Franklin Township has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
Sunny July days climb to about 86°. A year here swings 79° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 88% of U.S. towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from October to April, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Franklin Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Franklin Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Franklin Township’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Franklin Township 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 2 and the first by October 8. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Wessington Springs, SD, 9 miles from the town’s center, 370 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Franklin Township’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 Wessington Springs, SD, falls mostly in January, April and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 24 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 84 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Franklin Township
92% 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 Wessington Springs, SD.
Living with Franklin Township’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 2 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 8.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August and September.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 45% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Franklin Township from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Franklin Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Franklin Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Franklin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Township, SD | 7° | 86° | 24" | 45" |
| Sergeant Bluff, IA | 11° | 86° | 30" | 36" |
| Redwood Falls, MN | 6° | 83° | 29" | 44" |
| Schuyler, NE | 13° | 87° | 29" | 36" |
| Mandan, ND | 3° | 84° | 18" | 51" |
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 Franklin Township averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.0°).
A smaller shift than in 86% 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 Franklin Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Franklin Township’s place among South Dakota’s.
Franklin Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Franklin Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Wessington Springs, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 7° | 0.6" | 7.5" | 5 | 20 | 6° – 32° |
| February | 32° | 11° | 0.7" | 7.3" | 5 | 14 | 6° – 33° |
| March | 45° | 23° | 1.1" | 6.4" | 6 | 10 | 23° – 48° |
| April | 58° | 33° | 2.7" | 8.2" | 8 | 3 | 35° – 53° |
| May | 70° | 46° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| June | 80° | 57° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| July | 86° | 62° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 66° – 81° |
| August | 84° | 59° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| September | 76° | 50° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| October | 61° | 36° | 2.0" | 1.7" | 7 | 1 | 41° – 53° |
| November | 45° | 23° | 0.8" | 5.3" | 4 | 5 | 23° – 43° |
| December | 31° | 12° | 0.6" | 8.1" | 5 | 16 | 9° – 29° |
| Year | 58° | 35° | 23.9" | 44.5" | 84 | 68 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 6° to 33°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Franklin 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 Franklin Township’s center.
- Snow: Wessington Springs, SD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Wessington Springs, SD, 9 miles from the town’s center, 370 ft higher; 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 Franklin Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Franklin Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 7°, and about 45 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 57% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Franklin Township in winter?
January nights average 7°. About 154 nights a year reach 32° or below and 23 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 6°.
How much snow does Franklin Township get?
About 45 inches in a normal winter at Wessington Springs, SD, most of it in January, April and December, with snow on the ground about 68 days a year.
How hot does it get in Franklin Township?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 62°. About 23 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Wessington Springs, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Franklin Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 2 and the first fall frost by October 8, about 157 frost-free days, at Wessington Springs, SD.
What growing zone is Franklin Township 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 Franklin Township?
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 Franklin Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 86% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Franklin 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.