Midwinter lows in Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township sink below those of 93% of U.S. towns
July afternoons average 88°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 77° apart. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 91% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs October to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 134 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 15 and the first by September 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Plainview 6 Ssw, SD, 12 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −20°. 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 37 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Elm Springs 3 Ese, SD, falls mostly in March, April and 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 81 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township
93% 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 Plainview 6 Ssw, SD.
Living with Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
134 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 27.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 31 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Rainy Creek/Cheyenne 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township, SD | 11° | 88° | 18" | 37" |
| Sheridan, WY | 11° | 89° | 15" | 33" |
| Alliance, NE | 13° | 88° | 17" | 45" |
| Glenwood Springs, CO | 14° | 87° | 15" | 39" |
| Lockwood, MT | 15° | 88° | 15" | 35" |
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 Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.4°).
A smaller 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 Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township’s place among South Dakota’s.
Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Elm Springs 3 Ese, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 11° | 0.4" | 4.4" | 5 | 16 | 12° – 36° |
| February | 37° | 14° | 0.5" | 5.6" | 5 | 12 | 7° – 38° |
| March | 48° | 23° | 0.9" | 6.3" | 6 | 8 | 22° – 48° |
| April | 59° | 33° | 2.0" | 6.6" | 8 | 4 | 39° – 52° |
| May | 69° | 43° | 3.4" | 0.8" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 61° |
| June | 80° | 54° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 61° – 72° |
| July | 88° | 60° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 65° – 81° |
| August | 87° | 58° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 66° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 48° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 56° – 69° |
| October | 62° | 35° | 1.6" | 3.0" | 6 | 2 | 40° – 54° |
| November | 47° | 22° | 0.5" | 3.9" | 5 | 6 | 23° – 44° |
| December | 35° | 13° | 0.4" | 6.1" | 5 | 12 | 12° – 33° |
| Year | 60° | 34° | 17.8" | 36.7" | 81 | 59 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 7° to 38°. June is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Rainy Creek/Cheyenne 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 Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township’s center.
- Snow: Elm Springs 3 Ese, SD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Plainview 6 Ssw, SD, 12 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 Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 93% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 67% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township in winter?
January nights average 11°. About 181 nights a year reach 32° or below and 24 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 12°.
How much snow does Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township get?
About 37 inches in a normal winter at Elm Springs 3 Ese, SD, most of it in March, April and December, with snow on the ground about 59 days a year.
How hot does it get in Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 60°. About 37 days a year reach 90° and 8 reach 100° (Plainview 6 Ssw, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 15 and the first fall frost by September 27, about 134 frost-free days, at Plainview 6 Ssw, SD.
What growing zone is Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −20°.
What is the best time of year to visit Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township?
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 Rainy Creek/Cheyenne Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Rainy Creek/Cheyenne 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.