Sioux Falls climate
Sioux Falls (South Dakota, United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 9 °C47 °F, and about 669 mm26 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Sioux Falls climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −327 | −1210 | −818 | 130.5 | 31 |
| Feb | −131 | −1211 | −621 | 180.7 | 28 |
| Mar | 846 | −524 | 135 | 341.4 | 25 |
| Apr | 1559 | 235 | 847 | 722.9 | 11 |
| May | 2171 | 947 | 1559 | 903.5 | 1 |
| Jun | 2781 | 1559 | 2170 | 1064.2 | 0 |
| Jul | 3187 | 1865 | 2476 | 752.9 | 0 |
| Aug | 2984 | 1661 | 2373 | 833.3 | 0 |
| Sep | 2476 | 1153 | 1864 | 773.0 | 0 |
| Oct | 1559 | 337 | 948 | 552.2 | 8 |
| Nov | 744 | −426 | 235 | 230.9 | 22 |
| Dec | −130 | −1015 | −522 | 230.9 | 31 |
| Year | 3187 | −1210 | 947 | 66926 | 157 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 83% | 64% | 2.0 | 9:17 |
| Feb | 79% | 63% | 3.1 | 10:26 |
| Mar | 71% | 66% | 3.9 | 11:48 |
| Apr | 66% | 60% | 5.0 | 13:22 |
| May | 66% | 62% | 5.6 | 14:41 |
| Jun | 68% | 55% | 6.4 | 15:24 |
| Jul | 62% | 44% | 6.7 | 15:07 |
| Aug | 63% | 47% | 5.5 | 13:58 |
| Sep | 64% | 44% | 4.4 | 12:26 |
| Oct | 68% | 54% | 3.0 | 10:55 |
| Nov | 74% | 58% | 2.1 | 9:36 |
| Dec | 83% | 67% | 1.6 | 8:57 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Sioux Falls is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 31 °C87 °F and a low of 18 °C65 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −3 °C27 °F and lows −12 °C10 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 32.2 °C58 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 669 mm26 in. The wettest three-month stretch is May–July, which brings 41% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: January and February. The wettest month is June (106 mm4.2 in), the driest is January (13 mm0.5 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 62% in July to 83% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 44%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 10 km/h (6 mph) in August to 15 km/h (9 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 9.0 hours in December to 15.4 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–March, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 17 cm).
Best time to visit Sioux Falls
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and August and September: average highs of 21 °C71 °F to 29 °C84 °F with 77 mm3.0 in to 90 mm3.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −3 °C27 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Sioux Falls
- Winter (December–February) — highs −327 to −1 °C31 °F, lows −1210 to −10 °C15 °F, about 18 mm0.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 846 to 21 °C71 °F, lows −524 to 9 °C47 °F, about 66 mm2.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2781 to 31 °C87 °F, lows 1559 to 18 °C65 °F, about 88 mm3.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 744 to 24 °C76 °F, lows −426 to 11 °C53 °F, about 52 mm2.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Sioux Falls compares
Compared with Omaha, about 262 km to the south, Sioux Falls is on average 2.1 °C3.9 °F cooler and receives 15% less precipitation (669 mm26 in vs 786 mm31 in). The difference is largest in January (2.9 °C5.2 °F cooler).
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Sioux Falls is the 216th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 153rd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Kanggye (North Korea, Dwa), Manpo (North Korea, Dwa) and Fengcheng (China, Dwa).
Nearby places
- Omaha 262 km · 11 °C51 °F · 786 mm31 in
- Lincoln 305 km · 11 °C52 °F · 752 mm30 in
- Minneapolis 319 km · 7 °C45 °F · 839 mm33 in
- Des Moines 334 km · 10 °C51 °F · 884 mm35 in
- Rochester 346 km · 7 °C45 °F · 886 mm35 in
- Fargo 371 km · 6 °C43 °F · 608 mm24 in
- Cedar Rapids 449 km · 9 °C49 °F · 922 mm36 in
- Topeka 507 km · 13 °C55 °F · 961 mm38 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Sioux Falls?
July is the warmest month in Sioux Falls, with an average high of 31 °C (87 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (65 °F).
What is the coldest month in Sioux Falls?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -3 °C (27 °F) and an average low of -12 °C (10 °F).
When does it rain the most in Sioux Falls?
June is the wettest month with about 106 mm (4.2 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 13 mm (0.5 in).
What is the best time to visit Sioux Falls?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May and August and September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.