Glenham has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
Expect July afternoons of about 85°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 90% of U.S. towns. January has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.0° rise. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 3, with the first autumn frost due around October 8.
A year in Glenham at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Glenham’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Glenham’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Glenham 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 3 and the first by October 8. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mobridge Muni Airport, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; frost dates and degree days from Mobridge 2nnw, SD, 9 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Glenham’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −23°. 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 36 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Mobridge 2nnw, 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 85 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Glenham
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 Mobridge 2nnw, SD.
Living with Glenham’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
157 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 3 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 →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Glenham from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (46%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 38%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Glenham and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Glenham yet.
Climates most like Glenham’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glenham, SD | 5° | 85° | 19" | 36" |
| Sidney, MT | 4° | 85° | 15" | 30" |
| Dickinson, ND | 5° | 83° | 16" | 35" |
| Gypsum, CO | 11° | 86° | 14" | 39" |
| Taos, NM | 11° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
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 Glenham averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.4°).
A smaller shift than in 80% 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 Glenham compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Glenham’s place among South Dakota’s.
Glenham weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Glenham’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mobridge 2nnw, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25° | 5° | 0.4" | 7.0" | 6 | 24 | 2° – 29° |
| February | 29° | 9° | 0.5" | 8.0" | 6 | 17 | 1° – 31° |
| March | 42° | 20° | 0.7" | 5.6" | 6 | 11 | 21° – 45° |
| April | 57° | 31° | 1.5" | 3.7" | 7 | 3 | 36° – 51° |
| May | 69° | 43° | 2.9" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| June | 79° | 54° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 61° – 71° |
| July | 85° | 60° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 64° – 80° |
| August | 84° | 57° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 65° – 76° |
| September | 75° | 47° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| October | 58° | 34° | 1.7" | 1.2" | 7 | 1 | 38° – 51° |
| November | 42° | 21° | 0.5" | 3.9" | 5 | 5 | 19° – 41° |
| December | 29° | 10° | 0.5" | 6.8" | 4 | 15 | 7° – 28° |
| Year | 56° | 33° | 18.7" | 36.3" | 85 | 76 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 1° to 31°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Glenham’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 Glenham’s center.
- Snow: Mobridge 2nnw, SD.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Mobridge 2nnw, SD, 9 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Mobridge Muni Airport, 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 Glenham’s climate
What is the weather like in Glenham?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 5°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 98% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Glenham in winter?
January nights average 5°. About 171 nights a year reach 32° or below and 29 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 2°.
How much snow does Glenham get?
About 36 inches in a normal winter at Mobridge 2nnw, SD, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 76 days a year.
How hot does it get in Glenham?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 60°. About 29 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Mobridge 2nnw, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Glenham?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 3 and the first fall frost by October 8, about 157 frost-free days, at Mobridge 2nnw, SD.
What growing zone is Glenham in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −23°.
What is the best time of year to visit Glenham?
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 Glenham getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 80% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Glenham.
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.