Winter nights in Williams Creek Township are colder than in 93% of U.S. towns
Expect July afternoons of about 89°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 78°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 89% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs October to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Williams Creek Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Williams Creek Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Williams Creek Township’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Williams Creek Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 154 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 6 and the first by October 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Pierre 24 S, SD, 14 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Williams Creek Township’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −18°. 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 49 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Murdo, SD, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 20 inches a year; June is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 91 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Williams Creek Township
91% 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 Pierre 24 S, SD.
Living with Williams Creek Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
154 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 6 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 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 9.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Williams Creek Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (45%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 23%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Williams Creek Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Williams Creek Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Williams Creek 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williams Creek Township, SD | 11° | 89° | 20" | 49" |
| Alliance, NE | 13° | 88° | 17" | 45" |
| Providence, UT | 15° | 89° | 19" | 44" |
| Preston, ID | 14° | 89° | 15" | 52" |
| Billings, MT | 15° | 89° | 14" | 48" |
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 Williams Creek Township averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.7°).
A smaller shift than in 79% 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 Williams Creek Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Williams Creek Township’s place among South Dakota’s.
Williams Creek Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Williams Creek Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Murdo, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 11° | 0.5" | 7.5" | 6 | 13° – 36° |
| February | 37° | 14° | 0.6" | 8.5" | 6 | 9° – 37° |
| March | 48° | 23° | 1.0" | 8.1" | 6 | 23° – 49° |
| April | 59° | 33° | 2.3" | 6.8" | 9 | 38° – 52° |
| May | 70° | 45° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 13 | 52° – 64° |
| June | 81° | 55° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 63° – 73° |
| July | 89° | 61° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 66° – 81° |
| August | 87° | 59° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 67° – 77° |
| September | 78° | 49° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 57° – 69° |
| October | 63° | 36° | 1.6" | 1.8" | 7 | 40° – 56° |
| November | 47° | 24° | 0.6" | 5.6" | 5 | 24° – 45° |
| December | 35° | 14° | 0.5" | 10.8" | 5 | 13° – 32° |
| Year | 61° | 35° | 20.3" | 49.1" | 91 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 9° to 37°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Williams Creek 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 Williams Creek Township’s center.
- Snow: Murdo, SD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Pierre 24 S, SD, 14 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft higher; 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 Williams Creek Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Williams Creek Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 49 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 93% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 71% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Williams Creek Township in winter?
January nights average 11°. About 159 nights a year reach 32° or below and 22 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 13°.
How much snow does Williams Creek Township get?
About 49 inches in a normal winter at Murdo, SD, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Williams Creek Township?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 61°. About 27 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Pierre 24 S, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Williams Creek Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 6 and the first fall frost by October 7, about 154 frost-free days, at Pierre 24 S, SD.
What growing zone is Williams Creek Township in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −18°.
What is the best time of year to visit Williams Creek Township?
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 Williams Creek Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 79% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Williams Creek 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.