Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 4.0Winter nights in Kadoka are colder than in 91% of U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 89°. Seasons differ by 76°, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 90% of U.S. towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from October to April, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Kadoka at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Kadoka’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Kadoka’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Kadoka feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 141 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 11 and the first by September 30. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Philip Airport, 16 miles from the town’s center, 250 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Kadoka’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −18°. 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 38 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cottonwood 2 E, SD, is heaviest from February through April, about 6 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 19 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 82 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Kadoka
90% 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 Philip Airport.
Living with Kadoka’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
141 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 11 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 30.
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 Kadoka from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (45%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 26%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Kadoka and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Kadoka yet.
Climates most like Kadoka’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kadoka, SD | 12° | 89° | 19" | 38" |
| Providence, UT | 15° | 89° | 19" | 44" |
| North Platte, NE | 14° | 89° | 21" | 28" |
| Sheridan, WY | 11° | 89° | 15" | 33" |
| Lockwood, MT | 15° | 88° | 15" | 35" |
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 Kadoka averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.6°).
A smaller shift than in 74% 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 Kadoka compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Kadoka’s place among South Dakota’s.
Kadoka weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Kadoka’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cottonwood 2 E, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 12° | 0.5" | 5.4" | 5 | 17 | 14° – 36° |
| February | 38° | 15° | 0.6" | 6.3" | 5 | 11 | 10° – 38° |
| March | 49° | 24° | 1.1" | 6.3" | 6 | 7 | 24° – 50° |
| April | 59° | 33° | 2.2" | 6.8" | 9 | 3 | 39° – 52° |
| May | 70° | 44° | 3.3" | 0.4" | 10 | 0 | 50° – 62° |
| June | 80° | 55° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 62° – 73° |
| July | 89° | 61° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 82° |
| August | 87° | 59° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 49° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| October | 62° | 36° | 1.7" | 2.2" | 7 | 1 | 41° – 55° |
| November | 47° | 23° | 0.6" | 4.8" | 5 | 6 | 24° – 44° |
| December | 36° | 15° | 0.5" | 6.0" | 4 | 14 | 14° – 33° |
| Year | 61° | 35° | 19.3" | 38.2" | 82 | 60 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 10° to 38°. August is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Kadoka’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 Kadoka’s center.
- Snow: Cottonwood 2 E, SD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Philip Airport, 16 miles from the town’s center, 250 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 Kadoka’s climate
What is the weather like in Kadoka?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 38 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 91% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 71% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Kadoka in winter?
January nights average 12°. About 173 nights a year reach 32° or below and 21 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 14°.
How much snow does Kadoka get?
About 38 inches in a normal winter at Cottonwood 2 E, SD, heaviest from February through April, about 6 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 60 days a year.
How hot does it get in Kadoka?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 61°. About 45 days a year reach 90° and 10 reach 100° (Philip Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Kadoka?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 11 and the first fall frost by September 30, about 141 frost-free days, at Philip Airport.
What growing zone is Kadoka in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −18°.
What is the best time of year to visit Kadoka?
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 Kadoka getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 74% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Kadoka.
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.