Few U.S. towns have colder winter nights than Twin Brooks
High summer brings afternoon highs near 83°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 87% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.2° higher. The heating season runs October to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Twin Brooks at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Twin Brooks’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Twin Brooks’ place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Twin Brooks feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 153 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 2 and the first by October 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Milbank 4 Nw, SD, 8 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Twin Brooks’ 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 59 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Summit 1 W, SD, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 25 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 93 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Twin Brooks
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 Milbank 4 Nw, SD.
Living with Twin Brooks’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
153 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 2 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 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 36% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Twin Brooks from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Twin Brooks and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Twin Brooks yet.
Climates most like Twin Brooks’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Brooks, SD | 3° | 83° | 25" | 59" |
| Ramsey, MN | 5° | 82° | 31" | 56" |
| Bismarck, ND | 3° | 84° | 18" | 51" |
| Kingsford, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
| Spencer, IA | 7° | 84° | 31" | 43" |
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 Twin Brooks averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.8°).
A smaller shift than in 65% 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 Twin Brooks compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Twin Brooks’ place among South Dakota’s.
Twin Brooks weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Twin Brooks’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Summit 1 W, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22° | 3° | 0.7" | 10.2" | 6 | 28 | −1° – 26° |
| February | 27° | 7° | 0.7" | 12.4" | 6 | 24 | 4° – 28° |
| March | 39° | 20° | 1.2" | 8.8" | 6 | 18 | 19° – 44° |
| April | 55° | 32° | 2.5" | 7.8" | 8 | 6 | 34° – 52° |
| May | 69° | 45° | 3.1" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| June | 78° | 56° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| July | 83° | 60° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 63° – 77° |
| August | 81° | 58° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| September | 73° | 49° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 54° – 66° |
| October | 58° | 35° | 2.4" | 2.0" | 8 | 1 | 39° – 51° |
| November | 41° | 22° | 1.0" | 5.4" | 5 | 8 | 19° – 42° |
| December | 27° | 10° | 0.8" | 11.9" | 7 | 23 | 4° – 26° |
| Year | 54° | 33° | 25.4" | 58.6" | 93 | 107 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -1° to 26°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Twin Brooks’ 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 Twin Brooks’ center.
- Snow: Summit 1 W, SD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Milbank 4 Nw, SD, 8 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft lower; 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 Twin Brooks’ climate
What is the weather like in Twin Brooks?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 3°, and about 59 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 113 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 73% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Twin Brooks in winter?
January nights average 3°. About 174 nights a year reach 32° or below and 36 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −1°.
How much snow does Twin Brooks get?
About 59 inches in a normal winter at Summit 1 W, SD, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 107 days a year.
How hot does it get in Twin Brooks?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 60°. About 16 days a year reach 90° (Milbank 4 Nw, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Twin Brooks?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 2 and the first fall frost by October 4, about 153 frost-free days, at Milbank 4 Nw, SD.
What growing zone is Twin Brooks 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 Twin Brooks?
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 Twin Brooks getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Twin Brooks.
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.