Watertown, SD

Climate overview — based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals from WATERTOWN RGNL AP, SD US.

Dfb Warm-summer humid continental climate 5b USDA hardiness Zone 5b

Year-round temperatures (°F)

20° 40° 60° 80° J F M A M J J A S O N D
Avg high Avg low

Climate summary

Watertown has an annual average temperature of 43°F with about 22.7 inches of precipitation per year and 41.1 inches of snow. The warmest month is July (average high 82.0°F), and the coldest is January (average low 3.1°F). June is typically the wettest month (3.85 in) and January the driest (0.58 in). Snow typically falls from October through April.

Pleasant months
2 / 12
avg high 65–80°F, low ≥ 50°F
Annual swing
58.8°F
warmest to coldest month
Heating need
8,241
Cooling need
318

Best time to visit Watertown

Full guide →

Climate change signal

All-time records →

24 of 366 (6.6%) of Watertown's all-time daily heat records have been set since 2015. If records were spread evenly across the station's history, only about 5% would fall in any given decade.

1890s
18
1900s
9
1910s
28
1920s
25
1930s
108
1940s
23
1950s
19
1960s
16
1970s
16
1980s
36
1990s
20
2000s
17
2010s
13
2020s
18

Bars: number of all-time daily heat records still standing that were set in each decade.

Monthly averages

Month Avg High Avg Low Avg Temp Precipitation Snow Rainy days
January 21.4°F 3.1°F 12.2°F 0.58 in 6.7 in 6
February 25.9°F 6.7°F 16.3°F 0.65 in 8.9 in 6
March 38.6°F 19.6°F 29.1°F 1.00 in 5.4 in 7
April 54.0°F 31.5°F 42.8°F 2.06 in 5.2 in 9
May 66.9°F 44.5°F 55.7°F 2.87 in 0.1 in 11
June 76.8°F 55.4°F 66.1°F 3.85 in 11
July 82.0°F 60.0°F 71.0°F 3.05 in 10
August 79.5°F 57.5°F 68.5°F 2.89 in 9
September 71.6°F 48.6°F 60.1°F 2.45 in 9
October 56.2°F 35.2°F 45.7°F 1.95 in 1.4 in 8
November 39.8°F 21.3°F 30.6°F 0.68 in 4.5 in 5
December 26.3°F 9.3°F 17.8°F 0.68 in 8.9 in 6

Climate twins of Watertown

Why these? →

The most climatically similar US cities at least 140 miles away (by monthly temperature + precipitation pattern).

Frost dates
Last spring / first fall frost
All-time records
Hottest, coldest, wettest
Planting calendar
What to plant, and when

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