Hardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Timber Lake
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 85°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 90% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 0.6° higher. If you like long walks, May, June and September offer highs of 68–78°.
A year in Timber Lake at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Timber Lake’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Timber Lake’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Timber Lake feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 141 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 10 and the first by September 30. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Timber Lake, SD, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Timber Lake’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −23°. 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 41 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Timber Lake, SD, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 19 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 86 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Timber Lake
92% 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 Timber Lake, SD.
Living with Timber Lake’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
141 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 10 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 30.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 84% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Timber Lake from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Timber Lake and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Timber Lake yet.
Climates most like Timber Lake’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timber Lake, SD | 6° | 85° | 19" | 41" |
| Havre, MT | 6° | 85° | 13" | 41" |
| Watford City, ND | 4° | 84° | 16" | 50" |
| Gypsum, CO | 11° | 86° | 14" | 39" |
| Alliance, NE | 13° | 88° | 17" | 45" |
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 Timber Lake averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.9°).
A smaller shift than in 96% 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 Timber Lake compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Timber Lake’s place among South Dakota’s.
Timber Lake weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Timber Lake’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Timber Lake, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 6° | 0.4" | 6.4" | 6 | 24 | 5° – 30° |
| February | 30° | 10° | 0.6" | 7.5" | 6 | 17 | 1° – 32° |
| March | 43° | 20° | 0.9" | 6.5" | 6 | 10 | 21° – 46° |
| April | 56° | 31° | 1.7" | 5.2" | 8 | 3 | 36° – 50° |
| May | 68° | 42° | 3.0" | 0.6" | 10 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| June | 78° | 53° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 60° – 70° |
| July | 85° | 59° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 64° – 80° |
| August | 84° | 57° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| September | 74° | 47° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| October | 58° | 34° | 1.6" | 2.3" | 7 | 1 | 37° – 51° |
| November | 42° | 21° | 0.5" | 4.4" | 5 | 7 | 19° – 41° |
| December | 29° | 10° | 0.6" | 8.3" | 5 | 17 | 7° – 28° |
| Year | 56° | 32° | 19.0" | 41.2" | 86 | 79 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 1° to 32°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Timber Lake’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 Timber Lake’s center.
- Snow: Timber Lake, SD (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Timber Lake, SD, 0.2 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 Timber Lake’s climate
What is the weather like in Timber Lake?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 41 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 97% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Timber Lake in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 173 nights a year reach 32° or below and 28 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 5°.
How much snow does Timber Lake get?
About 41 inches in a normal winter at Timber Lake, SD, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 79 days a year.
How hot does it get in Timber Lake?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 59°. About 24 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Timber Lake, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Timber Lake?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 10 and the first fall frost by September 30, about 141 frost-free days, at Timber Lake, SD.
What growing zone is Timber Lake in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −23°.
What is the best time of year to visit Timber Lake?
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 Timber Lake getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 96% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Timber Lake.
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.