Pratt & Cjolme Building · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Platte’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 46 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Platte at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Platte’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Platte’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Platte feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 159 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 8. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Academy 2ne, SD, 13 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Platte’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −17°. 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 Platte, SD, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 24 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 84 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Platte
89% 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 Academy 2ne, SD.
Living with Platte’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
159 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Apr 30 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 8.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Platte from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (39%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 35%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Platte and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Platte yet.
Climates most like Platte’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platte, SD | 10° | 88° | 24" | 46" |
| Alliance, NE | 13° | 88° | 17" | 45" |
| Providence, UT | 15° | 89° | 19" | 44" |
| Durango, CO | 12° | 86° | 18" | 64" |
| Gillette, WY | 13° | 86° | 16" | 56" |
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 Platte averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.3°).
A smaller shift than in 65% 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 Platte compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Platte’s place among South Dakota’s.
Platte weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Platte’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Platte, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 10° | 0.5" | 7.2" | 5 | 18 | 12° – 36° |
| February | 36° | 14° | 0.7" | 8.6" | 6 | 12 | 10° – 35° |
| March | 47° | 24° | 1.1" | 6.7" | 6 | 7 | 25° – 50° |
| April | 59° | 35° | 2.8" | 6.2" | 8 | 3 | 38° – 53° |
| May | 71° | 46° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| June | 81° | 57° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| July | 88° | 62° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 66° – 82° |
| August | 85° | 60° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| September | 77° | 51° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 57° – 70° |
| October | 62° | 37° | 1.9" | 1.5" | 7 | 1 | 42° – 54° |
| November | 47° | 24° | 0.8" | 6.3" | 5 | 4 | 25° – 45° |
| December | 34° | 14° | 0.6" | 9.2" | 4 | 14 | 12° – 30° |
| Year | 60° | 36° | 24.1" | 45.7" | 84 | 59 |
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°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Platte’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 Platte’s center.
- Snow: Platte, SD (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Academy 2ne, SD, 13 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 Platte’s climate
What is the weather like in Platte?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 46 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 94% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 65% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Platte in winter?
January nights average 10°. About 167 nights a year reach 32° or below and 22 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 12°.
How much snow does Platte get?
About 46 inches in a normal winter at Platte, SD, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 59 days a year.
How hot does it get in Platte?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 62°. About 30 days a year reach 90° and 5 reach 100° (Academy 2ne, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Platte?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 8, about 159 frost-free days, at Academy 2ne, SD.
What growing zone is Platte in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −17°.
What is the best time of year to visit Platte?
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 Platte getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Platte.
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.