Photo: Idawriter · CC BY-SA 3.0Eagle Butte’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Eagle Butte at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Eagle Butte’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Eagle Butte’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Eagle Butte feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 148 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 6 and the first by October 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Dupree 15 Sse, SD, 15 miles from the town’s center, 320 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Eagle Butte’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −20°. 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 Eagle Butte, SD, falls mostly in February. 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 54 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Eagle Butte
91% 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 Dupree 15 Sse, SD.
Living with Eagle Butte’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
148 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 6 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 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 96% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Eagle Butte from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Eagle Butte and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Eagle Butte yet.
Climates most like Eagle Butte’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagle Butte, SD | 9° | 86° | 19" | 37" |
| Gypsum, CO | 11° | 86° | 14" | 39" |
| Havre, MT | 6° | 85° | 13" | 41" |
| Alliance, NE | 13° | 88° | 17" | 45" |
| Dickinson, ND | 5° | 83° | 16" | 35" |
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 Eagle Butte averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.6°).
A smaller shift than in 68% 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 Eagle Butte compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Eagle Butte’s place among South Dakota’s.
Eagle Butte weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Eagle Butte’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Eagle Butte, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 9° | 0.4" | 5.2" | 3 | 17 | 9° – 33° |
| February | 32° | 12° | 0.6" | 7.4" | 3 | 13 | 3° – 34° |
| March | 44° | 22° | 0.9" | 6.0" | 3 | 11 | 21° – 47° |
| April | 56° | 32° | 1.9" | 5.9" | 6 | 3 | 37° – 50° |
| May | 67° | 43° | 3.2" | 0.3" | 8 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| June | 78° | 53° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 60° – 70° |
| July | 86° | 60° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 64° – 80° |
| August | 85° | 58° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 65° – 76° |
| September | 75° | 48° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 55° – 68° |
| October | 59° | 35° | 1.7" | 1.6" | 4 | 1 | 39° – 52° |
| November | 43° | 22° | 0.5" | 5.1" | 2 | 8 | 21° – 42° |
| December | 31° | 13° | 0.5" | 5.3" | 2 | 12 | 9° – 30° |
| Year | 57° | 34° | 18.9" | 36.8" | 54 | 64 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 3° to 34°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Eagle Butte’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 Eagle Butte’s center.
- Snow: Eagle Butte, SD (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Dupree 15 Sse, SD, 15 miles from the town’s center, 320 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 Eagle Butte’s climate
What is the weather like in Eagle Butte?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 55% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Eagle Butte in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 170 nights a year reach 32° or below and 24 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 9°.
How much snow does Eagle Butte get?
About 37 inches in a normal winter at Eagle Butte, SD, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 64 days a year.
How hot does it get in Eagle Butte?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 60°. About 30 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Dupree 15 Sse, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Eagle Butte?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 6 and the first fall frost by October 2, about 148 frost-free days, at Dupree 15 Sse, SD.
What growing zone is Eagle Butte in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −20°.
What is the best time of year to visit Eagle Butte?
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 Eagle Butte getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 68% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Eagle Butte.
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.