Photo: Jon Platek · CC BY-SA 3.0Few U.S. towns have colder winter nights than Chancellor
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 85°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 87% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with January up the most. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit May, June, August and September, with highs of 70–82°.
A year in Chancellor at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Chancellor’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Chancellor’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Chancellor feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 157 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 1 and the first by October 6. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sioux Falls, SD, 20 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Chancellor’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −19°. 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 45 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Sioux Falls, SD, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 27 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 104 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Chancellor
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 Sioux Falls, SD.
Living with Chancellor’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
157 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 6.
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 Chancellor from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (41%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 18%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Chancellor and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Chancellor yet.
Climates most like Chancellor’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chancellor, SD | 9° | 85° | 27" | 45" |
| Savage, MN | 7° | 83° | 32" | 51" |
| Fort Dodge, IA | 9° | 83° | 34" | 39" |
| Hudson, WI | 6° | 82° | 33" | 50" |
| Ralston, NE | 14° | 86° | 33" | 36" |
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 Chancellor averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.8°).
A smaller shift than in 71% 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 Chancellor compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Chancellor’s place among South Dakota’s.
Chancellor weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Chancellor’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Sioux Falls, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 9° | 0.5" | 8.0" | 7 | 22 | 7° – 32° |
| February | 32° | 13° | 0.8" | 8.6" | 7 | 16 | 10° – 34° |
| March | 45° | 24° | 1.4" | 7.2" | 8 | 10 | 25° – 51° |
| April | 59° | 35° | 2.9" | 5.1" | 10 | 2 | 37° – 53° |
| May | 70° | 47° | 3.8" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| June | 81° | 58° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| July | 85° | 62° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 81° |
| August | 82° | 60° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| September | 75° | 51° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| October | 61° | 38° | 2.3" | 1.4" | 8 | 1 | 42° – 54° |
| November | 45° | 24° | 1.2" | 6.2" | 6 | 5 | 25° – 45° |
| December | 31° | 14° | 0.8" | 8.7" | 7 | 16 | 9° – 28° |
| Year | 58° | 36° | 27.4" | 45.3" | 104 | 73 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 51°. August is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Chancellor’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 Chancellor’s center.
- Snow: Sioux Falls, SD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sioux Falls, SD, 20 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 Chancellor’s climate
What is the weather like in Chancellor?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 45 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 53% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Chancellor in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 162 nights a year reach 32° or below and 25 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 7°.
How much snow does Chancellor get?
About 45 inches in a normal winter at Sioux Falls, SD, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 73 days a year.
How hot does it get in Chancellor?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 62°. About 15 days a year reach 90° (Sioux Falls, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Chancellor?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 1 and the first fall frost by October 6, about 157 frost-free days, at Sioux Falls, SD.
What growing zone is Chancellor in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Chancellor?
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 Chancellor getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 71% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Chancellor.
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.