Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Hardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Blunt
High summer brings afternoon highs near 87°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 90% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 0.9° above 1901–2000. Radiators earn their keep from October to April, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Blunt at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Blunt’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Blunt’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Blunt feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 129 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 17 and the first by September 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Harrold 12 Ssw, SD, 14 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Blunt’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −22°. 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 43 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Blunt, SD, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 19 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 81 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Blunt
93% 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 Harrold 12 Ssw, SD.
Living with Blunt’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
129 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 17 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Blunt from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (64%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Blunt and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Blunt yet.
Climates most like Blunt’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blunt, SD | 6° | 87° | 19" | 43" |
| Alliance, NE | 13° | 88° | 17" | 45" |
| Gypsum, CO | 11° | 86° | 14" | 39" |
| Havre, MT | 6° | 85° | 13" | 41" |
| Sheridan, WY | 11° | 89° | 15" | 33" |
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 Blunt averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.4°).
A smaller shift than in 87% 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 Blunt compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Blunt’s place among South Dakota’s.
Blunt weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Blunt’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Blunt, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 6° | 0.4" | 7.0" | 5 | 22 | 7° – 33° |
| February | 32° | 10° | 0.6" | 8.4" | 4 | 14 | 4° – 33° |
| March | 45° | 21° | 0.9" | 6.0" | 6 | 9 | 22° – 47° |
| April | 58° | 32° | 1.9" | 6.1" | 8 | 2 | 36° – 51° |
| May | 70° | 43° | 3.1" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| June | 80° | 55° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| July | 87° | 60° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 64° – 81° |
| August | 86° | 58° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| September | 77° | 48° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| October | 61° | 34° | 1.6" | 1.7" | 7 | 1 | 39° – 53° |
| November | 45° | 21° | 0.5" | 6.4" | 5 | 6 | 21° – 42° |
| December | 32° | 11° | 0.5" | 7.6" | 4 | 16 | 8° – 29° |
| Year | 58° | 33° | 19.4" | 43.3" | 81 | 70 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 4° to 33°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Blunt’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 Blunt’s center.
- Snow: Blunt, SD (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Harrold 12 Ssw, SD, 14 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Blunt’s climate
What is the weather like in Blunt?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 43 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 97% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 64% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Blunt in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 189 nights a year reach 32° or below and 34 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 7°.
How much snow does Blunt get?
About 43 inches in a normal winter at Blunt, SD, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 70 days a year.
How hot does it get in Blunt?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 60°. About 32 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Harrold 12 Ssw, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Blunt?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 17 and the first fall frost by September 24, about 129 frost-free days, at Harrold 12 Ssw, SD.
What growing zone is Blunt in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −22°.
What is the best time of year to visit Blunt?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Blunt getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 87% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Blunt.
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.