Salem, South Dakota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Salem's normal year runs from 5°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons, with 26.9 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.9°C, January lows of −15°C, July highs of 29°C, 685 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationSalem (5 mi NE)
- Station IDUSC00395360
- Location43.74°N 97.31°W
- Elevation1,594 ft (486 m)
- From the center4 miles
- Population1,315
On October 22, the normal high in Salem is 55°F and the normal low 32°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 22%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Salem.
- Jan 24° 5°
- Feb 29° 9°
- Mar 43° 21°
- Apr 57° 32°
- May 70° 45°
- Jun 79° 56°
- Jul 83° 60°
- Aug 81° 58°
- Sep 74° 48°
- Oct 59° 35°
- Nov 42° 21°
- Dec 28° 10°
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 Salem each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 5°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.92 in), the least in January (0.55 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24°F | 5°F | 14.3°F | 0.55 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 29°F | 9°F | 19.1°F | 0.74 | 7 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 43°F | 21°F | 31.8°F | 1.36 | 7 | <1 | 26 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 57°F | 32°F | 44.2°F | 3.29 | 9 | <1 | 15 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 70°F | 45°F | 57.1°F | 3.80 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 79°F | 56°F | 67.4°F | 3.92 | 11 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 83°F | 60°F | 71.7°F | 2.97 | 7 | 6 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 81°F | 58°F | 69.5°F | 3.35 | 8 | 3 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 74°F | 48°F | 61.0°F | 3.03 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 59°F | 35°F | 46.6°F | 2.20 | 8 | <1 | 11 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 42°F | 21°F | 31.5°F | 1.07 | 5 | <1 | 24 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 28°F | 10°F | 18.7°F | 0.67 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 56°F | 33°F | 44.4°F | 26.95 | 93 | 13 | 169 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5°C | −15°C | −9.8°C | 14 mm |
| February | −2°C | −13°C | −7.2°C | 19 mm |
| March | 6°C | −6°C | −0.1°C | 35 mm |
| April | 14°C | 0°C | 6.8°C | 84 mm |
| May | 21°C | 7°C | 13.9°C | 97 mm |
| June | 26°C | 13°C | 19.7°C | 100 mm |
| July | 29°C | 16°C | 22.1°C | 75 mm |
| August | 27°C | 14°C | 20.8°C | 85 mm |
| September | 23°C | 9°C | 16.1°C | 77 mm |
| October | 15°C | 1°C | 8.1°C | 56 mm |
| November | 6°C | −6°C | −0.3°C | 27 mm |
| December | −2°C | −12°C | −7.4°C | 17 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Madison (20 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 USC00395360; 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 Salem?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, 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 USC00395360.
When is the last frost in Salem?
In Salem, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 7 in half of years and after May 19 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 29 in half of years and before September 17 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 71 year in 10 after May 19; 9 in 10 after April 25
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 291 year in 10 before September 17; 9 in 10 before October 13
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 144 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 162 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 29 in half of springs and before October 8 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Salem in zone 5a in ZIP code 57058, 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 USC00395360; 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 Salem?
In a normal year in Salem, 13 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 169 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 93 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 13a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 169a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 78high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 93a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00395360.
How sunny is Salem?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Salem, 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 Salem need?
A normal year in Salem brings 8,053 heating degree days, 50% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 588 cooling degree days, 35% 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 2,547 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,571 | 0 |
| February | 1,286 | 0 |
| March | 1,030 | 1 |
| April | 625 | 1 |
| May | 276 | 31 |
| June | 50 | 122 |
| July | 10 | 217 |
| August | 26 | 164 |
| September | 169 | 49 |
| October | 572 | 3 |
| November | 1,004 | 0 |
| December | 1,433 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,053 | 588 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00395360. 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 Salem been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 46.1°F, 1.7°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 44.4°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 46.9°F | +2.5°F | 21.45 |
| 2022 | 43.8°F | −0.6°F | 19.02 |
| 2023 | 45.5°F | +1.1°F | 23.94 |
| 2024 | 47.1°F | +2.7°F | 29.94 |
| 2025 | 46.1°F | +1.7°F | 26.65 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00395360. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Salem's climate compare?
Salem is warmer than 33 of the other 99 places with their own NOAA record in South Dakota, and wetter than 85. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 44.4°F is warmer than 17%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Salem 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 Salem 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.
- Canistota, SD643 people · 10 mi S
- Humboldt, SD572 people · 14 mi SE
- Golden View Colony, SD82 people · 8 mi SW
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 Salem's climate
What is the coldest month in Salem?
January, with a normal high of 24°F and a normal low of 5°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 60°F at night).
Does it snow in Salem?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Salem's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Madison (20 miles away), records 37 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Salem?
June, with 3.92 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.55 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Salem in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Salem in zone 5a in ZIP code 57058, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Salem?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 7; in one year in ten it comes after May 19. Waiting until May 19 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
- Montrose, SD7 miles from this station, 45.5°F a year
- Winfred, SD16 miles from this station, 44.1°F a year
- Bridgewater, SD16 miles from this station, 46.4°F a year
- Madison, SD20 miles from this station, 44.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made