McLaughlin, South Dakota climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
McLaughlin's normal year runs from 4°F January nights to 85°F July afternoons, with 20.1 inches of precipitation and 35 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.2°C, January lows of −16°C, July highs of 30°C, 510 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMcLaughlin
- Station IDUSC00395406
- Location45.81°N 100.81°W
- Elevation2,001 ft (610 m)
On October 22, the normal high in McLaughlin is 54°F and the normal low 29°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 13%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for McLaughlin.
- Jan 24° 4°
- Feb 28° 7°
- Mar 42° 19°
- Apr 56° 30°
- May 68° 42°
- Jun 78° 53°
- Jul 85° 58°
- Aug 84° 55°
- Sep 74° 45°
- Oct 57° 32°
- Nov 41° 19°
- Dec 29° 9°
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 McLaughlin each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 85°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 4°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.34 in), the least in February (0.49 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24°F | 4°F | 13.8°F | 0.50 | 7.5 | 3 | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 28°F | 7°F | 17.6°F | 0.49 | 6.5 | 4 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 42°F | 19°F | 30.2°F | 0.94 | 3.7 | 4 | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 56°F | 30°F | 42.9°F | 1.69 | 2.1 | 6 | <1 | 18 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 68°F | 42°F | 55.0°F | 3.17 | 0.2 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 78°F | 53°F | 65.6°F | 3.34 | 0.0 | 10 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 85°F | 58°F | 71.7°F | 3.03 | 0.0 | 8 | 9 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 84°F | 55°F | 69.6°F | 2.47 | 0.0 | 6 | 8 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 74°F | 45°F | 59.5°F | 1.45 | 0.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 57°F | 32°F | 44.6°F | 1.77 | 0.7 | 4 | <1 | 16 | 11 h |
| November | 41°F | 19°F | 29.9°F | 0.65 | 4.0 | 3 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 29°F | 9°F | 18.6°F | 0.58 | 10.2 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 56°F | 31°F | 43.2°F | 20.08 | 34.9 | 65 | 24 | 186 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −4°C | −16°C | −10.1°C | 13 mm | 19 cm |
| February | −2°C | −14°C | −8.0°C | 12 mm | 17 cm |
| March | 5°C | −7°C | −1.0°C | 24 mm | 9 cm |
| April | 13°C | −1°C | 6.1°C | 43 mm | 5 cm |
| May | 20°C | 5°C | 12.8°C | 81 mm | 1 cm |
| June | 26°C | 12°C | 18.7°C | 85 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 30°C | 14°C | 22.1°C | 77 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 29°C | 13°C | 20.9°C | 63 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 23°C | 7°C | 15.3°C | 37 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 14°C | 0°C | 7.0°C | 45 mm | 2 cm |
| November | 5°C | −7°C | −1.2°C | 17 mm | 10 cm |
| December | −2°C | −13°C | −7.4°C | 15 mm | 26 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00395406; 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 McLaughlin?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, August 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 USC00395406.
When is the last frost at McLaughlin?
In McLaughlin, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 12 in half of years and after May 25 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 28 in half of years and before September 16 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 121 year in 10 after May 25; 9 in 10 after May 2
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 281 year in 10 before September 16; 9 in 10 before October 9
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 137 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 153 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 3 in half of springs and before October 5 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts McLaughlin in zone 4b in ZIP code 57642, 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 USC00395406; 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 McLaughlin?
In a normal year in McLaughlin, 24 days a year reach 90°F (2 of them 100°F or more), 186 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 65 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 24a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 2a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 186a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 73high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 65a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 7a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00395406.
How sunny is it at McLaughlin?
Over a year 78% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at McLaughlin, 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 McLaughlin record?
A normal year at McLaughlin brings 8,440 heating degree days, 57% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 549 cooling degree days, 40% 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 2,370 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,586 | 0 |
| February | 1,329 | 0 |
| March | 1,081 | 0 |
| April | 663 | 1 |
| May | 327 | 17 |
| June | 76 | 93 |
| July | 14 | 222 |
| August | 33 | 174 |
| September | 208 | 42 |
| October | 634 | 2 |
| November | 1,052 | 0 |
| December | 1,440 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,440 | 549 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00395406. 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 McLaughlin been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 43.0°F, 0.2°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 43.2°F. 1 of the 4 complete years since 2022 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 41.1°F | −2.1°F | 17.81 | 52.5 |
| 2023 | 43.0°F | −0.2°F | 23.27 | 54.4 |
| 2024 | 45.0°F | +1.8°F | 14.96 | 25.7 |
| 2025 | 43.0°F | −0.2°F | 23.52 | 31.3 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00395406. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does McLaughlin's climate compare?
McLaughlin is warmer than 15 of the 100 places with their own NOAA record in South Dakota, and wetter than 25. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 43.2°F is warmer than 13%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, McLaughlin 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 McLaughlin share this climate record?
4 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.
- McLaughlin, SD541 people · 0 mi W
- Little Eagle, SD362 people · 9 mi S
- Fort Yates, ND172 people · 21 mi NE
- Selfridge, ND121 people · 17 mi N
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 McLaughlin's climate
What is the coldest month at McLaughlin?
January, with a normal high of 24°F and a normal low of 4°F. The warmest is July (85°F by day, 58°F at night).
Does it snow at McLaughlin?
Yes: 35 inches in a normal year, falling on 8 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (10.2 inches).
What is the rainiest month at McLaughlin?
June, with 3.34 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.49 in.
What plant hardiness zone is McLaughlin in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts McLaughlin in zone 4b in ZIP code 57642, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at McLaughlin?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 12; 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
- McIntosh (6 mi SE), SD23 miles from this station, 45.0°F a year
- Pollock, SD25 miles from this station, 44.3°F a year
- Mobridge, SD27 miles from this station, 46.4°F a year
- Timber Lake, SD30 miles from this station, 45.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made