Wessington Springs, SD climate
Wessington Springs has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 45 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Wessington Springs feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Wessington Springs 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 | 27° | 8° | 0.6" | 7.5" | 5 | 20 | 7° – 33° |
| February | 32° | 12° | 0.7" | 7.3" | 5 | 14 | 6° – 33° |
| March | 44° | 22° | 1.1" | 6.4" | 6 | 10 | 22° – 48° |
| April | 58° | 33° | 2.8" | 8.2" | 8 | 3 | 35° – 53° |
| May | 70° | 45° | 3.4" | 0 | 11 | 0 | 51° – 64° |
| June | 79° | 57° | 3.8" | 0 | 11 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| July | 86° | 62° | 3.0" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 65° – 80° |
| August | 83° | 59° | 2.8" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| September | 75° | 50° | 2.5" | 0 | 7 | 0 | 57° – 68° |
| October | 60° | 36° | 1.9" | 1.7" | 7 | 1 | 41° – 54° |
| November | 44° | 23° | 0.8" | 5.3" | 4 | 5 | 23° – 44° |
| December | 31° | 12° | 0.7" | 8.1" | 5 | 16 | 9° – 29° |
| Year | 57° | 35° | 24.1" | 44.5" | 84 | 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 Wessington Springs
Wessington Springs gets 24 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 84 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 68 days of the year.
About 157 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 2 and the first one by October 8. That leaves about 157 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 74% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Wessington Springs
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Wessington Springs, 92% of that work is heating and 8% 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.
Wessington Springs and its neighbors
Wessington Springs borders 3 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 1.0°. Franklin has both the coldest January nights (7°) and the hottest July afternoons (86°). Wessington Springs’s January low is 8° and its July high 86°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How Wessington Springs 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 Wessington Springs averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.1°). The shift is smaller than in 74% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Wessington Springs’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 6° to 33°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Common questions about Wessington Springs’s climate
What is the coldest month in Wessington Springs?
January, with a typical high of 27° and a low of 8°.
What is the hottest month in Wessington Springs?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 62°. About 23 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Wessington Springs get?
About 45 inches in a normal winter, most of it in April.
When is the first frost in Wessington Springs?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 8, and the last spring frost by May 2.
What is the rainiest month in Wessington Springs?
June, with 3.8 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 24 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Wessington Springs itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Wessington Springs, SD (3 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.