Porcupine (11 mi N), South Dakota climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Porcupine (11 mi N)'s normal year runs from 10°F January nights to 88°F July afternoons, with 19.9 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.3°C, January lows of −12°C, July highs of 31°C, 505 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationPorcupine (11 mi N)
- Station IDUSC00396736
- Location43.40°N 102.39°W
- Elevation2,820 ft (860 m)
On October 24, the normal high in Porcupine (11 mi N) is 59°F and the normal low 27°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 17%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Porcupine (11 mi N).
- Jan 37° 10°
- Feb 40° 13°
- Mar 51° 21°
- Apr 59° 30°
- May 69° 42°
- Jun 80° 52°
- Jul 88° 58°
- Aug 88° 55°
- Sep 78° 45°
- Oct 63° 30°
- Nov 49° 20°
- Dec 39° 11°
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 Porcupine (11 mi N) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 10°F. The most precipitation falls in May (3.17 in), the least in December (0.48 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37°F | 10°F | 23.5°F | 0.52 | 5 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 40°F | 13°F | 26.3°F | 0.74 | 5 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 51°F | 21°F | 36.0°F | 1.33 | 6 | <1 | 26 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 59°F | 30°F | 44.5°F | 2.40 | 9 | <1 | 18 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 69°F | 42°F | 55.3°F | 3.17 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 80°F | 52°F | 65.7°F | 3.06 | 11 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 88°F | 58°F | 73.1°F | 2.15 | 8 | 13 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 88°F | 55°F | 71.3°F | 2.02 | 6 | 14 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 78°F | 45°F | 61.4°F | 1.48 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 63°F | 30°F | 46.8°F | 1.74 | 6 | 1 | 18 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 49°F | 20°F | 34.6°F | 0.80 | 5 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 39°F | 11°F | 24.9°F | 0.48 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 62°F | 32°F | 46.9°F | 19.89 | 79 | 37 | 187 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°C | −12°C | −4.7°C | 13 mm |
| February | 4°C | −11°C | −3.2°C | 19 mm |
| March | 10°C | −6°C | 2.2°C | 34 mm |
| April | 15°C | −1°C | 6.9°C | 61 mm |
| May | 21°C | 5°C | 12.9°C | 81 mm |
| June | 26°C | 11°C | 18.7°C | 78 mm |
| July | 31°C | 15°C | 22.8°C | 55 mm |
| August | 31°C | 13°C | 21.8°C | 51 mm |
| September | 26°C | 7°C | 16.3°C | 38 mm |
| October | 17°C | −1°C | 8.2°C | 44 mm |
| November | 9°C | −7°C | 1.4°C | 20 mm |
| December | 4°C | −12°C | −3.9°C | 12 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 USC00396736; 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 Porcupine (11 mi N)?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (6).
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 USC00396736.
When is the last frost at Porcupine (11 mi N)?
In Porcupine (11 mi N), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 17 in half of years and after June 1 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 25 in half of years and before September 10 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 171 year in 10 after June 1; 9 in 10 after May 3
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 251 year in 10 before September 10; 9 in 10 before October 7
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 130 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 148 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 7 in half of springs and before October 3 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Porcupine (11 mi N) in zone 5a in ZIP code 57772, 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 USC00396736; 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 Porcupine (11 mi N)?
In a normal year in Porcupine (11 mi N), 37 days a year reach 90°F (5 of them 100°F or more), 187 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 79 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 37a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 5a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 187a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 39high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 79a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1963) is 114°F, on August 6, 1980; the lowest is −47°F, on December 21, 1983.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1993, with 26.20 in; the snowiest season is 1994–95, with 51.8 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00396736; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00396736. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Porcupine (11 mi N)?
Over a year 79% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Porcupine (11 mi N), 4.4 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (87%) and April the cloudiest (73%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 76% | 2.0 |
| February | 75% | 2.9 |
| March | 74% | 4.1 |
| April | 73% | 5.2 |
| May | 75% | 6.1 |
| June | 82% | 7.0 |
| July | 87% | 7.1 |
| August | 86% | 6.1 |
| September | 83% | 4.8 |
| October | 76% | 3.2 |
| November | 77% | 2.2 |
| December | 74% | 1.7 |
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 Porcupine (11 mi N) record?
A normal year at Porcupine (11 mi N) brings 7,230 heating degree days, 35% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 690 cooling degree days, 24% 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 2,605 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,287 | 0 |
| February | 1,083 | 0 |
| March | 899 | 0 |
| April | 615 | 1 |
| May | 321 | 19 |
| June | 84 | 106 |
| July | 17 | 268 |
| August | 27 | 223 |
| September | 178 | 70 |
| October | 567 | 3 |
| November | 912 | 0 |
| December | 1,241 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,230 | 690 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00396736. 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 Porcupine (11 mi N)'s climate compare?
Porcupine (11 mi N) is warmer than 68 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 46.9°F is warmer than 27%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Porcupine (11 mi N) 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.
Questions about Porcupine (11 mi N)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Porcupine (11 mi N)?
January, with a normal high of 37°F and a normal low of 10°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 58°F at night).
What is the rainiest month at Porcupine (11 mi N)?
May, with 3.17 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is December with 0.48 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Porcupine (11 mi N) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Porcupine (11 mi N) in zone 5a in ZIP code 57772, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Porcupine (11 mi N)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 17; in one year in ten it comes after June 1. Waiting until June 1 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
- Manderson (3 mi NE), SD9 miles from this station, 48.3°F a year
- Kyle, SD13 miles from this station, 47.3°F a year
- Oglala, SD24 miles from this station, 49.0°F a year
- Pine Ridge, SD27 miles from this station, 47.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made