Laura M Welch House · Photo: AlexiusHoratius · CC BY-SA 3.0Sioux Falls’ winters are colder than most of the U.S., with about 45 inches of snow in Sioux Falls, SD
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 45 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Sioux Falls at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sioux Falls’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sioux Falls’ place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Sioux Falls feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 157 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 1 and the first by October 6. Frost and day counts come from Sioux Falls, SD, Sioux Falls’s official weather station (the one in National Weather Service reports), 3 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sioux Falls’ center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −19°. 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 45 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Sioux Falls, SD, falls mostly in January, 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 104 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sioux Falls
90% 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 Sioux Falls, SD.
Living with Sioux Falls’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
157 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 1 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 6.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 61 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sioux Falls from natural hazards, tornadoes are the largest share (37%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 24%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sioux Falls and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Sioux Falls in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Sioux Falls’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux Falls, SD | 8° | 84° | 28" | 45" |
| Savage, MN | 7° | 83° | 32" | 51" |
| Hudson, WI | 6° | 82° | 33" | 50" |
| Mason City, IA | 8° | 82° | 36" | 44" |
| Wahpeton, ND | 1° | 82° | 25" | 50" |
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 Sioux Falls averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.9°).
A smaller shift than in 52% 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. In a city of 214,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Sioux Falls compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sioux Falls’ place among South Dakota’s.
Sioux Falls weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sioux Falls’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Sioux Falls, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 8° | 0.6" | 8.0" | 7 | 22 | 6° – 31° |
| February | 31° | 12° | 0.8" | 8.6" | 7 | 16 | 10° – 33° |
| March | 44° | 24° | 1.5" | 7.2" | 8 | 10 | 24° – 50° |
| April | 58° | 35° | 2.9" | 5.1" | 10 | 2 | 37° – 53° |
| May | 70° | 47° | 3.8" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| June | 80° | 58° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| July | 84° | 62° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 81° |
| August | 81° | 60° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| September | 74° | 51° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| October | 60° | 38° | 2.3" | 1.4" | 8 | 1 | 42° – 53° |
| November | 44° | 24° | 1.2" | 6.2" | 6 | 5 | 24° – 44° |
| December | 30° | 13° | 0.9" | 8.7" | 7 | 16 | 8° – 28° |
| Year | 57° | 36° | 28.4" | 45.3" | 104 | 73 |
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°. August is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Sioux Falls’ 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 Sioux Falls’ center.
- Snow: Sioux Falls, SD (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sioux Falls, SD, 3 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the city’s official station.
- 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 Sioux Falls’ climate
What is the weather like in Sioux Falls?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 45 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sioux Falls in winter?
January nights average 8°. About 162 nights a year reach 32° or below and 25 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 6°.
How much snow does Sioux Falls get?
About 45 inches in a normal winter at Sioux Falls, SD, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 73 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sioux Falls?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 62°. About 15 days a year reach 90° (Sioux Falls, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Sioux Falls?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 1 and the first fall frost by October 6, about 157 frost-free days, at Sioux Falls, SD.
What growing zone is Sioux Falls in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sioux Falls?
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 Sioux Falls getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sioux Falls.
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.