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United States › South Dakota › Butte County › Climate Station NEWELL, SD US Distance 13.2 mi Normals 1991–2020

30-year climate normals

Butte County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

85.8°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of 9.8°F.

Butte County gets 16.65" of precipitation a year and 39.8" of snow, and 51% of it falls in May, Jun, Jul.

Temperature through the year

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

20° 40° 60° 80° JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
MonthAvg highAvg low PrecipSnow
January 31.8° 9.8° 0.36" 4.7"
February 35.1° 12.6° 0.50" 5.1"
March 45.5° 21.7° 0.82" 7.2"
April 56.1° 31.5° 1.81" 6.5"
May 65.9° 42.6° 3.16" 1.1"
June 76.9° 52.8° 3.32" 0.0"
July 85.8° 59.2° 2.07" 0.0"
August 85.1° 56.7° 1.30" 0.0"
September 75.4° 46.5° 0.99" 0.0"
October 59.9° 33.4° 1.38" 2.8"
November 45.1° 20.9° 0.53" 4.2"
December 34.2° 11.9° 0.41" 8.2"

Rainfall by month

Butte County has a distinct wet season. 51% of the year's precipitation arrives in May, Jun, Jul.

January 0.36"
February 0.50"
March 0.82"
April 1.81"
May 3.16"
June 3.32"
July 2.07"
August 1.30"
September 0.99"
October 1.38"
November 0.53"
December 0.41"
Annual total 16.65"

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 613
Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 7,618
Approximate annual cooling cost At 15.73¢/kWh, South Dakota average $96
Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $419

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 Butte County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Butte County?

Butte County averages a high of 85.8°F in July and a low of 9.8°F in January. Annual precipitation is 16.65 inches, including 39.8 inches of snow.

When is the rainy season in Butte County?

The wettest stretch is May, Jun, Jul, which accounts for 51% 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 Butte County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 85.8°F. That drives 613 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Butte County?

Yes. Butte County averages 39.8 inches of snow a year.

Sources

  • Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station NEWELL, SD US (USC00396054), 13.2 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.