South Dakota Department of Trans. Br. No. 14-133-170 · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Winter nights in Prairie Center Township are colder than in 94% of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 85°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 86% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 0.6° more than in 1901–2000, led by January. Garden planting can start around May 3; autumn frost returns near October 3.
A year in Prairie Center Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Prairie Center Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Prairie Center Township’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Prairie Center Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 153 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 3 and the first by October 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Vermillion 2 Se, SD, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Prairie Center Township’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −18°. 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 31 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Centerville 6 Se, SD, falls mostly in February 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 94 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Prairie Center Township
88% 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 Vermillion 2 Se, SD.
Living with Prairie Center Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
153 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 3 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, August and September. 3.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Prairie Center Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (51%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Prairie Center Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Prairie Center Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Prairie Center 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Center Township, SD | 10° | 85° | 28" | 31" |
| Grand Island, NE | 15° | 87° | 27" | 28" |
| Adel, IA | 12° | 85° | 35" | 25" |
| New Ulm, MN | 6° | 83° | 30" | 38" |
| Berlin, WI | 9° | 82° | 33" | 38" |
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 Prairie Center Township averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 95% 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 Prairie Center Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Prairie Center Township’s place among South Dakota’s.
Prairie Center Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Prairie Center Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Centerville 6 Se, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 10° | 0.6" | 5.2" | 5 | 20 | 10° – 34° |
| February | 34° | 14° | 0.8" | 6.0" | 5 | 15 | 12° – 35° |
| March | 47° | 25° | 1.6" | 4.5" | 6 | 9 | 28° – 52° |
| April | 60° | 36° | 3.0" | 2.9" | 10 | 2 | 38° – 54° |
| May | 71° | 48° | 3.9" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 | 55° – 65° |
| June | 81° | 59° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| July | 85° | 63° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 81° |
| August | 83° | 60° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| September | 76° | 51° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| October | 62° | 38° | 2.4" | 0.7" | 8 | 1 | 43° – 55° |
| November | 46° | 25° | 1.3" | 5.0" | 5 | 5 | 26° – 46° |
| December | 32° | 15° | 0.9" | 6.1" | 5 | 17 | 10° – 29° |
| Year | 59° | 37° | 28.2" | 30.5" | 94 | 68 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 28° to 52°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Prairie Center 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 Prairie Center Township’s center.
- Snow: Centerville 6 Se, SD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Vermillion 2 Se, SD, 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 Prairie Center Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Prairie Center Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 94% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Prairie Center Township in winter?
January nights average 10°. About 152 nights a year reach 32° or below and 18 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 10°.
How much snow does Prairie Center Township get?
About 31 inches in a normal winter at Centerville 6 Se, SD, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 68 days a year.
How hot does it get in Prairie Center Township?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 63°. About 29 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Vermillion 2 Se, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Prairie Center Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 3 and the first fall frost by October 3, about 153 frost-free days, at Vermillion 2 Se, SD.
What growing zone is Prairie Center Township in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −18°.
What is the best time of year to visit Prairie Center Township?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Prairie Center Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 95% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Prairie Center 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.