Prairie View, SD climate
Prairie View has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 5°, and about 35 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Prairie View feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Prairie View 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 | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 5° | 0.4" | 4.2" | 3 | 18 | 5° – 29° |
| February | 30° | 9° | 0.6" | 6.0" | 3 | 17 | 0° – 32° |
| March | 42° | 20° | 0.8" | 6.3" | 3 | 9 | 20° – 45° |
| April | 56° | 30° | 1.6" | 4.2" | 5 | 2 | 36° – 49° |
| May | 67° | 41° | 2.8" | 0.3" | 7 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| June | 77° | 52° | 3.2" | 0 | 7 | 0 | 60° – 69° |
| July | 85° | 57° | 2.7" | 0 | 5 | 0 | 63° – 79° |
| August | 84° | 55° | 1.9" | 0 | 4 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| September | 74° | 46° | 1.5" | 0 | 4 | 0 | 54° – 66° |
| October | 57° | 32° | 1.5" | 2.2" | 4 | 1 | 36° – 50° |
| November | 41° | 20° | 0.5" | 6.1" | 2 | 7 | 18° – 40° |
| December | 29° | 9° | 0.5" | 5.2" | 3 | 13 | 7° – 28° |
| Year | 56° | 31° | 17.8" | 34.5" | 48 | 68 |
“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 Prairie View
Prairie View 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 48 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 68 days of the year.
About 143 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 9 and the first one by September 30. That leaves about 143 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 87% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Prairie View
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Prairie View, 93% of that work is heating and 7% 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.
How Prairie View 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 Prairie View averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.3°). The shift is smaller than in 89% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Prairie View’s spot on NOAA’s grid
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 0° to 32°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Common questions about Prairie View’s climate
What is the coldest month in Prairie View?
January, with a typical high of 26° and a low of 5°.
What is the hottest month in Prairie View?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 57°. About 27 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Prairie View get?
About 35 inches in a normal winter, most of it in March.
When is the first frost in Prairie View?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 30, and the last spring frost by May 9.
What is the rainiest month in Prairie View?
June, with 3.2 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 18 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Prairie View itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Watauga S Dak 8 N, ND (11 mi, snow) and Mc Intosh 6 Se, SD (11 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.