South Dakota climate: Statewide normals, its places and each month, NOAA 1991-2020
South Dakota's statewide normal is 45.6°F a year with 21.2 inches of precipitation (NOAA nClimDiv, 1991-2020); it has warmed 2.0°F per century since 1895, and 2012 was its warmest year.
- Statewide normal temperature
- 45.6°Fyear, 1991-2020
- Statewide normal precipitation
- 21.2 inyear, 1991-2020
- Last five years against normal
- +1.4°F2021-2025 mean 47.0°F
- Places with normals
- 167100 Census places, 67 other stations
What is South Dakota's weather like each month?
Statewide, July is the warmest month and January the coldest. Each month has its own page with the warmest and coolest places that month:
- Jan29°8°
- Feb33°12°
- Mar45°22°
- Apr57°32°
- May68°43°
- Jun79°54°
- Jul86°60°
- Aug84°57°
- Sep75°48°
- Oct60°35°
- Nov44°22°
- Dec32°12°
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29°F | 8°F | 18.4°F | 0.47 |
| February | 33°F | 12°F | 22.2°F | 0.63 |
| March | 45°F | 22°F | 33.3°F | 1.03 |
| April | 57°F | 32°F | 44.5°F | 2.17 |
| May | 68°F | 43°F | 55.9°F | 3.32 |
| June | 79°F | 54°F | 66.4°F | 3.54 |
| July | 86°F | 60°F | 72.6°F | 2.82 |
| August | 84°F | 57°F | 70.6°F | 2.32 |
| September | 75°F | 48°F | 61.5°F | 1.91 |
| October | 60°F | 35°F | 47.2°F | 1.79 |
| November | 44°F | 22°F | 33.1°F | 0.68 |
| December | 32°F | 12°F | 22.0°F | 0.56 |
Source: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv statewide series (Climate at a Glance); data files. Statewide values are area-weighted from a 5 km grid of station data, so they differ from the simple average of a state's stations.
Has South Dakota been warmer than normal?
4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the 1991-2020 statewide normal of 45.6°F. The record since 1895 rises at a fitted 2.0°F per century; the warmest year was 2012 (49.3°F).
| Year | Mean | Against normal |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48.0°F | +2.4°F |
| 2022 | 45.2°F | −0.5°F |
| 2023 | 46.7°F | +1.1°F |
| 2024 | 48.3°F | +2.6°F |
| 2025 | 47.0°F | +1.3°F |
Source: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv statewide annual series.
Where is it warmest, wettest and snowiest in South Dakota?
Among the places PlainClimate covers, Interior has the warmest year (50.4°F) and Rochford (2 mi WNW) the coolest (38.8°F); Lead is the wettest (31.8 in) and Buffalo the driest (13.4 in), and Lead gets the most snow (184 in).
| Place | Year | July high | January low | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux Falls | 47.3°F | 85°F | 9°F | 27.9 | 45 | May 1 |
| Rapid City | 46.7°F | 86°F | 13°F | 17.4 | 49 | May 12 |
| Aberdeen | 44.1°F | 85°F | 2°F | 21.8 | 43 | May 9 |
