Mitchell, South Dakota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Mitchell's normal year runs from 9°F January nights to 87°F July afternoons, with 21.1 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.7°C, January lows of −13°C, July highs of 30°C, 537 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMitchell Airport
- Station IDUSW00094950
- Location43.77°N 98.03°W
- Elevation1,303 ft (397 m)
- From the center3 miles
- Population15,621
On October 23, the normal high in Mitchell is 58°F and the normal low 35°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 19%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Mitchell.
- Jan 29° 9°
- Feb 33° 13°
- Mar 45° 24°
- Apr 59° 35°
- May 71° 48°
- Jun 81° 59°
- Jul 87° 64°
- Aug 84° 61°
- Sep 77° 51°
- Oct 62° 38°
- Nov 46° 24°
- Dec 32° 14°
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 Mitchell 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 (3.51 in), the least in February (0.37 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29°F | 9°F | 19.0°F | 0.40 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 33°F | 13°F | 23.0°F | 0.37 | 4 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 45°F | 24°F | 34.8°F | 0.93 | 6 | <1 | 24 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 59°F | 35°F | 46.9°F | 2.07 | 9 | <1 | 11 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 71°F | 48°F | 59.3°F | 3.15 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 81°F | 59°F | 69.9°F | 3.51 | 11 | 5 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 87°F | 64°F | 75.3°F | 2.36 | 8 | 12 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 84°F | 61°F | 72.2°F | 3.14 | 9 | 6 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 77°F | 51°F | 63.9°F | 2.34 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 62°F | 38°F | 49.7°F | 1.83 | 7 | <1 | 9 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 46°F | 24°F | 34.9°F | 0.55 | 4 | <1 | 23 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 32°F | 14°F | 23.0°F | 0.49 | 5 | <1 | 30 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 59°F | 37°F | 47.7°F | 21.14 | 84 | 28 | 156 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2°C | −13°C | −7.2°C | 10 mm |
| February | 0°C | −10°C | −5.0°C | 9 mm |
| March | 7°C | −4°C | 1.6°C | 24 mm |
| April | 15°C | 2°C | 8.3°C | 53 mm |
| May | 22°C | 9°C | 15.2°C | 80 mm |
| June | 27°C | 15°C | 21.1°C | 89 mm |
| July | 30°C | 18°C | 24.1°C | 60 mm |
| August | 29°C | 16°C | 22.3°C | 80 mm |
| September | 25°C | 11°C | 17.7°C | 59 mm |
| October | 17°C | 3°C | 9.8°C | 46 mm |
| November | 8°C | −4°C | 1.6°C | 14 mm |
| December | 0°C | −10°C | −5.0°C | 12 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. Mitchell's own co-op station Mitchell station does: 41 inches of snow in a normal year (see the other stations below).
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094950; 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 Mitchell?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (7).
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 USW00094950.
When is the last frost in Mitchell?
In Mitchell, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 30 in half of years and after May 13 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 5 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
- April 301 year in 10 after May 13; 9 in 10 after April 16
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 51 year in 10 before September 22; 9 in 10 before October 19
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 159 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 178 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 20 in half of springs and before October 17 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Mitchell in zone 5a in ZIP code 57301, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Mitchell's NOAA station is in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −17°F (21 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 USW00094950; 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 Mitchell?
