Cold Springs Schoolhouse · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0Precipitation in Pringle trails that of 90% of U.S. towns: 19 inches a year
Expect July afternoons of about 81°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 66° apart. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 86% of U.S. towns. From May to September, highs of 62–81° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in Pringle at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Pringle’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Pringle’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Pringle feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 138 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 15 and the first by October 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mt Rushmore Nmem, SD, 20 miles from the town’s center, 410 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Pringle’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −16°. 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 Wind Cave, SD, falls mostly in March. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 19 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 88 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Pringle
95% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Mt Rushmore Nmem, SD.
Living with Pringle’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
138 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 Oct 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Pringle from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (47%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Pringle and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Pringle yet.
Climates most like Pringle’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pringle, SD | 16° | 81° | 19" | 46" |
| Columbia Falls, MT | 18° | 82° | 20" | 54" |
| Gleneagle, CO | 14° | 84° | 21" | 55" |
| Ruidoso, NM | 22° | 82° | 20" | 26" |
| Laramie, WY | 12° | 81° | 12" | 64" |
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 Pringle averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.8°).
A smaller shift than in 57% 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 Pringle compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Pringle’s place among South Dakota’s.
Pringle weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Pringle’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Wind Cave, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 16° | 0.4" | 6.3" | 5 | 18° – 34° |
| February | 37° | 16° | 0.6" | 7.1" | 6 | 13° – 36° |
| March | 46° | 23° | 0.9" | 9.6" | 6 | 24° – 46° |
| April | 53° | 30° | 2.1" | 7.8" | 9 | 35° – 47° |
| May | 62° | 40° | 3.2" | 0.9" | 11 | 45° – 56° |
| June | 74° | 50° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 55° – 68° |
| July | 81° | 56° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 61° – 74° |
| August | 80° | 55° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 62° – 71° |
| September | 71° | 46° | 1.4" | 0.2" | 6 | 52° – 64° |
| October | 57° | 33° | 1.4" | 2.1" | 7 | 36° – 51° |
| November | 45° | 24° | 0.5" | 4.4" | 4 | 25° – 44° |
| December | 36° | 16° | 0.5" | 7.5" | 4 | 18° – 32° |
| Year | 57° | 34° | 19.4" | 45.9" | 88 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 13° to 36°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Pringle’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 Pringle’s center.
- Snow: Wind Cave, SD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mt Rushmore Nmem, SD, 20 miles from the town’s center, 410 ft higher; 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 Pringle’s climate
What is the weather like in Pringle?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 46 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 86% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Pringle in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 152 nights a year reach 32° or below and 11 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Pringle get?
About 46 inches in a normal winter at Wind Cave, SD, most of it in March.
How hot does it get in Pringle?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 56°. About 6 days a year reach 90° (Mt Rushmore Nmem, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Pringle?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 15 and the first fall frost by October 1, about 138 frost-free days, at Mt Rushmore Nmem, SD.
What growing zone is Pringle in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −16°.
What is the best time of year to visit Pringle?
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 Pringle getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 57% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Pringle.
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.