Climate · Cambria

Cambria, SD climate

Cambria has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 3°, and about 42 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
83°
457th coolest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
January low
3°
129th coldest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Rain + melted snow
22 in
372nd driest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Snow a winter
42 in
572nd snowiest of 1,367 South Dakota towns
A normal year

What a year in Cambria feels like

Winter

25° / 6°
Typical high / low · 13 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

55° / 32°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 9

Summer

81° / 57°
Typical high / low · 15 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

57° / 34°
Typical high / low · First frost around Sep 26
Best months to be outsideMayJunJulAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Cambria weather by month

Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet days30-yr range
January21°3°0.5" 6.1"6 -2° – 26°
February26°7°0.6" 7.7"6 1° – 28°
March40°20°0.9" 7.6"6 19° – 43°
April56°32°1.9" 5.0"7 34° – 51°
May69°44°3.1" 010 52° – 64°
June78°55°3.7" 011 61° – 72°
July83°60°3.4" 08 64° – 77°
August82°57°2.4" 07 64° – 73°
September73°47°2.2" 07 54° – 65°
October58°34°2.0" 1.9"7 38° – 51°
November40°21°0.7" 3.2"4 18° – 41°
December27°9°0.6" 10.0"6 4° – 25°
Year54°32°21.8"41.5"84

“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 & snow

Rain and snow in Cambria

Cambria gets 22 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 84 days a year.

22 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 86% of U.S. towns
42 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 72% of U.S. towns
84 days
With rain or snow (0.01"+)

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
3.7"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
10"
Frost & the growing season

About 139 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 9 and the first one by September 26. That leaves about 139 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 90% of U.S. towns.

179
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
39
nights below 0° in a normal year
15
days that reach 90° in a normal year

Freezing nights by month

Average nights at or below 32°

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Cambria

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Cambria, 93% of that work is heating and 7% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

93%heating
8,222 heating degree daysMore heating than 89% of U.S. towns
630 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 67% of U.S. towns

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.

Around Cambria

Cambria and its neighbors

Cambria borders 4 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.1°. Putney has the coldest January nights (2°) and Henry the hottest July afternoons (84°). Cambria’s January low is 3° and its July high 83°.

Riverside: January low 2°, July high 83°Prairiewood: January low 3°, July high 84°Prairiewood Village: January low 3°, July high 84°Lincoln: January low 3°, July high 83°Westport: January low 3°, July high 83°Garland: January low 2°, July high 83°Aberdeen: January low 3°, July high 84°Claremont: January low 2°, July high 83°Shelby: January low 2°, July high 83°Bath: January low 3°, July high 84°Groton: January low 2°, July high 83°Putney: January low 2°, July high 83°Ordway: January low 3°, July high 83°Columbia: January low 2°, July high 83°Henry: January low 3°, July high 84°Cambria: January low 3°, July high 83° CambriaPutneyOrdwayColumbiaHenry
ColderMilder2° to 3°
Putney2.4° −0.1°
Columbia2.4° −0.1°
Cambria2.5°
Ordway2.5° same
Henry2.5° same

Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.

Compared with other towns

How Cambria compares

Summer heat83° July high
Cooler than 63% of U.S. towns457th coolest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Winter cold3° January low
Colder than 93% of U.S. towns129th coldest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Precipitation22" a year
Drier than 86% of U.S. towns372nd driest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Snow42" a winter
Snowier than 72% of U.S. towns572nd snowiest of 1,367 South Dakota towns
Growing season139 frost-free days
Shorter than 90% of U.S. towns183rd shortest of 1,383 South Dakota towns

Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

+1.3°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Cambria averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.6°). The shift is larger than in 58% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+3.2° now 15°, was 12°
🌷 Spring+0.7° now 43°, was 43°
☀️ Summer+0.4° now 69°, was 69°
🍂 Fall+1.0° now 46°, was 45°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Cambria’s spot on NOAA’s grid

Year to year

How much a month can swing

A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. January swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from -2° to 26°. August is the most reliable, staying within 10°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Cambria’s climate

What is the coldest month in Cambria?

January, with a typical high of 21° and a low of 3°.

What is the hottest month in Cambria?

July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 60°. About 15 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Cambria get?

About 42 inches in a normal winter, most of it in December.

When is the first frost in Cambria?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 26, and the last spring frost by May 9.

What is the rainiest month in Cambria?

June, with 3.7 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 22 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Cambria itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Bath 1ne, SD (5 mi, snow) and Aberdeen, SD (9 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.

The coffee’s on

Where to, neighbor?

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