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Watertown, South Dakota climate
Dfa Hot-summer humid continental
Watertown has a strongly seasonal cold-temperate climate (Hot-summer humid continental, Köppen Dfa). The hottest month is July with an average daily high near 28°C, while the coldest is January averaging around −15°C at night. Precipitation totals about 534 mm a year and is strongly seasonal — June alone averages 90 mm while January barely receives 9 mm.
Temperature & precipitation
Daily high–low temperature range with the monthly average, plus monthly precipitation · 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)Watertown climate normals (1991–2020)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | −5 | −3 | 4 | 13 | 20 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 23 | 14 | 5 | −3 |
| Avg temp (°C) | −10 | −8 | −1 | 7 | 14 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 16 | 8 | 0 | −7 |
| Avg low (°C) | −15 | −13 | −6 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 10 | 3 | −5 | −12 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 9 | 14 | 20 | 49 | 70 | 90 | 75 | 71 | 63 | 46 | 13 | 14 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | −5 | −3 | 4 | 13 | 20 | 26 |
| Avg temp (°C) | −10 | −8 | −1 | 7 | 14 | 20 |
| Avg low (°C) | −15 | −13 | −6 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 9 | 14 | 20 | 49 | 70 | 90 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 28 | 27 | 23 | 14 | 5 | −3 |
| Avg temp (°C) | 22 | 21 | 16 | 8 | 0 | −7 |
| Avg low (°C) | 16 | 15 | 10 | 3 | −5 | −12 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 75 | 71 | 63 | 46 | 13 | 14 |
Sky & atmosphere
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 64 | 63 | 68 | 64 | 63 | 58 | 48 | 49 | 49 | 59 | 61 | 64 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 88 | 83 | 74 | 67 | 66 | 68 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 70 | 78 | 86 |
| Wind speed (km/h) | 14.8 | 15.3 | 15.3 | 15.1 | 13.8 | 12.0 | 10.4 | 10.4 | 12.5 | 13.6 | 13.9 | 14.3 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 64 | 63 | 68 | 64 | 63 | 58 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 88 | 83 | 74 | 67 | 66 | 68 |
| Wind speed (km/h) | 14.8 | 15.3 | 15.3 | 15.1 | 13.8 | 12.0 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 48 | 49 | 49 | 59 | 61 | 64 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 65 | 65 | 65 | 70 | 78 | 86 |
| Wind speed (km/h) | 10.4 | 10.4 | 12.5 | 13.6 | 13.9 | 14.3 |
Methodology & sources
Temperature & precipitation — 1991–2020 normals computed from 30 years of daily observations at Watertown Municipal Arpt, a weather station, about 3 km from the city centre. The underlying daily records come from NOAA's global station network.
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.