Yes, it was cold!

Those who think this winter has been unusually cold are not alone. 

They are also correct.

Winter unofficially began with a major snowstorm in October, and since that time, Custer has experienced below average temperatures in three of the past five months. According to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Rapid City, this winter has been the fifth coldest meteorological winter (December through February) since records started being kept in 1942.

“It’s just the way it goes sometimes. We have been in a pattern that has favored colder weather,” said Alex Calderon, meteorologist at  the NWS. “We have had lots of low clouds and fog, which keeps the sun out.”

The trend started in October, with an average high of 42.4 and an average low of 24.7—far below the usual averages of 59 and 31 for that time of year. It culminated in February with an average high of 31 and an average low of 9.7 in Custer, again well below the usual averages of 40 and 16, respectively.

November proved to be the lone exception to the bitterly cold winter, with averages of 45.6 degrees for a high and 25.3 for a low, slightly above the usual averages of 44 and 21. Things cooled off significantly in December, however, as Custer averaged a high of 25.9 and a low of 7.0 during the month, again well below the usual averages of 37 and 14. January proved to be a somewhat average month, with both the usual high and yearly high averaging at 36 degrees. However, the January low was slightly warmer this year, with an average of 13.8 compared to the usual 12.

Calderon said February was the coldest month for the entire region, which is usually reserved for January.

But, as bad as it’s been in the Hills, it could be worse. Those in the eastern part of the state have had it even colder, accompanied by more snow.

“It’s typically colder in eastern South Dakota, and that was the same this year. Everybody has been much colder than average,” he said. “Many days when we were in the 20s and 30s they were in single digits.”

The cold weather is not a predictor of a cooler summer, either, Calderon said. As of now, the NWS isn’t leaning one way or  the other as to whether this will be a cool or hot summer, or whether it will have a lot of precipitation.

“We don’t have any indication to sway us one way or the other,” he said. “(This cold winter) is not a trend.”