Madison, SD Climate

Madison, SD has a moderate climate with four distinct seasons. Summers are generally warm and humid, with temperatures regularly reaching the mid-80s (Fahrenheit). Winters can be cold and snowy with temperatures sometimes dropping into the single digits and below zero. Spring and fall are milder times of year with temperatures ranging between 30-70°F (1-21°C). Rainfall averages 25 inches (63 cm) per year, and snowfall averages 36 inches (91 cm). The area experiences more than 200 sunny days each year making Madison a desirable destination for outdoor activities all year round.

Madison, South Dakota gets 26 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38 inches of rain per year.

Madison averages 39 inches of snow per year. The US average is 28 inches of snow per year.

On average, there are 210 sunny days per year in Madison. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Madison gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 87 days per year. Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground. In order for precipitation to be counted you have to get at least .01 inches on the ground to measure.

Weather Highlights

Summer High: the July high is around 83 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 5
Rain: averages 26 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 39 inches of snow a year

Bestplaces Comfort Index

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Madison is 6.7 (10=best), which means it is less comfortable than most places in South Dakota.

9.2 Summer - 4.2 Winter

August, June and July are the most pleasant months in Madison, while January and December are the least comfortable months.

Climate	Madison, South Dakota	United States
	26.4 in.	38.1 in.
	38.8 in.	27.8 in.
	87.1 days	106.2 days
	210 days	205 days
	83.2°	85.8°
	5.3°	21.7°
	6.7	7
	3.5	4.3
	1676 ft.	2443 ft.

Climate

YOU SHOULD KNOW

Many people confuse weather and climate but they are different. Weather is the conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere is over long periods of time.

Weather is how the atmosphere is behaving and its effects upon life and human activities. Weather can change from minute-to-minute. Most people think of weather in terms of temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, brightness, visibility, wind, and atmospheric pressure.

Climate is the description of the long-term pattern of weather in a place. Climate can mean the average weather for a particular region and time period taken over 30 years. Climate is the average of weather over time.

July is the hottest month for Madison with an average high temperature of 83.2°, which ranks it as cooler than most places in South Dakota. In Madison, there are 4 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Madison are June, August and September.

In Madison, there are 9.8 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is cooler than most places in South Dakota.

January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Madison with an average of 5.3°. This is colder than most places in South Dakota.

In Madison, there are 164.9 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is about average compared to other places in South Dakota.

In Madison, there are 28.0 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is about average compared to other places in South Dakota.

The humidity is usually comfortable in Madison but some summer months can be sticky or muggy. July is the most humid month, though humidity is low for most of the year. The most humid months are July, August and June.

June is the wettest month in Madison with 4.3 inches of rain, and the driest month is January with 0.5 inches. The wettest season is Autumn with 41% of yearly precipitation and 7% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 26.4 inches in Madison means that it is wetter than most places in South Dakota.

June is the rainiest month in Madison with 10.9 days of rain, and December is the driest month with only 4.1 rainy days. There are 87.1 rainy days annually in Madison, which is rainier than most places in South Dakota. The rainiest season is Autumn when it rains 32% of the time and the driest is Spring with only a 15% chance of a rainy day.

An annual snowfall of 38.8 inches in Madison means that it is snowier than most places in South Dakota. November is the snowiest month in Madison with 8.2 inches of snow, and 7 months of the year have significant snowfall.