| Brookings | 43.3°F | 81°F | 4°F | 25.2 | 36 | May 6 |
| Watertown | 43.0°F | 82°F | 3°F | 22.7 | 41 | May 7 |
| Yankton | 48.7°F | 87°F | 10°F | 28.7 | 38 | April 27 |
| Mitchell | 47.7°F | 87°F | 9°F | 21.1 | – | April 30 |
| Huron | 45.9°F | 86°F | 6°F | 23.3 | 44 | May 6 |
| Spearfish | 46.5°F | 84°F | 16°F | 21.4 | 71 | May 12 |
| Pierre | 47.0°F | 88°F | 9°F | 20.2 | 37 | May 6 |
| Vermillion | 48.8°F | 86°F | 10°F | 28.0 | – | May 3 |
| Madison | 44.7°F | 83°F | 5°F | 26.4 | 37 | May 5 |
| Belle Fourche | 47.9°F | 87°F | 13°F | 18.0 | 42 | May 10 |
| Hot Springs | 48.6°F | 89°F | 14°F | 18.6 | 32 | May 16 |
| Milbank | 43.0°F | 81°F | 4°F | 25.4 | – | May 5 |
| Mobridge | 46.4°F | 87°F | 6°F | 18.0 | 31 | May 5 |
| Lead | 46.3°F | 82°F | 18°F | 31.8 | 184 | May 18 |
| Canton | 45.7°F | 83°F | 6°F | 27.8 | 36 | May 2 |
| Winner | 50.2°F | 90°F | 15°F | 19.4 | – | May 1 |
| Pine Ridge | 47.8°F | 89°F | 12°F | 16.6 | – | May 16 |
| Chamberlain | 48.2°F | 88°F | 11°F | 20.4 | – | May 1 |
| Sisseton | 44.0°F | 83°F | 4°F | 22.9 | 36 | May 3 |
| Flandreau | 43.3°F | 81°F | 4°F | 28.5 | 40 | May 5 |
| Redfield | 44.0°F | 84°F | 3°F | 22.8 | – | May 8 |
| Custer | 43.1°F | 79°F | 15°F | 19.8 | – | May 23 |
| Webster | 42.7°F | 81°F | 2°F | 26.1 | 43 | May 4 |
| Oglala | 49.0°F | 88°F | 14°F | – | – | May 7 |
| Kyle | 47.3°F | 88°F | 11°F | 21.6 | – | May 11 |
| Wagner | 49.8°F | 88°F | 13°F | 26.3 | – | April 29 |
| Deadwood | 45.4°F | 83°F | 14°F | – | – | May 24 |
| Salem | 44.4°F | 83°F | 5°F | 26.9 | – | May 7 |
| Miller | 45.2°F | 85°F | 7°F | 22.3 | 44 | May 3 |
| Gregory | 47.3°F | 87°F | 10°F | 26.7 | 45 | May 6 |
| Clear Lake | 42.4°F | 80°F | 2°F | 27.5 | 61 | May 7 |
| Britton | 42.3°F | 83°F | 0°F | 24.3 | 45 | May 13 |
| Clark | 43.0°F | 81°F | 3°F | 24.0 | – | May 5 |
| Lemmon | 45.7°F | 87°F | 9°F | 18.0 | 42 | May 10 |
| Mission | 47.5°F | 87°F | 12°F | 20.9 | 42 | May 9 |
| Tyndall | 47.3°F | 86°F | 9°F | 26.2 | 37 | May 1 |
| Gettysburg | 44.3°F | 84°F | 5°F | 20.2 | 39 | May 7 |
| De Smet | 44.0°F | 82°F | 5°F | 25.9 | 41 | May 5 |
| Centerville | 46.4°F | 84°F | 7°F | 26.9 | 31 | May 2 |
| Hill City | 43.9°F | 83°F | 10°F | 22.4 | 67 | June 1 |
| Ipswich | 43.7°F | 84°F | 3°F | 20.2 | 34 | May 8 |
| Arlington | 44.7°F | 83°F | 5°F | 26.2 | – | May 3 |
| Martin | 47.4°F | 87°F | 13°F | 20.7 | 48 | May 13 |
| Howard | 46.6°F | 87°F | 5°F | 26.4 | 36 | May 5 |
| Faulkton | 44.0°F | 85°F | 4°F | 22.0 | 44 | May 10 |
| Wessington Springs | 45.4°F | 84°F | 7°F | 25.7 | 45 | May 2 |
| Edgemont | 44.4°F | 89°F | 4°F | 16.1 | 36 | May 23 |
| Eureka | 41.8°F | 82°F | 2°F | 20.3 | 44 | May 12 |
| Philip | 47.6°F | 90°F | 10°F | 16.3 | – | May 11 |
