Photo: Jake DeGroot · CC BY-SA 3.0Avon has colder winter nights than 92% of U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 86°. Precipitation peaks in May and eases off in January. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 87% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs November to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Avon at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Avon’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Avon’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Avon feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 158 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 1 and the first by October 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Tyndall, SD, 10 miles from the town’s center, 180 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Avon’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −15°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 37 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Tyndall, SD, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 27 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 88 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Avon
90% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Tyndall, SD.
Living with Avon’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
158 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 1 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Avon from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (27%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 28%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Avon and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Avon yet.
Climates most like Avon’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avon, SD | 11° | 86° | 27" | 37" |
| Hastings, NE | 15° | 87° | 27" | 29" |
| Council Bluffs, IA | 14° | 87° | 33" | 27" |
| Marshall, MN | 6° | 84° | 28" | 44" |
| Air Force Academy, CO | 14° | 84° | 21" | 55" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Avon averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.1°).
A smaller shift than in 88% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Avon compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Avon’s place among South Dakota’s.
Avon weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Avon’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Tyndall, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 11° | 0.6" | 6.5" | 5 | 17 | 13° – 35° |
| February | 35° | 15° | 0.8" | 7.4" | 5 | 13 | 12° – 35° |
| March | 47° | 25° | 1.4" | 5.3" | 7 | 6 | 26° – 51° |
| April | 59° | 35° | 3.0" | 4.1" | 9 | 2 | 38° – 54° |
| May | 71° | 47° | 3.9" | 0.2" | 11 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| June | 81° | 58° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| July | 86° | 63° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 83° |
| August | 83° | 61° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| September | 76° | 52° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| October | 62° | 39° | 2.3" | 0.8" | 7 | 1 | 43° – 55° |
| November | 46° | 25° | 1.0" | 5.0" | 5 | 3 | 26° – 45° |
| December | 33° | 15° | 0.7" | 7.3" | 5 | 15 | 12° – 30° |
| Year | 59° | 37° | 26.5" | 36.6" | 88 | 56 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 26° to 51°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Avon’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Avon’s center.
- Snow: Tyndall, SD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Tyndall, SD, 10 miles from the town’s center, 180 ft lower; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Avon’s climate
What is the weather like in Avon?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Avon in winter?
January nights average 11°. About 157 nights a year reach 32° or below and 19 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 13°.
How much snow does Avon get?
About 37 inches in a normal winter at Tyndall, SD, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 56 days a year.
How hot does it get in Avon?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 63°. About 26 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Tyndall, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Avon?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 1 and the first fall frost by October 7, about 158 frost-free days, at Tyndall, SD.
What growing zone is Avon in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Avon?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Avon getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 88% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Avon.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.