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Frost Date Finder

NOAA 1991–2020 freeze normals

Frost Dates in South Dakota

Last and first frost at the 49 NOAA stations behind this site's South Dakota pages.

At the middle station of the 49 in South Dakota where a freeze comes every year, the last spring frost (50%) is May 6 and the first fall frost October 2, a freeze-free season of 148 days. The last frost is earliest at Sioux Falls (Sioux Falls WFO Airport, SD, April 26) and latest at Whitewood (Deadwood, SD, May 24), 28 days apart. The season runs from 125 days at Whitewood to 169 at Sioux Falls.

43 of these stations were also in NOAA's previous normals, for 1981–2010. Between the two, the median station's freeze-free season grew 4 days longer, with the last spring frost 1 day later and the first fall frost 3 days later; the season lengthened at 33 stations and shortened at 6. The two periods share twenty years, so the change reflects mostly 2011–2020 against 1981–1990.

South Dakota places by frost date

Frost dates of the South Dakota places with a page, largest first
PlaceZIPLast frostFirst frostSeasonWinters with 32°F
Sioux Falls57106April 26October 13169 d100%
Rapid City57701May 3October 8157 d100%
Rapid City57702May 20September 25126 d100%
Sioux Falls57103May 1October 6157 d100%
Aberdeen57401May 8September 29144 d100%
Watertown57201May 7September 30145 d100%
Brookings57006May 6October 1145 d100%
Yankton57078April 27October 11164 d100%
Mitchell57301May 2October 6156 d100%
Rapid City57703May 12October 1139 d100%
Pierre57501May 6October 3148 d100%
Spearfish57783May 12October 2143 d100%
Huron57350May 6October 2146 d100%
Vermillion57069May 3October 3153 d100%
Sturgis57785May 8October 3147 d100%
Harrisburg57032May 2October 2151 d100%
Belle Fourche57717May 10September 30143 d100%
Madison57042May 5September 30148 d100%
Black Hawk57718May 10October 5147 d100%
Hot Springs57747May 16September 27133 d100%
Custer57730May 18September 28129 d100%
Dell Rapids57022May 1October 4155 d100%
Pine Ridge57770May 16September 27132 d100%
Sisseton57262May 4October 3151 d100%
Milbank57252May 5October 2150 d100%
Winner57580May 1October 9159 d100%
Beresford57004May 2October 1151 d100%
Eagle Butte57625May 6October 2148 d100%
Lead57754May 18September 29133 d100%
Mission57555May 9October 1146 d100%
Mobridge57601May 5October 4150 d100%
Wagner57380April 29October 9164 d100%
Chamberlain57325May 1October 7158 d100%
Flandreau57028May 5October 1148 d100%
Redfield57469May 8October 1145 d100%
Fort Pierre57532May 6October 5152 d100%
Parkston57366May 8September 29143 d100%
Webster57274May 4October 6156 d100%
Platte57369April 30October 8159 d100%
Ipswich57451May 8September 29143 d100%
Kyle57752May 11October 1139 d100%
Springfield57062May 1October 7158 d100%
Freeman57029May 1October 4156 d100%
Oglala57764May 7October 4149 d100%
Parker57053April 30October 7161 d100%
Whitewood57793May 24September 25125 d100%
Groton57445May 6October 4150 d100%
Martin57551May 13October 2141 d100%
Lake Andes57356April 30October 13165 d100%

50% dates from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, one row per station; a state page is published when at least 5 stations stand behind its pages. Where a freeze comes in fewer than nine winters in ten, the dates describe the winters that have one.