| Castlewood | 42.7°F | 83°F | 3°F | 24.3 | – | May 6 |
| Armour | 48.9°F | 88°F | 10°F | 25.4 | 34 | May 3 |
| Johnson Siding | 45.1°F | 83°F | 12°F | 21.6 | – | May 20 |
| Alexandria | 45.0°F | 84°F | 6°F | 25.3 | 36 | May 8 |
| Highmore | 45.8°F | 86°F | 7°F | 22.8 | 40 | May 12 |
| Onida | 46.0°F | 87°F | 7°F | 21.1 | 49 | May 8 |
| Menno | 48.2°F | 86°F | 10°F | 25.0 | 39 | May 1 |
| Selby | 43.7°F | 84°F | 4°F | 19.2 | 33 | May 8 |
| Newell | 45.7°F | 86°F | 10°F | 16.6 | 40 | May 8 |
| Timber Lake | 45.3°F | 86°F | 7°F | 19.4 | 41 | May 10 |
| Bridgewater | 46.4°F | 85°F | 8°F | 27.9 | – | April 30 |
| Dupree | 47.8°F | 90°F | 10°F | 18.9 | 41 | May 8 |
| Waubay | 44.1°F | 82°F | 4°F | 22.5 | 36 | May 1 |
| Presho | 45.7°F | 87°F | 6°F | – | – | May 12 |
| Murdo | 47.4°F | 87°F | 12°F | 21.6 | 49 | May 3 |
| Montrose | 45.5°F | 84°F | 6°F | – | – | May 3 |
| Wilmot | 43.2°F | 82°F | 3°F | 24.6 | 51 | May 5 |
| Leola | 42.2°F | 83°F | 1°F | 21.8 | – | May 9 |
| White Lake | 46.1°F | 86°F | 8°F | 23.9 | 38 | May 3 |
| Faith | 45.8°F | 87°F | 10°F | 16.1 | – | May 7 |
| Buffalo | 45.5°F | 86°F | 11°F | 13.4 | – | May 10 |
| Bison | 45.7°F | 86°F | 10°F | 18.1 | 40 | May 10 |
| Kennebec | 48.1°F | 90°F | 9°F | 20.8 | 40 | May 12 |
| Roscoe | 42.6°F | 83°F | 3°F | 21.4 | 47 | May 7 |
| Summit | 42.6°F | 82°F | 2°F | 25.7 | 59 | May 14 |
| Bonesteel | 47.6°F | 87°F | 11°F | 25.9 | 37 | May 3 |
| Pickstown | 49.0°F | 87°F | 12°F | 24.4 | 31 | April 30 |
| Pollock | 44.3°F | 85°F | 3°F | 17.8 | 39 | May 8 |
| Mellette | 42.8°F | 84°F | 1°F | 23.0 | 43 | May 11 |
| Wentworth | 45.9°F | 83°F | 7°F | 26.8 | 38 | May 2 |
| Columbia | 42.9°F | 83°F | 0°F | 22.5 | 38 | May 7 |
| Conde | 43.6°F | 84°F | 2°F | 24.1 | 28 | May 6 |
| Astoria | 42.4°F | 80°F | 3°F | – | – | May 6 |
| Oelrichs | 47.6°F | 89°F | 13°F | 17.9 | 44 | May 15 |
| Midland | 47.5°F | 89°F | 8°F | – | – | May 12 |
| Andover | 44.2°F | 82°F | 5°F | 24.0 | – | May 6 |
| Camp Crook | 46.4°F | 88°F | 11°F | 15.8 | 51 | May 17 |
| Interior | 50.4°F | 91°F | 14°F | 19.6 | 38 | May 5 |
| Wasta | 47.8°F | 89°F | 9°F | 17.6 | 30 | May 10 |
| Turton | 44.2°F | 84°F | 4°F | 23.7 | – | May 7 |
| Wood | 47.4°F | 88°F | 11°F | 20.5 | 50 | May 10 |
| Forestburg | 45.5°F | 86°F | 5°F | 24.6 | 26 | May 9 |
| Winfred | 44.1°F | 82°F | 5°F | 26.0 | – | May 6 |
| Oral | 47.2°F | 89°F | 11°F | 18.2 | 37 | May 15 |
| Cottonwood | 46.1°F | 88°F | 8°F | 17.4 | 38 | May 16 |
| Stephan | 44.6°F | 85°F | 5°F | 21.2 | 37 | May 10 |
| Gann Valley | 45.2°F | 87°F | 4°F | 22.7 | 41 | May 7 |
| Ardmore | 47.5°F | 91°F | 9°F | 18.1 | 44 | May 16 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
What are South Dakota's all-time weather records?
