Photo: John Lee Lopez · CC BY-SA 4.0Faith’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 56 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Faith at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Faith’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Faith’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Faith feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 151 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 6 and the first by October 5. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Faith, SD, 0.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Faith’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 56 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Faith, SD, is heaviest from January through March, about 10 inches a month. 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 73 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Faith
91% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Faith, SD.
Living with Faith’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
151 frost-free days in zone 5a. 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 5.
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 Faith 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 →Faith and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Faith yet.
Climates most like Faith’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faith, SD | 9° | 86° | 18" | 56" |
| Durango, CO | 12° | 86° | 18" | 64" |
| Gillette, WY | 13° | 86° | 16" | 56" |
| Alliance, NE | 13° | 88° | 17" | 45" |
| Havre, MT | 6° | 85° | 13" | 41" |
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 Faith averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.7°).
A smaller shift than in 56% 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 Faith compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Faith’s place among South Dakota’s.
Faith weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Faith’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Faith, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29° | 9° | 0.4" | 10.4" | 5 | 19 | 10° – 33° |
| February | 33° | 12° | 0.6" | 9.7" | 5 | 15 | 3° – 34° |
| March | 45° | 22° | 0.9" | 10.1" | 5 | 12 | 21° – 47° |
| April | 56° | 32° | 1.9" | 7.2" | 8 | 3 | 37° – 50° |
| May | 67° | 42° | 3.3" | 0.3" | 9 | 0 | 49° – 61° |
| June | 78° | 53° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| July | 86° | 59° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 64° – 80° |
| August | 85° | 57° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 65° – 76° |
| September | 76° | 47° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 55° – 68° |
| October | 59° | 34° | 1.6" | 2.8" | 6 | 1 | 38° – 52° |
| November | 44° | 21° | 0.5" | 6.1" | 4 | 7 | 20° – 42° |
| December | 32° | 12° | 0.5" | 8.9" | 4 | 12 | 10° – 31° |
| Year | 57° | 33° | 18.2" | 55.5" | 73 | 70 |
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 11°.
Where Faith’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 Faith’s center.
- Snow: Faith, SD (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Faith, SD, 0.4 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 Faith’s climate
What is the weather like in Faith?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 56 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 56% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Faith in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 162 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 10°.
How much snow does Faith get?
About 56 inches in a normal winter at Faith, SD, heaviest from January through March, about 10 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 70 days a year.
How hot does it get in Faith?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 59°. About 32 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Faith, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Faith?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 6 and the first fall frost by October 5, about 151 frost-free days, at Faith, SD.
What growing zone is Faith 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 Faith?
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 Faith getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 56% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Faith.
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.