Photo: rlh · CC BY 2.0Precipitation in Wounded Knee trails that of 90% of U.S. towns: 20 inches a year
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 87°. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 73°. Its January nights bite harder than in 88% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 9, with the first autumn frost due around October 4.
A year in Wounded Knee at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Wounded Knee’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Wounded Knee’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Wounded Knee feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 147 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 9 and the first by October 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Manderson 3 Ne, SD, 9 miles from the town’s center, 130 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Wounded Knee’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −20°. 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 46 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Gordon 6n, NE, is heaviest from February through March, about 8 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 20 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 78 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Wounded Knee
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 Manderson 3 Ne, SD.
Living with Wounded Knee’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
147 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 Oct 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 3.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Wounded Knee from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (39%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Wounded Knee and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Wounded Knee yet.
Climates most like Wounded Knee’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wounded Knee, SD | 14° | 87° | 20" | 46" |
| Glenwood Springs, CO | 14° | 87° | 15" | 39" |
| Providence, UT | 15° | 89° | 19" | 44" |
| Gillette, WY | 13° | 86° | 16" | 56" |
| Laurel, MT | 15° | 88° | 14" | 48" |
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 Wounded Knee averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.4°).
A bigger shift than in 72% 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 Wounded Knee compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Wounded Knee’s place among South Dakota’s.
Wounded Knee weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Wounded Knee’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Gordon 6n, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 14° | 0.4" | 6.5" | 4 | 18 | 17° – 37° |
| February | 39° | 16° | 0.6" | 7.3" | 5 | 14 | 14° – 38° |
| March | 50° | 25° | 1.1" | 8.1" | 6 | 10 | 25° – 50° |
| April | 58° | 32° | 2.2" | 7.0" | 9 | 5 | 39° – 51° |
| May | 68° | 43° | 3.3" | 1.7" | 10 | 1 | 49° – 61° |
| June | 79° | 53° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| July | 87° | 59° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 65° – 79° |
| August | 86° | 57° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 66° – 77° |
| September | 77° | 47° | 1.5" | 0.1" | 5 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| October | 62° | 34° | 1.6" | 2.7" | 7 | 2 | 39° – 54° |
| November | 48° | 23° | 0.7" | 5.8" | 4 | 8 | 25° – 45° |
| December | 37° | 15° | 0.5" | 6.6" | 4 | 16 | 16° – 34° |
| Year | 61° | 35° | 19.6" | 45.8" | 78 | 72 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 50°. August is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Wounded Knee’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 Wounded Knee’s center.
- Snow: Gordon 6n, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Manderson 3 Ne, SD, 9 miles from the town’s center, 130 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 Wounded Knee’s climate
What is the weather like in Wounded Knee?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 46 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 88% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Wounded Knee in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 164 nights a year reach 32° or below and 15 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Wounded Knee get?
About 46 inches in a normal winter at Gordon 6n, NE, heaviest from February through March, about 8 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 72 days a year.
How hot does it get in Wounded Knee?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 59°. About 38 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Manderson 3 Ne, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Wounded Knee?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 9 and the first fall frost by October 4, about 147 frost-free days, at Manderson 3 Ne, SD.
What growing zone is Wounded Knee in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −20°.
What is the best time of year to visit Wounded Knee?
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 Wounded Knee getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 72% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Wounded Knee.
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.