In a normal year in Mitchell, 28 days a year reach 90°F (2 of them 100°F or more), 156 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 84 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 28a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 2a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 156a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 58high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 84a normal year
The highest temperature in Mitchell's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1893) is 116°F, on July 24, 1940; the lowest is −40°F, on February 10, 1994.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2019, with 36.47 in; the snowiest season is 1916–17, with 71.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00094950; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record MHEthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Mitchell, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 60°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 62°F; the driest air comes in December (13°F). March is the windiest month (12.4 mph on average).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13°F | 74% | 63% | 10.8 mph | – | – |
| February | 17°F | 72% | 58% | 11.3 mph | – | – |
| March | 29°F | 63% | 45% | 12.4 mph | – | – |
| April | 39°F | 60% | 42% | 11.8 mph | – | – |
| May | 52°F | 64% | 46% | 10.2 mph | – | – |
| June | 61°F | 67% | 48% | 9.4 mph | – | – |
| July | 62°F | 69% | 48% | 8.3 mph | – | – |
| August | 58°F | 69% | 48% | 9.5 mph | – | – |
| September | 44°F | 62% | 40% | 9.9 mph | – | – |
| October | 30°F | 64% | 45% | 10.9 mph | – | – |
| November | 19°F | 71% | 56% | 10.8 mph | – | – |
| December | 13°F | 75% | 66% | 10.8 mph | – | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00094950. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Mitchell?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Mitchell, 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (86%) and December the cloudiest (70%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 76% | 2.0 |
| February | 77% | 3.0 |
| March | 71% | 3.9 |
| April | 71% | 5.0 |
| May | 73% | 5.8 |
| June | 79% | 6.6 |
| July | 86% | 6.8 |
| August | 83% | 5.7 |
| September | 81% | 4.5 |
| October | 75% | 3.1 |
| November | 74% | 2.1 |
| December | 70% | 1.6 |
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 Mitchell need?
A normal year in Mitchell brings 7,159 heating degree days, 33% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 880 cooling degree days, 3% 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 3,034 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,427 | 0 |
| February | 1,175 | 0 |
| March | 935 | 1 |
| April | 546 | 3 |
| May | 220 | 43 |
| June | 33 | 178 |
| July | 4 | 323 |
| August | 11 | 234 |
| September | 123 | 90 |
| October | 481 | 8 |
| November | 903 | 0 |
| December | 1,302 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,159 | 880 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094950. 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.
Has Mitchell been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 49.0°F, 1.3°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 47.7°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50.3°F | +2.6°F | 17.39 |
| 2022 | 47.2°F | −0.5°F | 12.28 |
| 2023 | 48.8°F | +1.1°F | 20.59 |
| 2024 | 50.0°F | +2.3°F | 23.81 |
| 2025 | 49.0°F | +1.3°F | 19.61 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00094950. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Mitchell's climate compare?
Mitchell is warmer than 83 of the other 99 places with their own NOAA record in South Dakota, and wetter than 35. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 47.7°F is warmer than 31%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Mitchell 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 Mitchell share this climate record?
5 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.
- Mount Vernon, SD457 people · 12 mi W
- Letcher, SD159 people · 11 mi NW
- Loomis, SD5 people · 4 mi NW
- Storla, SD4 people · 17 mi W
- Upland Colony, SD0 people · 8 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.
What do Mitchell's other NOAA stations record?
2 more NOAA stations keep 1991-2020 normals in or near Mitchell. This page uses Mitchell Airport; the others differ by site and elevation:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell (2 mi N) USC00395671 | 1 mi NE | 1,250 ft | 46.6°F | 7°F | 86°F | – | – | May 2 |
| Mitchell station USC00395669 | 3 mi NW | 1,287 ft | 47.9°F | 9°F | 87°F | 25.8 | 41 | April 27 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Mitchell's climate
What is the coldest month in Mitchell?
January, with a normal high of 29°F and a normal low of 9°F. The warmest is July (87°F by day, 64°F at night).
Does it snow in Mitchell?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Mitchell's NOAA station; Mitchell's own co-op station Mitchell station records 41 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Mitchell?
June, with 3.51 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.37 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Mitchell in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Mitchell in zone 5a in ZIP code 57301, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Mitchell's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −17°F (21 years, 1991-2020): zone 5a.
How late can frost come in Mitchell?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 30; in one year in ten it comes after May 13. Waiting until May 13 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Mitchell in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- South Dakota climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Alexandria, SD14 miles from this station, 45.0°F a year
- Forestburg, SD21 miles from this station, 45.5°F a year
- Howard, SD30 miles from this station, 46.6°F a year
- Bridgewater, SD30 miles from this station, 46.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made