Mission Ridge (5 mi NW), South Dakota climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Mission Ridge (5 mi NW)'s normal year runs from 9°F January nights to 87°F July afternoons, with 17.4 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.9°C, January lows of −13°C, July highs of 30°C, 442 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMission Ridge (5 mi NW)
- Station IDUSC00395648
- Location44.73°N 100.80°W
- Elevation1,982 ft (604 m)
On October 22, the normal high in Mission Ridge (5 mi NW) is 57°F and the normal low 34°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 14%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Mission Ridge (5 mi NW).
- Jan 28° 9°
- Feb 33° 11°
- Mar 44° 22°
- Apr 57° 32°
- May 68° 43°
- Jun 78° 54°
- Jul 87° 61°
- Aug 86° 60°
- Sep 77° 50°
- Oct 60° 37°
- Nov 44° 24°
- Dec 32° 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 Mission Ridge (5 mi NW) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 87°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 9°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.07 in), the least in January (0.28 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28°F | 9°F | 18.6°F | 0.28 | 4 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 33°F | 11°F | 21.9°F | 0.57 | 4 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 44°F | 22°F | 32.7°F | 0.83 | 4 | <1 | 26 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 57°F | 32°F | 44.5°F | 1.79 | 7 | <1 | 14 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 68°F | 43°F | 55.6°F | 2.67 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 78°F | 54°F | 66.1°F | 3.07 | 10 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 87°F | 61°F | 73.9°F | 2.55 | 6 | 10 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 86°F | 60°F | 72.8°F | 1.56 | 6 | 9 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 77°F | 50°F | 63.1°F | 1.60 | 5 | 3 | <1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 60°F | 37°F | 48.5°F | 1.65 | 5 | <1 | 9 | 11 h |
| November | 44°F | 24°F | 33.8°F | 0.42 | 2 | <1 | 23 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 32°F | 15°F | 23.0°F | 0.40 | 4 | <1 | 30 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 58°F | 35°F | 46.2°F | 17.39 | 64 | 27 | 162 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2°C | −13°C | −7.4°C | 7 mm |
| February | 0°C | −11°C | −5.6°C | 14 mm |
| March | 7°C | −6°C | 0.4°C | 21 mm |
| April | 14°C | 0°C | 6.9°C | 45 mm |
| May | 20°C | 6°C | 13.1°C | 68 mm |
| June | 26°C | 12°C | 18.9°C | 78 mm |
| July | 30°C | 16°C | 23.3°C | 65 mm |
| August | 30°C | 15°C | 22.7°C | 40 mm |
| September | 25°C | 10°C | 17.3°C | 41 mm |
| October | 16°C | 3°C | 9.2°C | 42 mm |
| November | 7°C | −5°C | 1.0°C | 11 mm |
| December | 0°C | −10°C | −5.0°C | 10 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station, and no record within 25 miles keeps one, so snow is left out here rather than estimated.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00395648; 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 Mission Ridge (5 mi NW)?
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 USC00395648.
When is the last frost at Mission Ridge (5 mi NW)?
In Mission Ridge (5 mi NW), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 6 in half of years and after May 22 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 7 in half of years and before September 22 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 61 year in 10 after May 22; 9 in 10 after April 23
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 71 year in 10 before September 22; 9 in 10 before October 21
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 152 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 171 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 28 in half of springs and before October 16 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Mission Ridge (5 mi NW) in zone 4b in ZIP code 57625, 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 USC00395648; 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 Mission Ridge (5 mi NW)?
In a normal year in Mission Ridge (5 mi NW), 27 days a year reach 90°F (4 of them 100°F or more), 162 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 64 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 27a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 4a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 162a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 66high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 64a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00395648.
How sunny is it at Mission Ridge (5 mi NW)?
Over a year 78% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Mission Ridge (5 mi NW), 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (87%) and December the cloudiest (70%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 1.9 |
| February | 75% | 2.9 |
| March | 73% | 3.9 |
| April | 72% | 5.0 |
| May | 74% | 6.0 |
| June | 81% | 6.8 |
| July | 87% | 6.9 |
| August | 84% | 5.8 |
| September | 81% | 4.5 |
| October | 74% | 3.0 |
| November | 74% | 2.0 |
| December | 70% | 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 Mission Ridge (5 mi NW) record?
A normal year at Mission Ridge (5 mi NW) brings 7,537 heating degree days, 40% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 733 cooling degree days, 19% 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 2,732 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,438 | 0 |
| February | 1,205 | 0 |
| March | 1,000 | 0 |
| April | 618 | 1 |
| May | 307 | 17 |
| June | 65 | 99 |
| July | 4 | 278 |
| August | 13 | 254 |
| September | 134 | 75 |
| October | 520 | 9 |
| November | 934 | 0 |
| December | 1,300 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,537 | 733 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00395648. 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 Mission Ridge (5 mi NW) been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 47.1°F, 0.9°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 46.2°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 49.0°F | +2.8°F | 13.18 |
| 2022 | 45.3°F | −0.9°F | 12.93 |
| 2023 | 47.5°F | +1.3°F | – |
| 2024 | 48.4°F | +2.2°F | 21.95 |
| 2025 | 47.1°F | +0.9°F | 18.70 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00395648. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Mission Ridge (5 mi NW)'s climate compare?
Mission Ridge (5 mi NW) is warmer than 60 of the 100 places with their own NOAA record in South Dakota, and wetter than 8. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 46.2°F is warmer than 24%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Mission Ridge (5 mi NW) 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.
Which places near Mission Ridge (5 mi NW) share this climate record?
La Plant 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.
- La Plant, SD266 people · 28 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 Mission Ridge (5 mi NW)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Mission Ridge (5 mi NW)?
January, with a normal high of 28°F and a normal low of 9°F. The warmest is July (87°F by day, 61°F at night).
What is the rainiest month at Mission Ridge (5 mi NW)?
June, with 3.07 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.28 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Mission Ridge (5 mi NW) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Mission Ridge (5 mi NW) in zone 4b in ZIP code 57625, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Mission Ridge (5 mi NW)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 6; 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
- Kirley (6 mi N), SD27 miles from this station, 46.9°F a year
- Oahe Dam, SD28 miles from this station, 46.9°F a year
- Onida, SD32 miles from this station, 46.0°F a year
- Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW), SD35 miles from this station, 47.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made