Summer 2020 Looking Like a Hot One in South Dakota

As we emerge from many of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) related restrictions that have dominated our lives lately, we still don’t have a clear idea of what the next few months will look like from an activity standpoint.

But we now have a clearer picture of what’s in store for us weather-wise.

The Weather Channel says South Dakota, and much of the United States will be experiencing a ‘hotter-than-average’ summer in 2020.

The temperature models call for slightly higher than average temps in the eastern part of the state for June, when the average daytime high in Sioux Falls is 80 degrees. Western South Dakota will be in the above-average range in June when the average high in Rapid City is 76 degrees.

It’s pretty much the same story in July, with Sioux Falls (average high – 85) in the slightly above average range, while Rapid City (average high – 86) remains above average.

By August, the projections show the entire state above average, which means warmer temps than our norms (Sioux Falls – 83, Rapid City 84).

The biggest hotspots in the nation will be an area in the northwest extending from eastern Washington and Oregon, through Idaho, all the way into western Montana and Wyoming, and dipping down into the northern parts of Utah and Nevada. That cluster will be experiencing many above-average temperatures for the majority of the summer.

This warming trend has been par for the course so far this year.

The United States had the warmest January on record in 141 years and through the first three months of 2020 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that global land and ocean surface temperatures hit a new high since 1880—2.07 degrees Fahrenheit above average.