McLaughlin, South Dakota Weather
Thunder stills across the plains. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
McLaughlin weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 8:24 AM MDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Overcast30%0.02″61°53°—
- TuesdaySep 22Clear14%—61°48°0°
- WednesdaySep 23Light Showers65%—70°55°+9°
- ThursdaySep 24Overcast38%—67°58°-3°
- FridaySep 25Overcast18%—72°59°+5°
- SaturdaySep 26Partly Cloudy18%—71°54°-1°
- SundaySep 27Overcast23%—70°50°-1°
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 4:36 PM
- Moonset
- 12:45 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder stills across the plains
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
McLaughlin at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 57°F (high 61°F, low 53°F), about the 57°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: May 12 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 0 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots
16-Day Forecast — McLaughlin
- Mon61°53°30%
- Tue61°48°14%
- Wed70°55°65%
- Thu67°58°38%
- Fri72°59°18%
- Sat71°54°18%
- Sun70°50°23%
- Mon68°55°32%
- Tue67°51°26%
- Wed64°46°5%
- Thu67°46°8%
- Fri68°49°10%
- Sat57°44°19%
- Sun55°39°10%
- Mon63°38°6%
- Tue63°52°6%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Right now in the garden
Fall planting + final harvests
As of September 21, the season's first frost (typically September 28) is approaching. Pick what frost-tender plants still carry before the next cold front. This city's planting calendar for September: plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, and carrots.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — McLaughlin
SPC includes McLaughlin in the general thunderstorm area day after tomorrow — no severe risk, but storms are possible.
- TODAYNONENo severe risk
- TOMORROWNONENo severe risk
- DAY 3TSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
Thunderstorms possible. Not severe, but capable of producing lightning and brief heavy rain.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.
Sun & seasons in McLaughlin
McLaughlin sits in Corson County, where the year’s longest day runs 15h 44m of daylight and its shortest just 8h 40m — a swing of +7h 4m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Sioux Falls, the state’s largest city, lies about 255 miles to the SE. The nearest town McLaughlin tracks is Blumengard Colony, roughly 89 miles to the ESE.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | spinach, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | lettuce, peas, spinach, beans, summer squash |
| August | garlic (overwinter) | peas, tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| September | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| October | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
July is McLaughlin's warmest stretch (~72°F) and January its coldest (~14°F); precipitation crests in June at 3.3 inches and ebbs in February to 0.5 inches.
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14° | 0.5″ | 3 |
| February | 18° | 0.5″ | 4 |
| March | 30° | 0.9″ | 4 |
| April | 43° | 1.7″ | 6 |
| May | 55° | 3.2″ | 9 |
| June | 66° | 3.3″ | 10 |
| July | 72° | 3.0″ | 8 |
| August | 70° | 2.5″ | 6 |
| September | 60° | 1.4″ | 5 |
| October | 45° | 1.8″ | 4 |
| November | 30° | 0.7″ | 3 |
| December | 19° | 0.6″ | 4 |
Regional context
Similar climates Little Eagle, SD, Bullhead, SD, Wakpala, SD
Per NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals, McLaughlin runs from a 14°F January mean to 72°F in July, a 58°F seasonal spread, with near 20.1 inches of precipitation across about 65 wet days.
Summer convection drives McLaughlin's precipitation: June logs 3.3 inches on 9.5 rainy days, against February's 0.5 inches on 4.1 — warm-season storms carry McLaughlin's moisture. That puts McLaughlin in a summer-convective cohort with places like Little Eagle, SD, Bullhead, SD and Wakpala, SD.
McLaughlin reaches its last hard frost near May 12; that is the cue for kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips. McLaughlin's heat-lovers — tomatoes, peppers, squash — hold off until McLaughlin's frost risk clears, 10-14 days on. The season ends by September 28 in McLaughlin, once hard frosts set back in. That date is a median: McLaughlin freezes sooner in half of years.
Similar climates: Little Eagle, SD, Bullhead, SD, Wakpala, SD, Kenel, SD, Pollock, SD.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in McLaughlin?
- In McLaughlin, expect the last spring frost near May 12; McLaughlin's first autumn frost comes around September 28.
- What is the rainy season in McLaughlin?
- McLaughlin sees its heaviest rain in June (around 3.3 inches), part of roughly 20 inches a year.
- What is the warmest month in McLaughlin?
- On average July tops the year in McLaughlin at about 72°F.
- What is the coldest month in McLaughlin?
- The coldest stretch in McLaughlin falls in January, around 14°F on average.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in McLaughlin?
- Around May 12, start frost-hardy crops in McLaughlin; tomatoes and basil belong a fortnight later.
- How many rainy days does McLaughlin get?
- McLaughlin records around 65 days of measurable precipitation annually.
- What hardiness zone is McLaughlin?
- Because McLaughlin bottoms near 14°F in January, that winter low sets McLaughlin's USDA zone — verify by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for McLaughlin?
- McLaughlin's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in McLaughlin?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for McLaughlin in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in McLaughlin?
- Current conditions for McLaughlin and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the McLaughlin forecast updated?
- The McLaughlin forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in McLaughlin?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for McLaughlin are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for McLaughlin?
- The next few days in McLaughlin's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
McLaughlin sits at 45.8°N; its climate zone is warm-summer humid continental (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in McLaughlin
- 57642