Pierre Weather, When to Go and Climate Information

(Pierre, South Dakota - SD, USA)

The humid continental climate of Pierre sees four seasons of fairly dry weather. The winters are long and often bitterly cold, while when summer arrives in the city, temperatures quickly go through the roof.

In between winter and summer, both spring and fall are two fairly short seasons, seeing quick temperature changes over a relatively short space of time.

If you are planning a visit to South Dakota during the winter, you will certainly need to wrap up warm when you are out and about, particularly when there is a significant wind-chill factor from the Great Plains. From December through February, the winter climate of Pierre is especially harsh and even during the day, temperatures regularly stay below freezing. However, by night, you can expect heavy frosts and icy weather, when temperatures fall to below -10°C / 14°F and lower than -15°C / 5°F on occasion.

Seasonal Climate Variations / When to Go

With such cold winters, it will come as no real surprise that snow is a good friend of Pierre. Snow flurries start as early as October and by the time that December is here, the monthly snowfall begins to average more than 7 inches / 17.8 cm and frequently climbs to a fairly deep 9 inches / 22.3 cm of snow in March, or thereabouts. However, snow is usually relatively light when it falls and it takes a while to build up to anything of note.

March and early April still experience frosty nights, although the daytime temperatures soon begin to show signs that the springtime climate is making itself known. By the time that May arrives in Pierre, sunny weather ensures healthy, solid daytime temperatures often topping 20°C / 68°F. These quickly climb to more than 30°C / 86°F in July and August, the two hottest months.

When it comes to rainfall, visitors may be interested to learn that precipitation levels are rarely extreme and fairly evenly spread over the year. Winters tend to be a little drier, especially when compared to May and June, the two wettest months (averaging around 3 inches / 7.6 cm of rain each month).

Pierre Weather and Climate Chart (Averages)

	Maximum	Minimum
January	-4°C / 25°F	-15°C / 5°F
February	-1°C / 30°F	-12°C / 10°F
March	6°C / 43°F	-6°C / 21°F
April	15°C / 59°F	1°C / 34°F
May	21°C / 70°F	7°C / 45°F
June	27°C / 81°F	13°C / 55°F
July	31°C / 88°F	16°C / 61°F
August	30°C / 86°F	15°C / 59°F
September	23°C / 73°F	8°C / 46°F
October	16°C / 61°F	2°C / 36°F
November	6°C / 43°F	-6°C / 21°F
December	-2°C / 28°F	-12°C / 10°F