30-year climate normals

Buffalo County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

87.7°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of 11.1°F.

Buffalo County gets 20.37" of precipitation a year, and 45% of it falls in Apr, May, Jun.

Temperature through the year

Each bar spans the average daily low to the average daily high for that month.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Precip
January	30.6°	11.1°	0.40"
February	35.3°	14.2°	0.58"
March	46.9°	24.7°	1.12"
April	59.1°	35.1°	2.32"
May	69.9°	46.7°	3.19"
June	80.6°	57.6°	3.57"
July	87.7°	62.8°	2.18"
August	85.7°	61.2°	2.28"
September	77.4°	51.2°	2.13"
October	61.7°	37.5°	1.57"
November	46.3°	24.7°	0.51"
December	33.6°	15.0°	0.52"

Rainfall by month

Buffalo County has a distinct wet season. 45% of the year's precipitation arrives in Apr, May, Jun.

January 0.40"

February 0.58"

March 1.12"

April 2.32"

May 3.19"

June 3.57"

July 2.18"

August 2.28"

September 2.13"

October 1.57"

November 0.51"

December 0.52"

Annual total 20.37"

What this climate costs you

Degree days measure how hard a building has to work to stay comfortable. They are the reason two identical houses have very different power bills, and they are the link between the weather here and what you pay every month.

Cooling degree days How much air conditioning the climate demands 894

Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 6,983

Approximate annual cooling cost At 15.73¢/kWh, South Dakota average $141

Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $384

These are rough planning figures from degree days and the state electricity price, not a bill estimate. House size, insulation and fuel type move them a lot. See the full cost of owning a home in Buffalo County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Buffalo County?

Buffalo County averages a high of 87.7°F in July and a low of 11.1°F in January. Annual precipitation is 20.37 inches, with essentially no snow.

When is the rainy season in Buffalo County?

The wettest stretch is Apr, May, Jun, which accounts for 45% of the year's precipitation. That is a pronounced wet season rather than rain spread evenly through the year.

How hot does it get in Buffalo County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 87.7°F. That drives 894 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Buffalo County?

Effectively no. Measurable snowfall is rare in Buffalo County.

Sources

Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station CHAMBERLAIN MUNI AP, SD US (USW00094943), 20 miles from the county centroid.
Heating and cooling degree days — NOAA, same station and period.
Electricity price — US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, South Dakota residential average.
Wet-season share is the wettest three consecutive months as a percentage of annual precipitation, calculated from the monthly normals.