Elm Springs Township has colder winter nights than 92% of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 88°. Rain follows the seasons: May brings about 8.8 times as much as January. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 91% of U.S. towns. Plan time outside for May, June and September, when highs sit at 69–80°.
A year in Elm Springs Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Elm Springs Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Elm Springs Township’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Elm Springs Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 146 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 8 and the first by October 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Elm Springs 3 Ese, SD, 2.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Elm Springs Township’s center in zone 5a: 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 Elm Springs 3 Ese, SD, falls mostly in March, April and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; May 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 Elm Springs Township
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 Elm Springs 3 Ese, SD.
Living with Elm Springs Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
146 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 8 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 3.
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 Elm Springs Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (38%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Elm Springs Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Elm Springs Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Elm Springs Township’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elm Springs Township, SD | 12° | 88° | 18" | 37" |
| Sheridan, WY | 11° | 89° | 15" | 33" |
| Alliance, NE | 13° | 88° | 17" | 45" |
| Glenwood Springs, CO | 14° | 87° | 15" | 39" |
| Lockwood, MT | 15° | 88° | 15" | 35" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Elm Springs Township averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.6°).
A smaller shift than in 69% 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 Elm Springs Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Elm Springs Township’s place among South Dakota’s.
Elm Springs Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Elm Springs Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Elm Springs 3 Ese, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 12° | 0.4" | 4.4" | 5 | 16 | 12° – 36° |
| February | 38° | 14° | 0.5" | 5.6" | 5 | 12 | 9° – 38° |
| March | 49° | 24° | 1.0" | 6.3" | 6 | 8 | 22° – 48° |
| April | 59° | 33° | 2.0" | 6.6" | 8 | 4 | 39° – 53° |
| May | 69° | 43° | 3.5" | 0.8" | 11 | 0 | 48° – 61° |
| June | 80° | 54° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 61° – 72° |
| July | 88° | 60° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 66° – 81° |
| August | 88° | 58° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 48° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 56° – 69° |
| October | 62° | 35° | 1.6" | 3.0" | 6 | 2 | 40° – 54° |
| November | 47° | 23° | 0.5" | 3.9" | 5 | 6 | 24° – 44° |
| December | 36° | 14° | 0.4" | 6.1" | 5 | 12 | 13° – 34° |
| Year | 61° | 35° | 17.9" | 36.7" | 81 | 59 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 9° to 38°. August is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Elm Springs Township’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 Elm Springs Township’s center.
- Snow: Elm Springs 3 Ese, SD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Elm Springs 3 Ese, SD, 2.7 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 Elm Springs Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Elm Springs Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Elm Springs Township in winter?
January nights average 12°. About 176 nights a year reach 32° or below and 22 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 12°.
How much snow does Elm Springs Township get?
About 37 inches in a normal winter at Elm Springs 3 Ese, SD, most of it in March, April and December, with snow on the ground about 59 days a year.
How hot does it get in Elm Springs Township?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 60°. About 37 days a year reach 90° and 6 reach 100° (Elm Springs 3 Ese, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Elm Springs Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 8 and the first fall frost by October 3, about 146 frost-free days, at Elm Springs 3 Ese, SD.
What growing zone is Elm Springs Township in?
Zone 5a 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 Elm Springs Township?
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 Elm Springs Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 69% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Elm Springs Township.
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.