Montrose, South Dakota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Montrose's normal year runs from 6°F January nights to 84°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.5°C, January lows of −14°C, July highs of 29°C.
- NOAA stationMontrose (8 mi N)
- Station IDUSC00395738
- Location43.82°N 97.20°W
- Elevation1,718 ft (524 m)
- Population461
On October 23, the normal high in Montrose is 57°F and the normal low 33°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Montrose.
- Jan 25° 6°
- Feb 30° 11°
- Mar 43° 22°
- Apr 57° 32°
- May 69° 45°
- Jun 80° 57°
- Jul 84° 62°
- Aug 81° 59°
- Sep 75° 49°
- Oct 61° 36°
- Nov 44° 22°
- Dec 31° 12°
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 Montrose each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 84°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 6°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25°F | 6°F | 15.7°F | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 30°F | 11°F | 20.7°F | – | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 43°F | 22°F | 32.2°F | – | <1 | 26 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 57°F | 32°F | 44.4°F | – | <1 | 13 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 69°F | 45°F | 57.4°F | – | 1 | 2 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 80°F | 57°F | 68.2°F | – | 4 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 84°F | 62°F | 73.0°F | – | 10 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 81°F | 59°F | 70.1°F | – | 5 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 75°F | 49°F | 61.9°F | – | 2 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 61°F | 36°F | 48.5°F | – | <1 | 10 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 44°F | 22°F | 32.6°F | – | <1 | 23 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 31°F | 12°F | 21.0°F | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 57°F | 34°F | 45.5°F | – | 22 | 163 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | −4°C | −14°C | −9.1°C |
| February | −1°C | −11°C | −6.3°C |
| March | 6°C | −6°C | 0.1°C |
| April | 14°C | 0°C | 6.9°C |
| May | 21°C | 7°C | 14.1°C |
| June | 27°C | 14°C | 20.1°C |
| July | 29°C | 17°C | 22.8°C |
| August | 27°C | 15°C | 21.2°C |
| September | 24°C | 10°C | 16.6°C |
| October | 16°C | 2°C | 9.2°C |
| November | 6°C | −6°C | 0.3°C |
| December | −1°C | −11°C | −6.1°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Madison (13 miles away), gets 37 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00395738; 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 Montrose?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September.
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 USC00395738.
When is the last frost in Montrose?
In Montrose, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 3 in half of years and after May 15 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 4 in half of years and before September 21 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 31 year in 10 after May 15; 9 in 10 after April 20
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 41 year in 10 before September 21; 9 in 10 before October 20
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 153 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 171 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 23 in half of springs and before October 14 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Montrose in zone 5a in ZIP code 57048, 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 USC00395738; 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 in Montrose?
In a normal year in Montrose, 22 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more) and 163 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 22a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 163a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 61high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00395738.
How sunny is Montrose?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Montrose, 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (86%) and December the cloudiest (71%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 76% | 2.0 |
| February | 79% | 3.1 |
| March | 71% | 3.9 |
| April | 72% | 5.0 |
| May | 72% | 5.8 |
| June | 79% | 6.5 |
| July | 86% | 6.8 |
| August | 82% | 5.6 |
| September | 80% | 4.5 |
| October | 74% | 3.1 |
| November | 75% | 2.1 |
| December | 71% | 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 Montrose need?
A normal year in Montrose brings 7,736 heating degree days, 44% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 662 cooling degree days, 27% 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 2,672 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,528 | 0 |
| February | 1,240 | 0 |
| March | 1,016 | 0 |
| April | 619 | 1 |
| May | 264 | 27 |
| June | 43 | 141 |
| July | 8 | 256 |
| August | 19 | 177 |
| September | 150 | 57 |
| October | 516 | 3 |
| November | 970 | 0 |
| December | 1,362 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,736 | 662 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00395738. 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 Montrose's climate compare?
Montrose is warmer than 45 of the other 99 places with their own NOAA record in South Dakota. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 45.5°F is warmer than 21%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Montrose share this climate record?
3 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.
- Colton, SD688 people · 14 mi E
- Orland Colony, SD36 people · 0 mi NE
- Rustic Acres Colony, SD33 people · 6 mi NE
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 Montrose's climate
What is the coldest month in Montrose?
January, with a normal high of 25°F and a normal low of 6°F. The warmest is July (84°F by day, 62°F at night).
Does it snow in Montrose?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Montrose's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Madison (13 miles away), records 37 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Montrose in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Montrose in zone 5a in ZIP code 57048, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Montrose?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 3; in one year in ten it comes after May 15. Waiting until May 15 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
- Salem, SD7 miles from this station, 44.4°F a year
- Winfred, SD13 miles from this station, 44.1°F a year
- Madison, SD13 miles from this station, 44.7°F a year
- Wentworth, SD16 miles from this station, 45.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made