Belle Prairie, SD climate
Belle Prairie has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 39 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Belle Prairie feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Belle Prairie weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25° | 6° | 0.5" | 6.7" | 5 | 25 | 4° – 30° |
| February | 31° | 10° | 0.7" | 6.4" | 5 | 17 | 5° – 32° |
| March | 43° | 22° | 1.1" | 6.5" | 5 | 10 | 22° – 48° |
| April | 58° | 34° | 2.5" | 4.6" | 7 | 2 | 36° – 53° |
| May | 70° | 46° | 3.3" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| June | 80° | 57° | 3.9" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| July | 85° | 62° | 3.1" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 65° – 81° |
| August | 83° | 59° | 3.0" | 0 | 7 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| September | 75° | 50° | 2.5" | 0 | 6 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| October | 60° | 36° | 2.1" | 1.2" | 5 | 1 | 40° – 52° |
| November | 44° | 22° | 0.9" | 5.0" | 4 | 4 | 22° – 42° |
| December | 30° | 11° | 0.6" | 8.6" | 5 | 18 | 7° – 27° |
| Year | 57° | 34° | 24.0" | 39.0" | 72 | 76 |
“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.
Rain and snow in Belle Prairie
Belle Prairie gets 24 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 72 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 76 days of the year.
About 140 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 9 and the first one by September 28. That leaves about 140 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 89% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Belle Prairie
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Belle Prairie, 92% of that work is heating and 8% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
Belle Prairie and its neighbors
Belle Prairie borders 3 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.6°. Logan has the coldest January nights (6°) and Pearl Creek the hottest July afternoons (86°). Belle Prairie’s January low is 6° and its July high 85°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How Belle Prairie compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Belle Prairie averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.9°). The shift is smaller than in 76% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Belle Prairie’s spot on NOAA’s grid
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. February swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 5° to 32°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Common questions about Belle Prairie’s climate
What is the coldest month in Belle Prairie?
January, with a typical high of 25° and a low of 6°.
What is the hottest month in Belle Prairie?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 62°. About 26 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Belle Prairie get?
About 39 inches in a normal winter, most of it in December.
When is the first frost in Belle Prairie?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 28, and the last spring frost by May 9.
What is the rainiest month in Belle Prairie?
June, with 3.9 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 24 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Belle Prairie itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Iroquois, SD (9 mi, snow) and Forestburg 4 Nne, SD (14 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.