Twin Lake Township has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 86°. Only 79° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 88% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs October to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Twin Lake Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Twin Lake Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Twin Lake Township’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Twin Lake Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 140 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 9 and the first by September 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Forestburg 4 Nne, SD, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Twin Lake Township’s 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 26 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Forestburg 4 Nne, SD, is heaviest from January through February, about 6 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 24 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 69 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Twin Lake Township
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 Forestburg 4 Nne, SD.
Living with Twin Lake Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
140 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 9 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 28.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August and September. 9.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Twin Lake Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (34%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 20%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Twin Lake Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Twin Lake Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Twin Lake 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Lake Township, SD | 7° | 86° | 24" | 26" |
| Columbus, NE | 13° | 86° | 28" | 26" |
| Cherokee, IA | 8° | 84° | 31" | 38" |
| Sidney, MT | 4° | 85° | 15" | 30" |
| Redwood Falls, MN | 6° | 83° | 29" | 44" |
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 Twin Lake Township averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.8°).
A smaller shift than in 91% 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 Lake Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Twin Lake Township’s place among South Dakota’s.
Twin Lake Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Twin Lake Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Forestburg 4 Nne, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 7° | 0.5" | 6.0" | 4 | 21 | 7° – 32° |
| February | 32° | 11° | 0.8" | 5.6" | 4 | 14 | 6° – 33° |
| March | 45° | 23° | 1.1" | 2.8" | 4 | 9 | 23° – 48° |
| April | 58° | 34° | 2.7" | 3.0" | 7 | 2 | 36° – 53° |
| May | 70° | 46° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| June | 80° | 57° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| July | 86° | 62° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 66° – 81° |
| August | 84° | 60° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| September | 76° | 50° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| October | 61° | 36° | 2.0" | 0.4" | 6 | 1 | 41° – 53° |
| November | 45° | 23° | 0.8" | 3.7" | 3 | 5 | 24° – 43° |
| December | 31° | 12° | 0.6" | 4.8" | 3 | 18 | 9° – 28° |
| Year | 58° | 35° | 24.1" | 26.3" | 69 | 70 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 6° to 33°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Twin Lake 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 Twin Lake Township’s center.
- Snow: Forestburg 4 Nne, SD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Forestburg 4 Nne, SD, 11 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 Twin Lake Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Twin Lake Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 7°, and about 26 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Twin Lake Township in winter?
January nights average 7°. About 168 nights a year reach 32° or below and 27 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 7°.
How much snow does Twin Lake Township get?
About 26 inches in a normal winter at Forestburg 4 Nne, SD, heaviest from January through February, about 6 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 70 days a year.
How hot does it get in Twin Lake Township?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 62°. About 26 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Forestburg 4 Nne, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Twin Lake Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 9 and the first fall frost by September 28, about 140 frost-free days, at Forestburg 4 Nne, SD.
What growing zone is Twin Lake Township 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 Twin Lake Township?
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 Twin Lake Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 91% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Twin Lake 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.