Highland Township has colder winter nights than 91% of U.S. towns
Expect July afternoons of about 87°. May is the wettest month here, with about 7.1 times the rain of January. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 87% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 30, with the first autumn frost due around October 13.
A year in Highland Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Highland Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Highland Township’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Highland Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 165 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 13. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Pickstown, SD, 7 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Highland Township’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −15°. 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 31 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Pickstown, SD, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 26 inches a year; May 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 Highland Township
88% 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 Pickstown, SD.
Living with Highland Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
165 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 30 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 13.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 2.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 37% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Highland Township from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Highland Township and its neighbors
Plain Center Township has the coldest January nights next door (11°, 1° colder) and White Swan Township the hottest July afternoons (88°, 1° warmer). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Highland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Township, SD | 12° | 87° | 26" | 31" |
| Hastings, NE | 15° | 87° | 27" | 29" |
| Council Bluffs, IA | 14° | 87° | 33" | 27" |
| Providence, UT | 15° | 89° | 19" | 44" |
| Glenwood Springs, CO | 14° | 87° | 15" | 39" |
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 Highland Township averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.9°).
A smaller shift than in 93% 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 Highland Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Highland Township’s place among South Dakota’s.
Highland Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Highland Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Pickstown, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 12° | 0.6" | 5.7" | 5 | 17 | 14° – 36° |
| February | 36° | 15° | 0.8" | 6.4" | 5 | 12 | 13° – 35° |
| March | 48° | 25° | 1.3" | 5.3" | 6 | 7 | 27° – 51° |
| April | 60° | 36° | 3.0" | 3.2" | 9 | 2 | 39° – 54° |
| May | 71° | 47° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| June | 81° | 58° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| July | 87° | 63° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 84° |
| August | 84° | 61° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| September | 77° | 52° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 58° – 70° |
| October | 62° | 39° | 2.1" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 43° – 55° |
| November | 47° | 26° | 0.9" | 3.5" | 4 | 4 | 26° – 46° |
| December | 34° | 16° | 0.7" | 7.1" | 4 | 15 | 13° – 31° |
| Year | 60° | 37° | 25.8" | 31.3" | 84 | 57 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 51°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Highland 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 Highland Township’s center.
- Snow: Pickstown, SD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Pickstown, SD, 7 miles from the town’s center, 110 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 Highland Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Highland Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 91% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 63% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Highland Township in winter?
January nights average 12°. About 152 nights a year reach 32° or below and 17 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 14°.
How much snow does Highland Township get?
About 31 inches in a normal winter at Pickstown, SD, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 57 days a year.
How hot does it get in Highland Township?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 63°. About 36 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Pickstown, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Highland Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 13, about 165 frost-free days, at Pickstown, SD.
What growing zone is Highland Township in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Highland 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 Highland Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 93% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Highland 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.