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Thursday, Nov 12, 2026

Have warm fall temperatures in South Dakota set records?

Emily DeCock, South Dakota News Watch
yes

Data from Aberdeen, Rapid City and Sioux Falls National Weather Service offices show that warm temperatures have set some records for October and November.

As of Nov. 11, Sioux Falls had not had a hard freeze, which constitutes a surface temperature of 28 degrees or below, making it the latest hard freeze on record. The previous record was set in 2016, when the first sub-29 degree day fell on Nov. 9.

In Aberdeen, the November average low temperature of 36.4°F is the warmest in 131 years of records. Temperatures hit the hard freeze mark twice in October and twice so far in November.

Data from the Rapid City airport showed that October was the sixth-warmest in 85 years of records. Temperatures hit the hard freeze mark twice this fall on Oct. 16 and Nov. 6. November has been the 10th warmest on record in Rapid City.

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