Lake Madison has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 83°. Temperatures cover 77° across the year, low to high. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 87% of U.S. towns. Long walks are most pleasant from May to September, when afternoons reach 68–83°.
A year in Lake Madison at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lake Madison’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lake Madison’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Lake Madison feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 148 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 5 and the first by September 30. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Madison 2se, SD, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lake Madison’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −21°. 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 43 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Chester 2n, SD, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 27 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 90 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lake Madison
93% 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 Madison 2se, SD.
Living with Lake Madison’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
148 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 5 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, July, August and September. 0.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lake Madison from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (45%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 19%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lake Madison and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Lake Madison in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Lake Madison’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 Madison, SD | 6° | 83° | 27" | 43" |
| Glencoe, MN | 5° | 82° | 30" | 50" |
| Wahpeton, ND | 1° | 82° | 25" | 50" |
| Waupaca, WI | 8° | 82° | 32" | 49" |
| Algona, IA | 8° | 83° | 34" | 37" |
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 Madison averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 97% 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 Madison compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lake Madison’s place among South Dakota’s.
Lake Madison weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lake Madison’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Chester 2n, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 6° | 0.5" | 5.4" | 6 | 25 | 3° – 29° |
| February | 29° | 10° | 0.8" | 7.7" | 6 | 20 | 6° – 31° |
| March | 42° | 22° | 1.4" | 7.1" | 6 | 14 | 21° – 47° |
| April | 56° | 33° | 2.7" | 6.6" | 8 | 3 | 35° – 52° |
| May | 68° | 45° | 3.6" | 0.4" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| June | 78° | 57° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| July | 83° | 61° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 63° – 79° |
| August | 80° | 58° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| September | 73° | 49° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| October | 59° | 36° | 2.1" | 1.5" | 8 | 1 | 40° – 52° |
| November | 42° | 22° | 1.0" | 3.2" | 4 | 4 | 22° – 43° |
| December | 28° | 11° | 0.8" | 10.6" | 7 | 19 | 6° – 26° |
| Year | 55° | 34° | 26.7" | 42.5" | 90 | 85 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 21° to 47°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Lake Madison’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 Madison’s center.
- Snow: Chester 2n, SD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Madison 2se, 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 Madison’s climate
What is the weather like in Lake Madison?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 43 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 98% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 76% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lake Madison in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 170 nights a year reach 32° or below and 30 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 3°.
How much snow does Lake Madison get?
About 43 inches in a normal winter at Chester 2n, SD, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 85 days a year.
How hot does it get in Lake Madison?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 61°. About 12 days a year reach 90° (Madison 2se, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Lake Madison?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 5 and the first fall frost by September 30, about 148 frost-free days, at Madison 2se, SD.
What growing zone is Lake Madison in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −21°.
What is the best time of year to visit Lake Madison?
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 Madison getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 97% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Lake Madison.
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.