Lake Madison weather by month
What a typical year looks like in Lake Madison, South Dakota: average highs and lows, rain and snow, and the warmest and coldest days on record. Normals are the 1991–2020 averages at Madison 2se, 7 km from Lake Madison; records cover 1961–2026.
The year at a glance
- Precipitation a year
- 26.4 in670 mm
- Snow a year
- 37 in93 cm
- Last spring freeze
- May 1
- First fall freeze
- Sep 25
- Heating degree days
- 7,999
- Cooling degree days
- 630
Freeze dates are medians (half of years earlier, half later). Degree days use a 65°F base; HVAC design temperatures here are −16°−27° (heating, 99%) and 94°34° (cooling, 1%).
Month by month
Lake Madison in January
Highs average 24°−5° and lows 5°−15°, with 0.46 in12 mm of precipitation and 6 in14 cm of snow in a typical January.
- Record high
- 66°19° (1981)
- Record low
- −33°−36° (1972)
- Heating degree days
- 1570
- Cooling degree days
- 0
Lake Madison in February
Highs average 29°−2° and lows 10°−12°, with 0.66 in17 mm of precipitation and 8 in21 cm of snow in a typical February.
- Record high
- 68°20° (2000)
- Record low
- −31°−35° (1994)
- Heating degree days
- 1288
- Cooling degree days
- 0
Lake Madison in March
Highs average 41°5° and lows 22°−6°, with 1 in26 mm of precipitation and 5 in13 cm of snow in a typical March.
- Record high
- 84°29° (2012)
- Record low
- −23°−31° (2019)
- Heating degree days
- 1044
- Cooling degree days
- 0
Lake Madison in April
Highs average 56°13° and lows 33°1°, with 2.7 in69 mm of precipitation and 4 in11 cm of snow in a typical April.
- Record high
- 94°34° (1980)
- Record low
- 1°−17° (1975)
- Heating degree days
- 617
- Cooling degree days
- 2
Lake Madison in May
Highs average 68°20° and lows 46°8°, with 3.7 in95 mm of precipitation and 0.1 in0.3 cm of snow in a typical May.
- Record high
- 98°37° (1967)
- Record low
- 17°−8° (1967)
- Heating degree days
- 279
- Cooling degree days
- 31
Lake Madison in June
Highs average 78°26° and lows 57°14°, with 4.2 in108 mm of precipitation in a typical June.
- Record high
- 105°41° (1988)
- Record low
- 35°2° (1969)
- Heating degree days
- 58
- Cooling degree days
- 130
Lake Madison in July
Highs average 83°29° and lows 61°16°, with 3.3 in85 mm of precipitation in a typical July.
- Record high
- 104°40° (1966)
- Record low
- 39°4° (1971)
- Heating degree days
- 13
- Cooling degree days
- 233
Lake Madison in August
Highs average 81°27° and lows 58°15°, with 3.4 in86 mm of precipitation in a typical August.
- Record high
- 104°40° (1988)
- Record low
- 35°2° (2004)
- Heating degree days
- 26
- Cooling degree days
- 170
Lake Madison in September
Highs average 73°23° and lows 50°10°, with 3.2 in82 mm of precipitation in a typical September.
- Record high
- 102°39° (1976)
- Record low
- 22°−6° (1974)
- Heating degree days
- 170
- Cooling degree days
- 60
Lake Madison in OctoberThis month
Highs average 59°15° and lows 36°2°, with 2.2 in55 mm of precipitation and 0.8 in2 cm of snow in a typical October.
- Record high
- 92°33° (2023)
- Record low
- 4°−16° (2020)
- Heating degree days
- 556
- Cooling degree days
- 4
Lake Madison in November
Highs average 42°6° and lows 23°−5°, with 0.85 in22 mm of precipitation and 5 in12 cm of snow in a typical November.
- Record high
- 80°27° (2020)
- Record low
- −17°−27° (1964)
- Heating degree days
- 978
- Cooling degree days
- 0
Lake Madison in December
Highs average 29°−2° and lows 11°−12°, with 0.61 in15 mm of precipitation and 8 in20 cm of snow in a typical December.
- Record high
- 64°18° (1998)
- Record low
- −31°−35° (2016)
- Heating degree days
- 1400
- Cooling degree days
- 0