Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Breanna Carter · Public domainPine Ridge is drier than 90% of U.S. towns: 18 inches of precipitation a year
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 88°. June is the wettest month here, with about 8.0 times the rain of January. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 88% of U.S. towns. The outdoor season, with highs of 69–80°, runs through May, June and September.
A year in Pine Ridge at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Pine Ridge’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Pine Ridge’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Pine Ridge feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 132 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 16 and the first by September 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Pine Ridge Airport, 1.8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Pine Ridge’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 46 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Gordon 6n, NE, is heaviest from February through March, about 8 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 78 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Pine Ridge
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 Pine Ridge Airport.
Living with Pine Ridge’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
132 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 16 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 27.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 2.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Pine Ridge from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (30%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 21%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Pine Ridge and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Pine Ridge yet.
Climates most like Pine Ridge’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Ridge, SD | 14° | 88° | 18" | 46" |
| Providence, UT | 15° | 89° | 19" | 44" |
| Laurel, MT | 15° | 88° | 14" | 48" |
| Glenwood Springs, CO | 14° | 87° | 15" | 39" |
| Preston, ID | 14° | 89° | 15" | 52" |
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 Pine Ridge averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.5°).
A bigger shift than in 70% 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 Pine Ridge compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Pine Ridge’s place among South Dakota’s.
Pine Ridge weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Pine Ridge’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Gordon 6n, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 14° | 0.4" | 6.5" | 4 | 18 | 18° – 36° |
| February | 40° | 16° | 0.6" | 7.3" | 5 | 14 | 16° – 38° |
| March | 51° | 25° | 1.0" | 8.1" | 6 | 10 | 25° – 50° |
| April | 59° | 32° | 2.1" | 7.0" | 9 | 5 | 39° – 51° |
| May | 69° | 43° | 3.1" | 1.7" | 10 | 1 | 50° – 61° |
| June | 80° | 53° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| July | 88° | 59° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 66° – 79° |
| August | 87° | 57° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| September | 78° | 47° | 1.4" | 0.1" | 5 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| October | 62° | 34° | 1.4" | 2.7" | 7 | 2 | 39° – 54° |
| November | 48° | 23° | 0.7" | 5.8" | 4 | 8 | 25° – 44° |
| December | 38° | 14° | 0.4" | 6.6" | 4 | 16 | 16° – 34° |
| Year | 61° | 35° | 18.3" | 45.8" | 78 | 72 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 50°. August is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Pine Ridge’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 Pine Ridge’s center.
- Snow: Gordon 6n, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Pine Ridge Airport, 1.8 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 Pine Ridge’s climate
What is the weather like in Pine Ridge?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 46 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 88% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 67% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Pine Ridge in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 181 nights a year reach 32° or below and 19 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Pine Ridge get?
About 46 inches in a normal winter at Gordon 6n, NE, heaviest from February through March, about 8 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 72 days a year.
How hot does it get in Pine Ridge?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 59°. About 46 days a year reach 90° and 6 reach 100° (Pine Ridge Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Pine Ridge?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 16 and the first fall frost by September 27, about 132 frost-free days, at Pine Ridge Airport.
What growing zone is Pine Ridge 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 Pine Ridge?
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 Pine Ridge getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 70% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Pine Ridge.
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.