The official state records, reviewed by NOAA's State Climate Extremes Committee: from 120°F to −58°F.
| Record | Value | Where | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest temperature | 120°F | Fort Pierre (tied 2 times; the latest shown) | July 15, 2006 |
| Lowest temperature | −58°F | McIntosh | February 17, 1936 |
| Most precipitation in 24 hours | 8.74 in | Groton | May 6, 2007 |
| Most snow in 24 hours | 52 in | Lead | March 14, 1973 |
| Deepest snow on the ground | 73 in | Lead | March 1, 1998 |
Source: NOAA NCEI State Climate Extremes Committee records.
Which other NOAA stations in South Dakota keep normals?
67 stations in South Dakota that are not a town's own record keep 1991-2020 normals too: reservoirs and dams, parks and forests, research farms, remote sites and the second stations of towns (those are shown on the town's page). Each with its normal yearly mean:
- Aberdeen (3 mi E)42.8°F
- Aberdeen (35 mi WNW)41.9°F
- Academy (2 mi NE)47.7°F
- Antelope Ranger Station43.4°F
- Bear Ridge46.7°F
- Belle Fourche (22 mi NNW)44.7°F
- Buffalo (13 mi ESE)43.3°F
- Castlewood station41.7°F
- Cedar Butte48.9°F
- Chamberlain (5 mi S)46.8°F
- Clark station43.1°F
- Custer station44.9°F
- Dupree (15 mi SSE)45.8°F
- Edgemont (23 mi NNW)45.5°F
- Elm Springs (3 mi ESE)46.6°F
- Faith station46.4°F
- Fort Meade48.2°F
- Fort Pierre (17 mi WSW)47.7°F
- Gann Valley (4 mi NW)45.8°F
- Glad Valley (2 mi W)44.0°F
- Harrington47.6°F
- Harrold (12 mi SSW)44.3°F
- Hereford (12 mi SW)46.9°F
- Highmore (23 mi N)44.0°F
- Hoover43.8°F
- Kirley (6 mi N)46.9°F
- Ladner (9 mi SW)43.9°F
- Lake Sharpe Project46.7°F
- Lodgepole (5 mi SW)41.1°F
- Longvalley49.0°F
- Ludlow (3 mi SSE)44.0°F
- Manderson (3 mi NE)48.3°F
- Martin (8 mi E)46.1°F
- Maurine (12 mi SW)45.1°F
- McIntosh (6 mi SE)45.0°F
- McLaughlin43.2°F
- Milbank (4 mi NW)44.0°F
- Milesville (5 mi NE)47.5°F
- Mission (14 mi S)46.7°F
- Mission Ridge (5 mi NW)46.2°F
- Mitchell (2 mi N)46.6°F
- Mitchell station47.9°F
- Mobridge (2 mi NNW)44.9°F
- Mount Rushmore National Memorial45.7°F
- Oahe Dam46.9°F
- Pactola Dam42.1°F
- Pickstown (4 mi SSW)48.0°F
- Pierre (24 mi S)47.0°F
- Plainview (6 mi SSW)45.2°F
- Porcupine (11 mi N)46.9°F
- Ralph (1 mi N)44.2°F
- Rapid City (4 mi NW)46.3°F
- Rapid City Weather Office48.0°F
- Rauville (2 mi W)42.7°F
- Red Owl44.8°F
- Redig (11 mi NE)45.1°F
- Rochford (2 mi WNW)38.8°F
- Roy Lake43.5°F
- Shadehill Reservoir44.1°F
- Sioux Falls (14 mi NNE)45.2°F
- Sioux Falls Weather Office Airport46.6°F
- Sisseton station44.0°F
- Victor (4 mi N)42.3°F
- Watertown (2 mi S)43.7°F
- Wind Cave47.2°F
- Winner station49.7°F
- Zeona (10 mi SSW)45.0°F
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station.
Next
- Frost dates in South DakotaLast spring and first autumn frost at every station
- Every stateCompare the statewide normals
- Interior50.4°F a year, 19.6 in of precipitation
- Rochford (2 mi WNW)38.8°F a year,
- Lead46.3°F a year, 31.8 in of precipitation
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