Photo: publichall · CC BY-SA 3.0Salem’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 7°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Salem at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Salem’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Salem’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Salem feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 144 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 7 and the first by September 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Salem 5ne, SD, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Salem’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 31 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Montrose, SD, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 26 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 71 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Salem
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 Salem 5ne, SD.
Living with Salem’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
144 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 7 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 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Salem from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (61%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Salem and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Salem yet.
Climates most like Salem’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salem, SD | 7° | 84° | 26" | 31" |
| New Ulm, MN | 6° | 83° | 30" | 38" |
| Carroll, IA | 10° | 84° | 34" | 35" |
| Berlin, WI | 9° | 82° | 33" | 38" |
| Columbus, NE | 13° | 86° | 28" | 26" |
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 Salem averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 90% 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 Salem compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Salem’s place among South Dakota’s.
Salem weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Salem’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Montrose, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 7° | 0.5" | 5.1" | 4 | 6° – 31° |
| February | 31° | 11° | 0.8" | 6.1" | 3 | 8° – 33° |
| March | 44° | 23° | 1.3" | 3.8" | 5 | 24° – 50° |
| April | 57° | 34° | 2.7" | 3.6" | 7 | 36° – 52° |
| May | 69° | 46° | 3.8" | 0.1" | 10 | 53° – 65° |
| June | 80° | 57° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 64° – 73° |
| July | 84° | 61° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 64° – 80° |
| August | 82° | 59° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 65° – 74° |
| September | 74° | 50° | 2.9" | 0.1" | 7 | 55° – 67° |
| October | 60° | 36° | 2.2" | 0.8" | 5 | 41° – 53° |
| November | 44° | 23° | 1.0" | 3.1" | 4 | 23° – 44° |
| December | 30° | 12° | 0.7" | 8.3" | 3 | 8° – 27° |
| Year | 57° | 35° | 26.4" | 31.0" | 71 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 50°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Salem’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 Salem’s center.
- Snow: Montrose, SD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Salem 5ne, SD, 4 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 Salem’s climate
What is the weather like in Salem?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 7°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 59% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Salem in winter?
January nights average 7°. About 169 nights a year reach 32° or below and 31 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 6°.
How much snow does Salem get?
About 31 inches in a normal winter at Montrose, SD, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Salem?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 61°. About 13 days a year reach 90° (Salem 5ne, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Salem?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 7 and the first fall frost by September 29, about 144 frost-free days, at Salem 5ne, SD.
What growing zone is Salem 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 Salem?
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 Salem getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 90% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Salem.
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.