Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Dry weather: only 18 inches of rain and melted snow a year in Oelrichs, less than in 90% of U.S. towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 14°. Seasons differ by 75°, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 87% of U.S. towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit May, June and September, with highs of 69–80°.
A year in Oelrichs at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Oelrichs’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Oelrichs’ place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Oelrichs feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 137 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 15 and the first by September 30. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Oelrichs, SD, 0.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Oelrichs’ center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −19°. 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 44 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Oelrichs, SD, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 72 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Oelrichs
91% 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 Oelrichs, SD.
Living with Oelrichs’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
137 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 15 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 Oelrichs from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Oelrichs and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Oelrichs yet.
Climates most like Oelrichs’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oelrichs, SD | 14° | 89° | 18" | 44" |
| Providence, UT | 15° | 89° | 19" | 44" |
| Billings, MT | 15° | 89° | 14" | 48" |
| Preston, ID | 14° | 89° | 15" | 52" |
| Longmont, CO | 16° | 90° | 16" | 47" |
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 Oelrichs averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.5°).
A bigger shift than in 82% 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 Oelrichs compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Oelrichs’ place among South Dakota’s.
Oelrichs weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Oelrichs’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Oelrichs, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 14° | 0.4" | 6.2" | 3 | 17° – 38° |
| February | 41° | 16° | 0.6" | 7.3" | 4 | 14° – 39° |
| March | 52° | 24° | 1.1" | 7.1" | 5 | 25° – 48° |
| April | 60° | 31° | 2.1" | 5.3" | 8 | 39° – 52° |
| May | 69° | 42° | 3.2" | 0.3" | 10 | 49° – 60° |
| June | 80° | 52° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 60° – 72° |
| July | 89° | 58° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 66° – 79° |
| August | 88° | 56° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 67° – 77° |
| September | 78° | 46° | 1.4" | 0.2" | 6 | 56° – 69° |
| October | 63° | 34° | 1.4" | 3.6" | 6 | 40° – 53° |
| November | 49° | 23° | 0.6" | 5.5" | 4 | 27° – 46° |
| December | 39° | 15° | 0.5" | 8.3" | 4 | 17° – 35° |
| Year | 62° | 34° | 18.3" | 43.8" | 72 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 14° to 39°. August is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Oelrichs’ 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 Oelrichs’ center.
- Snow: Oelrichs, SD (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Oelrichs, SD, 0.4 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 Oelrichs’ climate
What is the weather like in Oelrichs?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 44 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 87% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 71% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Oelrichs in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 179 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 17°.
How much snow does Oelrichs get?
About 44 inches in a normal winter at Oelrichs, SD, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Oelrichs?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 58°. About 45 days a year reach 90° and 8 reach 100° (Oelrichs, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Oelrichs?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 15 and the first fall frost by September 30, about 137 frost-free days, at Oelrichs, SD.
What growing zone is Oelrichs in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Oelrichs?
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 Oelrichs getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Oelrichs.
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.