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Pierre, South Dakota climate
Dfa Hot-summer humid continental
Pierre has a strongly seasonal cool-temperate climate (Hot-summer humid continental, Köppen Dfa). The hottest month is July with an average daily high near 31°C, while the coldest is January averaging around −13°C at night. Precipitation totals about 513 mm a year and is strongly seasonal — June alone averages 94 mm while January barely receives 11 mm. Winters bring significant snowfall (94 cm of snow per year on average).
Temperature & precipitation
Daily high–low temperature range with the monthly average, plus monthly precipitation split into rain and snow · 1991–2020 normals · hover a month for the exact figuresHours of sunshine per day
Estimated sunny hours each month — daylight length × clear-sky fraction · 1991–2020 monthly cloud cover (NASA POWER)Pierre climate normals (1991–2020)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | −2 | 1 | 8 | 15 | 21 | 27 | 31 | 30 | 25 | 16 | 7 | 0 |
| Avg temp (°C) | −7 | −5 | 1 | 8 | 14 | 20 | 24 | 23 | 18 | 9 | 1 | −5 |
| Avg low (°C) | −13 | −11 | −5 | 1 | 7 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 10 | 2 | −5 | −10 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 11 | 19 | 24 | 49 | 83 | 94 | 61 | 50 | 44 | 43 | 20 | 16 |
| Snowfall (cm) | 13 | 20 | 13 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 16 | 16 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | −2 | 1 | 8 | 15 | 21 | 27 |
| Avg temp (°C) | −7 | −5 | 1 | 8 | 14 | 20 |
| Avg low (°C) | −13 | −11 | −5 | 1 | 7 | 13 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 11 | 19 | 24 | 49 | 83 | 94 |
| Snowfall (cm) | 13 | 20 | 13 | 13 | — | — |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 31 | 30 | 25 | 16 | 7 | 0 |
| Avg temp (°C) | 24 | 23 | 18 | 9 | 1 | −5 |
| Avg low (°C) | 16 | 15 | 10 | 2 | −5 | −10 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 61 | 50 | 44 | 43 | 20 | 16 |
| Snowfall (cm) | — | — | — | 3 | 16 | 16 |
How often — frequency of weather events
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 |
| Days with high ≥ 32°C (days) | — | — | — | 0.3 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 12 | 5 | 0.6 | — | — |
| Days with low ≤ 0°C (days) | 31 | 27 | 25 | 13 | 2 | — | — | — | 0.6 | 10 | 25 | 31 |
| Days with snowfall ≥ 2.5 cm (days) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 0.5 | 1 | 2 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 11 |
| Days with high ≥ 32°C (days) | — | — | — | 0.3 | 1 | 4 |
| Days with low ≤ 0°C (days) | 31 | 27 | 25 | 13 | 2 | — |
| Days with snowfall ≥ 2.5 cm (days) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 9 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 |
| Days with high ≥ 32°C (days) | 14 | 12 | 5 | 0.6 | — | — |
| Days with low ≤ 0°C (days) | — | — | 0.6 | 10 | 25 | 31 |
| Days with snowfall ≥ 2.5 cm (days) | — | — | — | 0.5 | 1 | 2 |
Sky & atmosphere
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 67 | 67 | 67 | 65 | 61 | 55 | 48 | 47 | 50 | 58 | 61 | 65 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 81 | 75 | 68 | 62 | 61 | 61 | 56 | 57 | 57 | 64 | 73 | 81 |
| Wind speed (km/h) | 12.7 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.1 | 13.3 | 12.0 | 11.1 | 11.2 | 12.6 | 13.1 | 12.2 | 12.1 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 67 | 67 | 67 | 65 | 61 | 55 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 81 | 75 | 68 | 62 | 61 | 61 |
| Wind speed (km/h) | 12.7 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.1 | 13.3 | 12.0 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 48 | 47 | 50 | 58 | 61 | 65 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 56 | 57 | 57 | 64 | 73 | 81 |
| Wind speed (km/h) | 11.1 | 11.2 | 12.6 | 13.1 | 12.2 | 12.1 |
Methodology & sources
Temperature & precipitation — the official 1991–2020 climate normals from NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals, measured at Pierre Rgnl AP (NOAA GHCN station USW00024025), about 5 km from the city centre.
Cloud, humidity, wind & sunshine — modelled estimates from NASA POWER, NASA's satellite-and-reanalysis climatology. This is the standard global source for atmospheric variables, which are not measured at most weather stations.