See the most extreme temperatures in South Dakota history

On July 9, 2021, California's Death Valley reached 130 degrees Fahrenheit, according to an automated measuring system there, representing one of the highest temperatures ever recorded on the planet. The world record, also recorded at Death Valley, was 134 degrees in July 1913.

More than 210 degrees Fahrenheit separates the highest and the lowest temperatures on record in the United States, the third-largest country in the world. As some states are infamous for having blistering hot summers, others become inundated by winter storms and frigid cold. The contiguous U.S. had its warmest meteorological summer (June-Aug.) on record in 2021, according to NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.

Stacker consulted data from the NOAA's State Climate Extremes Committee (SCEC) to illustrate the hottest and coldest temperatures ever recorded in South Dakota.

South Dakota records

- All-time highest temperature: 120° F (Fort Pierre on July 15, 2006)
- All-time lowest temperature: -58° F (McIntosh on Feb. 17, 1936)
- All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 8.74 inches (Groton on May 6, 2007)
- All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 52.0 inches (Lead on March 14, 1973)

States with the highest maximum temperature

#1. California: 134° F (Greenland Ranch on July 10, 1913)
#2. Arizona: 128° F (Lake Havasu City on June 29, 1994)
#3. Nevada: 125° F (Laughlin on June 29, 1994)
#4. New Mexico: 122° F (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (nr. Loving) on June 27, 1994)
#5. Kansas: 121° F (Alton on July 24, 1936)

States with the lowest minimum temperature

#1. Alaska: -80° F (Prospect Creek Camp on Jan. 23, 1971)
#2. Montana: -70° F (Rogers Pass on Jan. 20, 1954)
#3. Wyoming: -66° F (Riverside Ranger Stn. (Yellowstone NP) on Feb. 9, 1933)
#4. Colorado: -61° F (Maybell on Feb. 1, 1985)
#5. Idaho: -60° F (Island Park Dam on Jan. 18, 1943)