Red Owl, South Dakota climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Red Owl's normal year runs from 9°F January nights to 85°F July afternoons, with 18.9 inches of precipitation and 48 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.1°C, January lows of −13°C, July highs of 30°C, 479 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationRed Owl
- Station IDUSC00397073
- Location44.70°N 102.56°W
- Elevation2,773 ft (845 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Red Owl is 57°F and the normal low 28°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 16%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Red Owl.
- Jan 32° 9°
- Feb 35° 11°
- Mar 45° 20°
- Apr 56° 30°
- May 66° 41°
- Jun 77° 51°
- Jul 85° 57°
- Aug 85° 54°
- Sep 75° 44°
- Oct 60° 32°
- Nov 46° 20°
- Dec 35° 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 Red Owl each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 85°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 9°F. The most precipitation falls in May (3.69 in), the least in January (0.41 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32°F | 9°F | 20.4°F | 0.41 | 5.0 | 4 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 35°F | 11°F | 23.2°F | 0.52 | 6.7 | 4 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 45°F | 20°F | 32.7°F | 0.95 | 8.3 | 5 | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 56°F | 30°F | 42.8°F | 1.98 | 7.5 | 8 | <1 | 19 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 66°F | 41°F | 53.4°F | 3.69 | 1.7 | 10 | <1 | 5 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 77°F | 51°F | 64.0°F | 3.13 | 0.0 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 85°F | 57°F | 71.2°F | 2.46 | 0.0 | 8 | 10 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 85°F | 54°F | 69.4°F | 1.63 | 0.0 | 6 | 10 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 75°F | 44°F | 59.7°F | 1.29 | 0.0 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 60°F | 32°F | 45.9°F | 1.61 | 3.0 | 5 | <1 | 17 | 11 h |
| November | 46°F | 20°F | 32.6°F | 0.61 | 6.2 | 4 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 35°F | 11°F | 22.8°F | 0.59 | 9.1 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 58°F | 32°F | 44.8°F | 18.87 | 47.5 | 71 | 26 | 186 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0°C | −13°C | −6.4°C | 10 mm | 13 cm |
| February | 2°C | −12°C | −4.9°C | 13 mm | 17 cm |
| March | 7°C | −6°C | 0.4°C | 24 mm | 21 cm |
| April | 13°C | −1°C | 6.0°C | 50 mm | 19 cm |
| May | 19°C | 5°C | 11.9°C | 94 mm | 4 cm |
| June | 25°C | 11°C | 17.8°C | 80 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 30°C | 14°C | 21.8°C | 62 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 29°C | 12°C | 20.8°C | 41 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 24°C | 7°C | 15.4°C | 33 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 16°C | 0°C | 7.7°C | 41 mm | 8 cm |
| November | 8°C | −7°C | 0.3°C | 15 mm | 16 cm |
| December | 1°C | −12°C | −5.1°C | 15 mm | 23 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00397073; 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 Red Owl?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, August 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 USC00397073.
When is the last frost at Red Owl?
In Red Owl, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 16 in half of years and after May 27 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 26 in half of years and before September 11 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 161 year in 10 after May 27; 9 in 10 after May 4
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 261 year in 10 before September 11; 9 in 10 before October 8
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 131 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 149 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 6 in half of springs and before October 3 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Red Owl in zone 4b in ZIP code 57787, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −23°F (20 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 USC00397073; 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 at Red Owl?
In a normal year in Red Owl, 26 days a year reach 90°F (3 of them 100°F or more), 186 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 71 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 26a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 186a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 54high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 71a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 16a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00397073.
How sunny is it at Red Owl?
Over a year 79% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Red Owl, 4.3 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 | 77% | 2.0 |
| February | 77% | 3.0 |
| March | 74% | 4.0 |
| April | 73% | 5.1 |
| May | 74% | 6.0 |
| June | 81% | 6.9 |
| July | 87% | 7.0 |
| August | 86% | 6.0 |
| September | 83% | 4.7 |
| October | 76% | 3.1 |
| November | 76% | 2.1 |
| December | 74% | 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Red Owl record?
A normal year at Red Owl brings 7,829 heating degree days, 46% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 517 cooling degree days, 43% 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 2,297 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,381 | 0 |
| February | 1,170 | 0 |
| March | 1,001 | 0 |
| April | 668 | 1 |
| May | 369 | 11 |
| June | 102 | 70 |
| July | 19 | 211 |
| August | 36 | 172 |
| September | 206 | 47 |
| October | 596 | 4 |
| November | 972 | 0 |
| December | 1,308 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,829 | 517 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00397073. 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 Red Owl's climate compare?
Red Owl is warmer than 38 of the 100 places with their own NOAA record in South Dakota, and wetter than 20. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 44.8°F is warmer than 18%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Red Owl is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm 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 Red Owl's climate
What is the coldest month at Red Owl?
January, with a normal high of 32°F and a normal low of 9°F. The warmest is July (85°F by day, 57°F at night).
Does it snow at Red Owl?
Yes: 48 inches in a normal year, falling on 19 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (9.1 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Red Owl?
May, with 3.69 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.41 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Red Owl in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Red Owl in zone 4b in ZIP code 57787, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −23°F (20 years, 1991-2020): zone 4b.
How late can frost come at Red Owl?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 16; in one year in ten it comes after May 27. Waiting until May 27 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
- Maurine (12 mi SW), SD12 miles from this station, 45.1°F a year
- Plainview (6 mi SSW), SD21 miles from this station, 45.2°F a year
- Elm Springs (3 mi ESE), SD27 miles from this station, 46.6°F a year
- Zeona (10 mi SSW), SD33 miles from this station, 45.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made