Climate · Parmelee

Parmelee, SD climate

Parmelee has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 47 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
88°
145th hottest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
January low
13°
50th mildest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Rain + melted snow
22 in
345th driest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Snow a winter
47 in
227th snowiest of 1,367 South Dakota towns
A normal year

What a year in Parmelee feels like

Winter

37° / 15°
Typical high / low · 21 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

59° / 34°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 11

Summer

85° / 58°
Typical high / low · 32 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

62° / 36°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 1
Best months to be outsideMayJunSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Parmelee weather by month

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

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet daysSnow on ground30-yr range
January35°13°0.5" 7.2"512 15° – 37°
February38°15°0.7" 7.5"611 11° – 37°
March49°24°1.2" 8.4"67 25° – 50°
April59°33°2.6" 6.7"92 38° – 51°
May69°44°3.6" 0.2"90 51° – 62°
June80°54°3.6" 0100 62° – 72°
July88°61°2.6" 080 66° – 81°
August86°59°2.2" 070 66° – 77°
September78°49°1.7" 0.1"50 57° – 69°
October62°36°1.7" 2.8"61 39° – 56°
November48°24°0.7" 8.7"59 25° – 46°
December37°16°0.6" 5.6"413 16° – 33°
Year61°36°21.6"47.2"7954

“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 Parmelee

Parmelee 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 79 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 54 days of the year.

22 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 87% of U.S. towns
47 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 79% of U.S. towns
54 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
More than 68% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
3.6"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
8.7"
Frost & the growing season

About 143 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 11 and the first one by October 1. That leaves about 143 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 87% of U.S. towns.

171
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
17
nights below 0° in a normal year
32
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 Parmelee

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Parmelee, 91% of that work is heating and 9% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

91%heating
7,029 heating degree daysMore heating than 73% of U.S. towns
708 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 60% 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 Parmelee compares

Summer heat88° July high
Hotter than 69% of U.S. towns145th hottest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Winter cold13° January low
Colder than 75% of U.S. towns50th mildest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Precipitation22" a year
Drier than 87% of U.S. towns345th driest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Snow47" a winter
Snowier than 79% of U.S. towns227th snowiest of 1,367 South Dakota towns
Growing season143 frost-free days
Shorter than 87% of U.S. towns336th 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

+1.2°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Parmelee averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.7°). The shift is smaller than in 54% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+2.8° now 26°, was 23°
🌷 Spring+0.9° now 46°, was 45°
☀️ Summer+0.3° now 71°, was 71°
🍂 Fall+0.7° now 49°, was 49°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Parmelee’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 11° to 37°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Parmelee’s climate

What is the coldest month in Parmelee?

January, with a typical high of 35° and a low of 13°.

What is the hottest month in Parmelee?

July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 61°. About 32 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Parmelee get?

About 47 inches in a normal winter, most of it in November.

When is the first frost in Parmelee?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 1, and the last spring frost by May 11.

What is the rainiest month in Parmelee?

June, with 3.6 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 22 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Parmelee itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Harrington, SD (16 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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