Custer County, SD Climate

Custer, SD is located in the Black Hills region of South Dakota and has a semi-arid continental climate. Summers are hot and humid with average high temperatures in the 80s, while winters are cold and dry with temperatures occasionally dropping below zero. Average annual precipitation is low, making drought a common threat to farmers. Winters usually bring some snowfall due to the elevation of Custer, though it typically isn’t an excessive amount. There can be considerable variation in climate from year to year as well as from one side of town to the other depending on wind shadows created by surrounding hills.

Custer County, South Dakota gets 19 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38 inches of rain per year.

Custer County averages 42 inches of snow per year. The US average is 28 inches of snow per year.

On average, there are 226 sunny days per year in Custer County. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Custer County gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 81 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 84 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 15
Rain: averages 19 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 42 inches of snow a year

Bestplaces Comfort Index

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Custer County is 6.9 (10=best), which means it is more comfortable than most places in South Dakota.

8.9 Summer - 5.3 Winter

August, July and June are the most pleasant months in Custer County, while February and December are the least comfortable months.

Climate	Custer, South Dakota	United States
	Unlock	38.1 in.
	41.8 in.	Unlock
	Unlock	106.2 days
	226 days	Unlock
	84.0°	85.8°
	Unlock	21.7°
	6.9	Unlock
	Unlock	4.3
	4218 ft.	Unlock

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 Custer County with an average high temperature of 84.0°, which ranks it as cooler than most places in South Dakota. In Custer County, there are 4 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Custer County are June, September and August.

In Custer County, there are 19.9 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is about average compared to other places in South Dakota.

January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Custer County with an average of 14.6°. This is one of the warmest places in South Dakota.

In Custer County, there are 169.7 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is colder than most places in South Dakota.

In Custer County, there are 14.2 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is one of the warmest places in South Dakota.

Humidity in Custer County is generally quite low and comfortable. There are few days during the summer when the humidity becomes unpleasant. The most humid months (but still comfortable) are July, August and June.

May is the wettest month in Custer County with 3.5 inches of rain, and the driest month is January with 0.3 inches. The wettest season is Autumn with 40% of yearly precipitation and 6% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 18.7 inches in Custer County means that it is drier than most places in South Dakota.

May is the rainiest month in Custer County with 11.1 days of rain, and January is the driest month with only 3.6 rainy days. There are 81.2 rainy days annually in Custer County, which is about average compared to other places in South Dakota. The rainiest season is Autumn when it rains 34% of the time and the driest is Spring with only a 14% chance of a rainy day.

An annual snowfall of 41.8 inches in Custer County means that it is snowier than most places in South Dakota. March is the snowiest month in Custer County with 8.4 inches of snow, and 8 months of the year have significant snowfall.

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