Climate · Virgil

Virgil, SD climate

Virgil has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 49 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
10°
248th mildest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Rain + melted snow
20 in
186th driest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Snow a winter
49 in
92nd snowiest of 1,367 South Dakota towns
A normal year

What a year in Virgil feels like

Winter

33° / 12°
Typical high / low · 14 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

58° / 33°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 6

Summer

85° / 58°
Typical high / low · 27 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

62° / 36°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 7
Best months to be outsideMayJunSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Virgil weather by month

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

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet days30-yr range
January31°10°0.5" 7.5"6 12° – 36°
February35°13°0.6" 8.5"6 7° – 36°
March47°23°1.0" 8.1"6 23° – 49°
April58°33°2.1" 6.8"9 37° – 51°
May69°44°3.3" 013 51° – 63°
June80°55°3.4" 011 62° – 72°
July88°61°2.7" 08 66° – 82°
August86°59°2.3" 08 66° – 77°
September77°49°1.6" 06 57° – 69°
October62°36°1.7" 1.8"7 40° – 54°
November46°24°0.6" 5.6"5 23° – 43°
December34°14°0.5" 10.8"5 12° – 31°
Year59°35°20.3"49.1"91

“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 Virgil

Virgil 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 91 days a year.

20 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 88% of U.S. towns
49 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 81% of U.S. towns
91 days
With rain or snow (0.01"+)

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
3.4"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
11"
Frost & the growing season

About 154 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 6 and the first one by October 7. That leaves about 154 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 77% of U.S. towns.

159
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
22
nights below 0° in a normal year
27
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 Virgil

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

91%heating
7,270 heating degree daysMore heating than 77% of U.S. towns
735 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 58% 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 Virgil

Virgil and its neighbors

Virgil borders 3 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.4°. Kolls has both the coldest January nights (10°) and the hottest July afternoons (88°). Virgil’s January low is 10° and its July high 88°.

Dunkel: January low 11°, July high 88°Williams Creek: January low 11°, July high 89°Vivian: January low 11°, July high 88°Kolls: January low 10°, July high 88°Draper: January low 11°, July high 88°Mussman: January low 10°, July high 88°Virgil: January low 10°, July high 88° VirgilKollsDraperMussman
ColderMilder10° to 11°
Virgil10.3°
Kolls10.3° same
Mussman10.4° +0.1°
Draper10.7° +0.4°

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

Compared with other towns

How Virgil compares

Summer heat88° July high
Hotter than 70% of U.S. towns120th hottest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Winter cold10° January low
Colder than 81% of U.S. towns248th mildest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Precipitation20" a year
Drier than 88% of U.S. towns186th driest of 1,384 South Dakota towns
Snow49" a winter
Snowier than 81% of U.S. towns92nd snowiest of 1,367 South Dakota towns
Growing season154 frost-free days
Shorter than 77% of U.S. towns403rd 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

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

The last 30 years in Virgil averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.5°). The shift is smaller than in 75% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+2.8° now 23°, was 20°
🌷 Spring+0.5° now 46°, was 45°
☀️ Summer+0.0° now 72°, was 72°
🍂 Fall+0.5° now 49°, was 48°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Virgil’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 7° to 36°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Virgil’s climate

What is the coldest month in Virgil?

January, with a typical high of 31° and a low of 10°.

What is the hottest month in Virgil?

July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 61°. About 27 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Virgil get?

About 49 inches in a normal winter, most of it in December.

When is the first frost in Virgil?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 7, and the last spring frost by May 6.

What is the rainiest month in Virgil?

June, with 3.4 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 20 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Virgil itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Murdo, SD (14 mi, snow) and Pierre 24 S, SD (8 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.

The porch light’s on

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