McIntosh (6 mi SE), South Dakota climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
McIntosh (6 mi SE)'s normal year runs from 7°F January nights to 86°F July afternoons, with 17.3 inches of precipitation and 43 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.2°C, January lows of −14°C, July highs of 30°C, 439 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMcIntosh (6 mi SE)
- Station IDUSC00395381
- Location45.84°N 101.28°W
- Elevation2,179 ft (664 m)
On October 22, the normal high in McIntosh (6 mi SE) is 55°F and the normal low 32°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 McIntosh (6 mi SE).
- Jan 26° 7°
- Feb 30° 11°
- Mar 43° 21°
- Apr 57° 32°
- May 69° 43°
- Jun 79° 53°
- Jul 86° 58°
- Aug 85° 57°
- Sep 75° 48°
- Oct 59° 35°
- Nov 42° 21°
- Dec 30° 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 McIntosh (6 mi SE) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 7°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.48 in), the least in January (0.41 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26°F | 7°F | 16.5°F | 0.41 | 7.2 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 30°F | 11°F | 20.6°F | 0.52 | 8.2 | 5 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 43°F | 21°F | 32.3°F | 0.67 | 7.4 | 5 | <1 | 27 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 57°F | 32°F | 44.7°F | 1.37 | 4.9 | 7 | <1 | 16 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 69°F | 43°F | 56.1°F | 2.44 | 0.6 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 79°F | 53°F | 65.9°F | 3.48 | 0.0 | 10 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 86°F | 58°F | 72.2°F | 2.68 | 0.0 | 9 | 11 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 85°F | 57°F | 71.0°F | 1.93 | 0.0 | 7 | 9 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 75°F | 48°F | 61.5°F | 1.45 | 0.0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 59°F | 35°F | 46.6°F | 1.46 | 2.6 | 6 | <1 | 13 | 11 h |
| November | 42°F | 21°F | 31.6°F | 0.47 | 5.0 | 4 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 30°F | 11°F | 20.5°F | 0.42 | 7.4 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 57°F | 33°F | 45.0°F | 17.30 | 43.3 | 76 | 27 | 176 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −3°C | −14°C | −8.6°C | 10 mm | 18 cm |
| February | −1°C | −12°C | −6.3°C | 13 mm | 21 cm |
| March | 6°C | −6°C | 0.2°C | 17 mm | 19 cm |
| April | 14°C | 0°C | 7.1°C | 35 mm | 12 cm |
| May | 20°C | 6°C | 13.4°C | 62 mm | 2 cm |
| June | 26°C | 12°C | 18.8°C | 88 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 30°C | 15°C | 22.3°C | 68 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 30°C | 14°C | 21.7°C | 49 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 24°C | 9°C | 16.4°C | 37 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 15°C | 2°C | 8.1°C | 37 mm | 7 cm |
| November | 5°C | −6°C | −0.2°C | 12 mm | 13 cm |
| December | −1°C | −12°C | −6.4°C | 11 mm | 19 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00395381; 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 McIntosh (6 mi SE)?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (6).
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 USC00395381.
When is the last frost at McIntosh (6 mi SE)?
In McIntosh (6 mi SE), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 9 in half of years and after May 24 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 30 in half of years and before September 19 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 91 year in 10 after May 24; 9 in 10 after April 28
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 301 year in 10 before September 19; 9 in 10 before October 13
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 143 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 161 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 30 in half of springs and before October 7 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts McIntosh (6 mi SE) in zone 4b in ZIP code 57641, 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 (30 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 USC00395381; 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 McIntosh (6 mi SE)?
In a normal year in McIntosh (6 mi SE), 27 days a year reach 90°F (3 of them 100°F or more), 176 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 76 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 27a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 176a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 70high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 76a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 14a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1915) is 114°F, on July 6, 1936; the lowest is −44°F, on January 13, 1916.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2019, with 29.56 in; the snowiest season is 2008–09, with 77.3 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00395381; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00395381. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at McIntosh (6 mi SE)?
Over a year 78% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at McIntosh (6 mi SE), 4.1 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (86%) and December the cloudiest (69%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 1.8 |
| February | 79% | 2.9 |
| March | 73% | 3.8 |
| April | 72% | 5.0 |
| May | 74% | 5.9 |
| June | 80% | 6.7 |
| July | 86% | 6.9 |
| August | 84% | 5.8 |
| September | 81% | 4.4 |
| October | 73% | 2.9 |
| November | 73% | 1.9 |
| December | 69% | 1.4 |
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 McIntosh (6 mi SE) record?
A normal year at McIntosh (6 mi SE) brings 7,897 heating degree days, 47% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 629 cooling degree days, 31% 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 2,558 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,502 | 0 |
| February | 1,243 | 0 |
| March | 1,015 | 0 |
| April | 612 | 1 |
| May | 296 | 20 |
| June | 69 | 96 |
| July | 13 | 236 |
| August | 22 | 209 |
| September | 168 | 63 |
| October | 574 | 4 |
| November | 1,002 | 0 |
| December | 1,381 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,897 | 629 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00395381. 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 McIntosh (6 mi SE) been warmer than normal?
2024 averaged 49.6°F, 4.6°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 45.0°F. 3 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 47.8°F | +2.8°F | 14.94 | 10.9 |
| 2022 | 44.1°F | −0.9°F | 12.07 | 65.3 |
| 2023 | 45.9°F | +0.9°F | 16.79 | 34.6 |
| 2024 | 49.6°F | +4.6°F | 16.70 | 23.3 |
Over 59 complete years from 1918 to 2024, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.3°F per century (+0.19°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00395381; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does McIntosh (6 mi SE)'s climate compare?
McIntosh (6 mi SE) is warmer than 38 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 45.0°F is warmer than 19%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, McIntosh (6 mi SE) 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 McIntosh (6 mi SE) share this climate record?
2 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their 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.
- Bullhead, SD285 people · 10 mi SE
- McIntosh, SD108 people · 7 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.
Questions about McIntosh (6 mi SE)'s climate
What is the coldest month at McIntosh (6 mi SE)?
January, with a normal high of 26°F and a normal low of 7°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 58°F at night).
Does it snow at McIntosh (6 mi SE)?
Yes: 43 inches in a normal year, falling on 22 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (8.2 inches).
What is the rainiest month at McIntosh (6 mi SE)?
June, with 3.48 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.41 in.
What plant hardiness zone is McIntosh (6 mi SE) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts McIntosh (6 mi SE) in zone 4b in ZIP code 57641, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −23°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 4b.
How late can frost come at McIntosh (6 mi SE)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 9; in one year in ten it comes after May 24. Waiting until May 24 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
- McLaughlin, SD23 miles from this station, 43.2°F a year
- Timber Lake, SD30 miles from this station, 45.3°F a year
- Pretty Rock, ND36 miles from this station, 43.5°F a year
- Glad Valley (2 mi W), SD40 miles from this station, 44.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made