Martin, South Dakota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Martin's normal year runs from 13°F January nights to 87°F July afternoons, with 20.7 inches of precipitation and 48 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.6°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 31°C, 525 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMartin
- Station IDUSC00395281
- Location43.18°N 101.74°W
- Elevation3,330 ft (1,015 m)
- From the centerunder 1 mile
- Population923
On October 24, the normal high in Martin is 57°F and the normal low 31°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 16%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Martin.
- Jan 35° 13°
- Feb 38° 15°
- Mar 50° 24°
- Apr 59° 32°
- May 69° 42°
- Jun 79° 53°
- Jul 87° 59°
- Aug 86° 57°
- Sep 77° 48°
- Oct 61° 35°
- Nov 47° 23°
- 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 in Martin each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 87°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 13°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.46 in), the least in January (0.42 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35°F | 13°F | 23.8°F | 0.42 | 4.7 | 4 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 38°F | 15°F | 26.6°F | 0.65 | 7.8 | 5 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 50°F | 24°F | 36.8°F | 1.23 | 8.8 | 5 | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 59°F | 32°F | 45.3°F | 2.40 | 9.0 | 8 | <1 | 15 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 69°F | 42°F | 55.6°F | 3.33 | 1.8 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 79°F | 53°F | 66.0°F | 3.46 | 0.0 | 10 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 87°F | 59°F | 73.2°F | 2.86 | 0.0 | 7 | 12 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 86°F | 57°F | 71.5°F | 2.16 | 0.0 | 7 | 11 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 77°F | 48°F | 62.7°F | 1.19 | 0.1 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 61°F | 35°F | 47.7°F | 1.60 | 2.4 | 6 | <1 | 12 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 47°F | 23°F | 34.7°F | 0.75 | 5.7 | 3 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 36°F | 15°F | 25.3°F | 0.63 | 8.1 | 3 | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 60°F | 35°F | 47.4°F | 20.68 | 48.4 | 72 | 32 | 170 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2°C | −11°C | −4.6°C | 11 mm | 12 cm |
| February | 3°C | −9°C | −3.0°C | 17 mm | 20 cm |
| March | 10°C | −4°C | 2.7°C | 31 mm | 22 cm |
| April | 15°C | 0°C | 7.4°C | 61 mm | 23 cm |
| May | 21°C | 6°C | 13.1°C | 85 mm | 5 cm |
| June | 26°C | 11°C | 18.9°C | 88 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 31°C | 15°C | 22.9°C | 73 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 30°C | 14°C | 21.9°C | 55 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 25°C | 9°C | 17.1°C | 30 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 16°C | 1°C | 8.7°C | 41 mm | 6 cm |
| November | 8°C | −5°C | 1.5°C | 19 mm | 14 cm |
| December | 2°C | −10°C | −3.7°C | 16 mm | 21 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00395281; 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 Martin?
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 USC00395281.
When is the last frost in Martin?
In Martin, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 13 in half of years and after May 27 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 2 in half of years and before September 18 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 131 year in 10 after May 27; 9 in 10 after April 30
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 21 year in 10 before September 18; 9 in 10 before October 15
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 141 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 162 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 2 in half of springs and before October 12 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Martin in zone 5a in ZIP code 57551, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Martin's NOAA station is in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −18°F (17 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 USC00395281; 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 in Martin?
In a normal year in Martin, 32 days a year reach 90°F (5 of them 100°F or more), 170 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 72 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 32a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 5a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 170a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 43high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 72a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 17a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1937) is 113°F, on July 15, 2006; the lowest is −28°F, on January 19, 1963.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1977, with 27.49 in; the snowiest season is 1993–94, with 61.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00395281; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00395281. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Martin?
Over a year 79% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Martin, 4.3 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (87%) and April the cloudiest (72%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 2.0 |
| February | 74% | 2.9 |
| March | 72% | 4.0 |
| April | 72% | 5.0 |
| May | 75% | 6.1 |
| June | 82% | 6.9 |
| July | 87% | 7.0 |
| August | 86% | 6.0 |
| September | 83% | 4.8 |
| October | 76% | 3.2 |
| November | 76% | 2.2 |
| December | 72% | 1.7 |
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 Martin need?
A normal year in Martin brings 7,059 heating degree days, 31% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 697 cooling degree days, 23% 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 2,664 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,277 | 0 |
| February | 1,074 | 0 |
| March | 875 | 0 |
| April | 592 | 1 |
| May | 307 | 18 |
| June | 75 | 105 |
| July | 11 | 267 |
| August | 20 | 223 |
| September | 151 | 80 |
| October | 539 | 4 |
| November | 909 | 0 |
| December | 1,230 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,059 | 697 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00395281. 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 Martin's climate compare?
Martin is warmer than 74 of the other 99 places with their own NOAA record in South Dakota, and wetter than 31. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 47.4°F is warmer than 29%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Martin 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.
Which places near Martin share this climate record?
Allen has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its 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.
- Allen, SD860 people · 12 mi NW
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 Martin's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Martin. This page uses Martin; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin (8 mi E) USC00395285 | 8 mi E | 3,036 ft | 46.1°F | 10°F | 86°F | 22.1 | – | May 14 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Martin's climate
What is the coldest month in Martin?
January, with a normal high of 35°F and a normal low of 13°F. The warmest is July (87°F by day, 59°F at night).
Does it snow in Martin?
Yes: 48 inches in a normal year, falling on 20 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in April (9.0 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Martin?
June, with 3.46 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.42 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Martin in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Martin in zone 5a in ZIP code 57551, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Martin's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −18°F (17 years, 1991-2020): zone 5a.
How late can frost come in Martin?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 13; in one year in ten it comes after May 27. Waiting until May 27 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
- Merriman, NE18 miles from this station, 47.6°F a year
- Longvalley, SD23 miles from this station, 49.0°F a year
- Harrington, SD24 miles from this station, 47.6°F a year
- Kyle, SD27 miles from this station, 47.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made