Big Springs, SD climate
Big Springs has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Big Springs feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Big Springs 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 | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 10° | 0.6" | 8.6" | 6 | 9° – 33° |
| February | 32° | 14° | 0.8" | 8.7" | 5 | 11° – 34° |
| March | 45° | 25° | 1.6" | 5.6" | 6 | 27° – 51° |
| April | 59° | 36° | 3.0" | 1.8" | 8 | 37° – 54° |
| May | 71° | 47° | 4.1" | 0.3" | 11 | 53° – 65° |
| June | 80° | 58° | 4.5" | 0 | 10 | 65° – 74° |
| July | 84° | 63° | 3.3" | 0 | 7 | 66° – 80° |
| August | 82° | 60° | 3.4" | 0 | 8 | 65° – 75° |
| September | 75° | 51° | 3.1" | 0 | 8 | 57° – 68° |
| October | 61° | 38° | 2.4" | 0.5" | 6 | 43° – 54° |
| November | 45° | 25° | 1.3" | 2.5" | 4 | 25° – 46° |
| December | 31° | 14° | 0.9" | 8.6" | 5 | 9° – 29° |
| Year | 58° | 37° | 28.8" | 36.6" | 83 |
“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 Big Springs
Big Springs gets 29 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 83 days a year.
About 155 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 1 and the first one by October 4. That leaves about 155 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 76% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Big Springs
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Big Springs, 91% of that work is heating and 9% 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.
Big Springs and its neighbors
Big Springs borders 4 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 1.3°. Virginia has both the coldest January nights (9°) and the hottest July afternoons (85°). Big Springs’s January low is 10° and its July high 84°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How Big Springs 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 Big Springs averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.3°). The shift is smaller than in 84% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Big Springs’s spot on NOAA’s grid
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. March swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 27° to 51°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Common questions about Big Springs’s climate
What is the coldest month in Big Springs?
January, with a typical high of 27° and a low of 10°.
What is the hottest month in Big Springs?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 63°. About 19 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Big Springs get?
About 37 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.
When is the first frost in Big Springs?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 4, and the last spring frost by May 1.
What is the rainiest month in Big Springs?
June, with 4.5 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 29 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Big Springs itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Akron, IA (10 mi, snow) and Hawarden, IA (8 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.