Climate · Little Eagle

Little Eagle, SD climate

Little Eagle has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 4°, and about 35 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
87°
271st hottest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
January low
4°
379th coldest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Rain + melted snow
18 in
91st driest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Snow a winter
35 in
257th least snowy of 1,367 South Dakota towns
A normal year

What a year in Little Eagle feels like

Winter

29° / 7°
Typical high / low · 7 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

57° / 31°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 12

Summer

84° / 56°
Typical high / low · 24 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

59° / 33°
Typical high / low · First frost around Sep 28
Best months to be outsideMayJunSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Little Eagle weather by month

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

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet days30-yr range
January26°4°0.4" 7.5"3 3° – 29°
February30°8°0.5" 6.5"4 1° – 32°
March43°20°0.7" 3.7"4 21° – 45°
April58°31°1.5" 2.1"6 36° – 50°
May69°42°2.9" 0.2"9 51° – 62°
June79°53°3.3" 010 61° – 71°
July87°58°2.8" 08 64° – 80°
August85°56°2.1" 06 65° – 75°
September75°46°1.5" 05 55° – 66°
October59°32°1.6" 0.7"4 37° – 51°
November42°20°0.5" 4.0"3 19° – 41°
December30°9°0.5" 10.2"4 7° – 28°
Year57°32°18.2"34.9"65

“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 Little Eagle

Little Eagle gets 18 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 65 days a year.

18 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 91% of U.S. towns
35 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 64% of U.S. towns
65 days
With rain or snow (0.01"+)

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
3.3"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
10"
Frost & the growing season

About 137 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 12 and the first one by September 28. That leaves about 137 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 91% of U.S. towns.

186
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
35
nights below 0° in a normal year
24
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 Little Eagle

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

94%heating
8,440 heating degree daysMore heating than 90% of U.S. towns
549 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.

Compared with other towns

How Little Eagle compares

Summer heat87° July high
Hotter than 63% of U.S. towns271st hottest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Winter cold4° January low
Colder than 91% of U.S. towns379th coldest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Precipitation18" a year
Drier than 91% of U.S. towns91st driest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Snow35" a winter
Snowier than 64% of U.S. towns257th least snowy of 1,367 South Dakota towns
Growing season137 frost-free days
Shorter than 91% of U.S. towns114th 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

+0.8°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Little Eagle averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.4°). The shift is smaller than in 85% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+2.7° now 18°, was 15°
🌷 Spring+0.3° now 44°, was 43°
☀️ Summer−0.1° now 70°, was 70°
🍂 Fall+0.2° now 46°, was 45°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Little Eagle’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 1° to 32°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Little Eagle’s climate

What is the coldest month in Little Eagle?

January, with a typical high of 26° and a low of 4°.

What is the hottest month in Little Eagle?

July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 58°. About 24 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Little Eagle get?

About 35 inches in a normal winter, most of it in December.

When is the first frost in Little Eagle?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 28, and the last spring frost by May 12.

What is the rainiest month in Little Eagle?

June, with 3.3 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 18 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Little Eagle itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Mc Laughlin, SD (9 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.

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