Pierre (24 mi S), South Dakota climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Pierre (24 mi S)'s normal year runs from 11°F January nights to 86°F July afternoons, with 19.6 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.3°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 30°C, 499 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationPierre (24 mi S)
- Station IDUSW00094085
- Location44.02°N 100.35°W
- Elevation2,124 ft (647 m)
On October 14, the normal high in Pierre (24 mi S) is 61°F and the normal low 38°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 25%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Pierre (24 mi S).
- Jan 30° 11°
- Feb 34° 14°
- Mar 46° 23°
- Apr 57° 33°
- May 68° 44°
- Jun 78° 56°
- Jul 86° 61°
- Aug 85° 59°
- Sep 76° 50°
- Oct 60° 37°
- Nov 45° 24°
- Dec 33° 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 Pierre (24 mi S) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 11°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.54 in), the least in December (0.37 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30°F | 11°F | 20.7°F | 0.39 | 6 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 34°F | 14°F | 23.9°F | 0.59 | 7 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 46°F | 23°F | 34.6°F | 0.92 | 7 | <1 | 24 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 57°F | 33°F | 45.4°F | 2.02 | 9 | <1 | 13 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 68°F | 44°F | 56.2°F | 3.13 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 78°F | 56°F | 66.9°F | 3.54 | 11 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 86°F | 61°F | 73.7°F | 2.45 | 9 | 11 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 85°F | 59°F | 72.3°F | 2.29 | 9 | 9 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 76°F | 50°F | 63.1°F | 1.51 | 7 | 3 | <1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 60°F | 37°F | 48.5°F | 1.58 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 45°F | 24°F | 34.7°F | 0.86 | 5 | <1 | 23 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 33°F | 15°F | 23.7°F | 0.37 | 7 | <1 | 30 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 58°F | 36°F | 47.0°F | 19.65 | 97 | 27 | 159 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1°C | −11°C | −6.3°C | 10 mm |
| February | 1°C | −10°C | −4.5°C | 15 mm |
| March | 8°C | −5°C | 1.4°C | 23 mm |
| April | 14°C | 1°C | 7.4°C | 51 mm |
| May | 20°C | 7°C | 13.4°C | 80 mm |
| June | 26°C | 13°C | 19.4°C | 90 mm |
| July | 30°C | 16°C | 23.2°C | 62 mm |
| August | 30°C | 15°C | 22.4°C | 58 mm |
| September | 25°C | 10°C | 17.3°C | 38 mm |
| October | 16°C | 3°C | 9.2°C | 40 mm |
| November | 7°C | −4°C | 1.5°C | 22 mm |
| December | 0°C | −10°C | −4.6°C | 9 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Murdo (20 miles away), gets 49 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094085; 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 Pierre (24 mi S)?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June 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 USW00094085.
When is the last frost at Pierre (24 mi S)?
In Pierre (24 mi S), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 6 in half of years and after May 20 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 20; 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 20
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 154 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 174 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 25 in half of springs and before October 16 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Pierre (24 mi S) in zone 5a in ZIP code 57576, 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 USW00094085; 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 Pierre (24 mi S)?
In a normal year in Pierre (24 mi S), 27 days a year reach 90°F (3 of them 100°F or more), 159 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 97 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
- 159a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 60high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 97a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00094085.
How sunny is it at Pierre (24 mi S)?
Over a year 78% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Pierre (24 mi S), 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 Pierre (24 mi S) record?
A normal year at Pierre (24 mi S) brings 7,270 heating degree days, 35% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 735 cooling degree days, 19% 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 2,771 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,373 | 0 |
| February | 1,150 | 0 |
| March | 944 | 0 |
| April | 591 | 2 |
| May | 293 | 20 |
| June | 57 | 112 |
| July | 4 | 274 |
| August | 14 | 239 |
| September | 138 | 80 |
| October | 520 | 7 |
| November | 908 | 0 |
| December | 1,278 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,270 | 735 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094085. 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 Pierre (24 mi S) been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 49.0°F, 2.0°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 47.0°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 49.6°F | +2.6°F | 17.77 |
| 2022 | 46.8°F | −0.3°F | 19.47 |
| 2023 | 48.5°F | +1.5°F | 22.54 |
| 2024 | 49.2°F | +2.2°F | 17.42 |
| 2025 | 49.0°F | +2.0°F | 21.09 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00094085. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Pierre (24 mi S)'s climate compare?
Pierre (24 mi S) is warmer than 68 of the 100 places with their own NOAA record in South Dakota, and wetter than 24. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 47.0°F is warmer than 28%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Pierre (24 mi S) 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 Pierre (24 mi S) share this climate record?
Vivian 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.
- Vivian, SD39 people · 7 mi S
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 Pierre (24 mi S)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Pierre (24 mi S)?
January, with a normal high of 30°F and a normal low of 11°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 61°F at night).
Does it snow at Pierre (24 mi S)?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Murdo (20 miles away), records 49 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Pierre (24 mi S)?
June, with 3.54 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is December with 0.37 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Pierre (24 mi S) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Pierre (24 mi S) in zone 5a in ZIP code 57576, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Pierre (24 mi S)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 6; in one year in ten it comes after May 20. Waiting until May 20 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
- Presho, SD10 miles from this station, 45.7°F a year
- Murdo, SD20 miles from this station, 47.4°F a year
- Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW), SD22 miles from this station, 47.7°F a year
- Pierre, SD25 miles from this station, 47.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made