Climate · Day

Day, SD climate

Day has cold winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 3°.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
82°
209th coolest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
January low
3°
229th coldest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Rain + melted snow
25 in
588th wettest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
A normal year

What a year in Day feels like

Winter

25° / 7°
Typical high / low · Snow is rare

Spring

54° / 32°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 5

Summer

80° / 58°
Typical high / low · 9 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

56° / 35°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 5
Best months to be outsideMayJunJulAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Day weather by month

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

MonthHighLowRain + melt30-yr range
January22°3°0.6" 0° – 26°
February27°7°0.7" 3° – 29°
March39°20°1.1" 19° – 43°
April54°32°2.2" 33° – 51°
May67°44°3.2" 51° – 63°
June77°55°4.1" 60° – 70°
July82°60°3.6" 62° – 78°
August80°58°2.8" 63° – 73°
September72°48°2.6" 53° – 66°
October57°35°2.2" 38° – 51°
November40°21°0.8" 19° – 41°
December27°9°0.7" 4° – 25°
Year54°33°24.6"

“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 Day

Day gets 25 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and January the driest.

25 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 83% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
4.1"

Snowfall by month

No snow records from a nearby station.
Frost & the growing season

About 153 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 5 and the first one by October 5. That leaves about 153 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 78% of U.S. towns.

172
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
35
nights below 0° in a normal year
9
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 Day

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Day, 94% of that work is heating and 6% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

94%heating
8,486 heating degree daysMore heating than 91% of U.S. towns
540 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 73% 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 Day

Day and its neighbors

Day borders 5 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 1.1°. Elrod has the coldest January nights (3°) and Lincoln the hottest July afternoons (82°). Day’s January low is 3° and its July high 82°.

Eden: January low 3°, July high 81°Garfield: January low 4°, July high 82°Thorp: January low 3°, July high 81°Foxton: January low 3°, July high 82°Lake: January low 4°, July high 82°Darlington: January low 4°, July high 83°Henry: January low 3°, July high 82°Logan: January low 4°, July high 83°Clark: January low 4°, July high 82°Mount Pleasant: January low 3°, July high 82°Merton: January low 4°, July high 82°Elrod: January low 3°, July high 82°Lincoln: January low 4°, July high 82°Day: January low 3°, July high 82° DayClarkMount PleasantMertonElrodLincoln
ColderMilder3° to 4°
Day3.0°
Elrod3.0° same
Mount Pleasant3.2° +0.2°
Merton3.5° +0.5°
Clark3.6° +0.6°
Lincoln4.1° +1.1°

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

Compared with other towns

How Day compares

Summer heat82° July high
Cooler than 75% of U.S. towns209th coolest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Winter cold3° January low
Colder than 93% of U.S. towns229th coldest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Precipitation25" a year
Drier than 83% of U.S. towns588th wettest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Growing season153 frost-free days
Shorter than 78% of U.S. towns408th longest 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

+1.1°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Day averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.0°). The shift is smaller than in 60% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+2.6° now 16°, was 13°
🌷 Spring+0.4° now 43°, was 42°
☀️ Summer+0.4° now 69°, was 68°
🍂 Fall+0.9° now 45°, was 45°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Day’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. February swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 3° to 29°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Day’s climate

What is the coldest month in Day?

January, with a typical high of 22° and a low of 3°.

What is the hottest month in Day?

July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 60°. About 9 days a year reach 90°.

When is the first frost in Day?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 5, and the last spring frost by May 5.

What is the rainiest month in Day?

June, with 4.1 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 25 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Day itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Clark, SD (5 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.

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