Climate · Raber

Raber, SD climate

Raber has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 7°, and about 40 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
88°
120th hottest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
January low
7°
593rd mildest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Rain + melted snow
20 in
171st driest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Snow a winter
40 in
672nd least snowy of 1,367 South Dakota towns
A normal year

What a year in Raber feels like

Winter

31° / 10°
Typical high / low · 15 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

58° / 32°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 17

Summer

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

Fall

61° / 35°
Typical high / low · First frost around Sep 24
Best months to be outsideMayJunSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Raber weather by month

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

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet days30-yr range
January29°7°0.4" 4.8"3 8° – 34°
February33°11°0.6" 7.4"4 5° – 34°
March46°22°0.9" 5.4"3 23° – 47°
April59°32°2.1" 7.0"6 36° – 52°
May70°44°3.1" 08 52° – 63°
June80°55°3.5" 08 63° – 72°
July88°61°2.6" 06 65° – 81°
August86°58°2.1" 05 66° – 76°
September78°49°1.8" 04 57° – 69°
October61°35°1.6" 0.6"4 40° – 54°
November45°22°0.6" 6.8"4 22° – 42°
December32°11°0.5" 8.0"3 9° – 29°
Year59°34°19.8"40.0"56

“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 Raber

Raber gets 20 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 56 days a year.

20 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 89% of U.S. towns
40 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 70% of U.S. towns
56 days
With rain or snow (0.01"+)

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
3.5"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
8.0"
Frost & the growing season

About 129 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 17 and the first one by September 24. That leaves about 129 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 95% of U.S. towns.

189
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
34
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 Raber

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

93%heating
8,161 heating degree daysMore heating than 88% of U.S. towns
657 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 64% 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 Raber compares

Summer heat88° July high
Hotter than 70% of U.S. towns120th hottest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Winter cold7° January low
Colder than 86% of U.S. towns593rd mildest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Precipitation20" a year
Drier than 89% of U.S. towns171st driest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Snow40" a winter
Snowier than 70% of U.S. towns672nd least snowy of 1,367 South Dakota towns
Growing season129 frost-free days
Shorter than 95% of U.S. towns20th 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

+0.9°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Raber averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.4°). The shift is smaller than in 76% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+2.7° now 21°, was 18°
🌷 Spring+0.4° now 45°, was 45°
☀️ Summer+0.0° now 71°, was 71°
🍂 Fall+0.5° now 48°, was 48°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Raber’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 5° to 34°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Raber’s climate

What is the coldest month in Raber?

January, with a typical high of 29° and a low of 7°.

What is the hottest month in Raber?

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

How much snow does Raber get?

About 40 inches in a normal winter, most of it in December.

When is the first frost in Raber?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 24, and the last spring frost by May 17.

What is the rainiest month in Raber?

June, with 3.5 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 20 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Raber itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Harrold 12 Ssw, SD (5 mi) away. 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?

You’re in Raber, SDHughes CountyView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map
Loading boundary…

Raber is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01