April | 684 | 0 |
| May | 380 | 6 |
| June | 122 | 52 |
| July | 25 | 186 |
| August | 37 | 164 |
| September | 217 | 40 |
| October | 615 | 2 |
| November | 1,002 | 0 |
| December | 1,336 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,064 | 449 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00395048. 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 Ludlow (3 mi SSE)'s climate compare?
Ludlow (3 mi SSE) is warmer than 22 of the 100 places with their own NOAA record in South Dakota, and wetter than 7. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 44.0°F is warmer than 15%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Ludlow (3 mi SSE) is Dwb: continental, dry-winter, 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.
Questions about Ludlow (3 mi SSE)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Ludlow (3 mi SSE)?
January, with a normal high of 30°F and a normal low of 9°F. The warmest is July (84°F by day, 57°F at night).
Does it snow at Ludlow (3 mi SSE)?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Ladner (9 mi SW) (24 miles away), records 46 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Ludlow (3 mi SSE)?
June, with 3.36 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.30 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Ludlow (3 mi SSE) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Ludlow (3 mi SSE) in zone 4b in ZIP code 57755, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −23°F (22 years, 1991-2020): zone 4b.
How late can frost come at Ludlow (3 mi SSE)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 16; in one year in ten it comes after May 29. Waiting until May 29 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
- Ralph (1 mi N), SD15 miles from this station, 44.2°F a year
- Buffalo, SD15 miles from this station, 45.5°F a year
- Antelope Ranger Station, SD17 miles from this station, 43.4°F a year
- Ladner (9 mi SW), SD24 miles from this station, 43.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made