Photo: Schwerdf · CC BY 4.0Few U.S. towns have colder winter nights than Lake Hendricks Township
July afternoons average 81°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 88% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 0.8° higher. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly May 6 to October 3.
A year in Lake Hendricks Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lake Hendricks Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lake Hendricks Township’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Lake Hendricks Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 150 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 6 and the first by October 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Astoria 4s, SD, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lake Hendricks Township’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −22°. 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 Brookings 2 Ne, SD, falls mostly in February, March and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 28 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 99 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lake Hendricks Township
95% 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 Astoria 4s, SD.
Living with Lake Hendricks Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
150 frost-free days in zone 4b. 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 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 2.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lake Hendricks Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (43%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 20%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lake Hendricks Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Lake Hendricks Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Lake Hendricks 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Hendricks Township, SD | 5° | 81° | 28" | 36" |
| Elk River, MN | 5° | 82° | 31" | 36" |
| Menomonie, WI | 5° | 82° | 34" | 41" |
| Fargo, ND | 0° | 82° | 24" | 51" |
| Kingsford, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
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 Lake Hendricks Township averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.0°).
A smaller shift than in 89% 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 Lake Hendricks Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lake Hendricks Township’s place among South Dakota’s.
Lake Hendricks Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lake Hendricks Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Brookings 2 Ne, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22° | 5° | 0.7" | 5.5" | 6 | 24 | 2° – 26° |
| February | 27° | 8° | 0.7" | 7.1" | 6 | 18 | 4° – 30° |
| March | 39° | 20° | 1.4" | 6.4" | 7 | 12 | 19° – 44° |
| April | 54° | 32° | 2.7" | 4.1" | 10 | 3 | 32° – 51° |
| May | 67° | 44° | 3.6" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| June | 77° | 55° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 61° – 70° |
| July | 81° | 59° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 62° – 77° |
| August | 79° | 57° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| September | 71° | 48° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| October | 57° | 35° | 2.2" | 1.1" | 8 | 1 | 39° – 51° |
| November | 40° | 22° | 1.1" | 4.7" | 5 | 7 | 20° – 43° |
| December | 27° | 11° | 0.9" | 6.8" | 6 | 19 | 5° – 25° |
| Year | 53° | 33° | 27.7" | 35.8" | 99 | 83 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 4° to 30°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Lake Hendricks 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 Lake Hendricks Township’s center.
- Snow: Brookings 2 Ne, SD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Astoria 4s, SD, 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 Lake Hendricks Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Lake Hendricks Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 5°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 170 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 88% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lake Hendricks Township in winter?
January nights average 5°. About 170 nights a year reach 32° or below and 35 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 2°.
How much snow does Lake Hendricks Township get?
About 36 inches in a normal winter at Brookings 2 Ne, SD, most of it in February, March and December, with snow on the ground about 83 days a year.
How hot does it get in Lake Hendricks Township?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 59°. About 6 days a year reach 90° (Astoria 4s, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Lake Hendricks Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 6 and the first fall frost by October 3, about 150 frost-free days, at Astoria 4s, SD.
What growing zone is Lake Hendricks Township in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −22°.
What is the best time of year to visit Lake Hendricks Township?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Lake Hendricks Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 89% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Lake Hendricks 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.