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Shaded-relief map of Oacoma, South Dakota: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
SOUTH DAKOTA · LYMAN COUNTY

Oacoma

392 people, 1,380 ft above sea level in Lyman County.

1,380 ftElevation, city center
392People, 2024 estimate
3 sq miLand area
Sunny 48°
Sunny now Dew point 31° · SSE 20 mph · high 46°
City of Oacoma River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Oacoma plate. Relief from Copernicus GLO-30; rivers and lakes from USGS NHD; watersheds from the USGS Watershed Boundary Dataset; roads and city limits from Census TIGER 2024.

MILE1
TODAY

Today in Oacoma

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 12:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Chamberlain Municipal Airport (K9V9) · 1:35 PM
Sunny
48° Sunny Feels like 41° · high of 46° near 2 PM
WindSSE 20 mphgusts 24
Humidity52%falling to 58% this afternoon
Pressure30.07 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 31° · Dry44° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Friday70% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 30.02 in · 11 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Lyman County
NWS Aberdeen and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 1:47 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:30 AM5:13 PM ↓
9 h 42 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 25% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
10
GOODAir quality index · fine particles
No pollen source yet.

The next three days, hour by hour

Sky: clear, cloudy, night Rain likely National Blend of Models
SATURDAY, NOV. 14
SUNDAY, NOV. 15
MONDAY, NOV. 16
TUESDAY, NOV. 17
1p
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partly cloudy day
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
clear day
clear day
clear day
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
clear day
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
TEMPERATURE °F
44°
37°
55°
42°
58°
43°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
16
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HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 28 to 34° ↑ Humid air returns More humid: 44° by Tuesday

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 47° / 25°
SAT Nov. 14 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
46° 35°
0% rain — SSE 16, gusts 28 A
SUN Nov. 15 Sunny; warmer Sunny; warmer
57° 40°
0% rain — S 15, gusts 28 B
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
60° 41°
0% rain — S 13, gusts 25 B
TUE Nov. 17 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
57° 41°
0% rain — S 14, gusts 30 B
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
57° 36°
20% rain — WNW 8 C
THU Nov. 19 Partly cloudy; cooler Partly cloudy; cooler
49° 36°
10% rain — E 3 C
FRI Nov. 20 Showers likely Showers likely
53° 37°
70% rain 0.05–1.3″ E 9 C
How sure are we? AModels agree: highs within 4° BSome spread: within 8° CWide spread: check back
Range from the National Blend of Models percentiles · graded on Forecast Scores
AIR MAIL

Where today’s air came from

The air arriving over Oacoma about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the central Plains three days ago, and over the southern Plains a day ago, about 920 miles back along its path. The nine paths traced from around the city fan out, so treat that as a best guess. Near the ground the air came from the Canadian Prairies; at 10,000 feet, from the Pacific off the Northwest. It has stayed over land, which is why it feels dry. Traced back 72 hours through NOAA’s hourly RAP analyses, nine paths at each of three heights.

THIS WEEK IN 1999 Nov. 13, 1999

The hottest this week has been

80° on Nov. 13, 1999, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1980. Next is 80° in 2005.

80°
80°
20051999
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Chamberlain 5 S record since 1980.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Oacoma stands on

Oacoma’s center stands about 1,380 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,360 ft to 1,740 ft, a difference of 380 ft: rolling country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Lewis Hill, about 1,800 ft, 11 miles north.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Terrace Deposits (coarse-detrital, clay), from the Quaternary, less than 2.6 million years old.

The section below crosses 4 rock units mapped at the surface.

Oacoma, cut in half from northwest to southeast

A section northwest to southeast, 24 miles through the town center
1,400 ft1,600 ft1,800 ft OACOMA1,380 ftHigh point of the line1,820 ftAmerican Crow Creekabout 1,410 ft ← NWSE →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 41×. The colored band under the surface is the rock the state geologic map shows at the surface, not a picture of what lies beneath.

Rock at the surface along the line

Pierre Shale

Shale, bentonite. Age: Late Cretaceous, 66 to 100 million years old. About 17 mi of the line.

Alluvium

Coarse-detrital, fine-detrital. Age: Quaternary, less than 2.6 million years old. About 3 mi of the line.

Eolian Deposits

Silt, sand. Age: Quaternary, less than 2.6 million years old. About 3 mi of the line.

Terrace Deposits

Coarse-detrital, clay. Age: Quaternary, less than 2.6 million years old. About 0.6 mi of the line.

From the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation (Horton and others, 2017), the states’ geologic maps joined at a common scale.

Heights from Copernicus GLO-90 (a surface model: it includes buildings and tree canopy); summits from USGS GNIS; rivers from USGS NHDPlus HR; rock from the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation.

MILE3
THE WATER

Where Oacoma’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Oacoma reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Missouri and the Mississippi: about 2,120 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Oacoma≈ 2,120 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF OACOMA ≈ 2,120 mi to the Gulf of America Missouri → Mississippi

Lakes on the way: Lake Francis Case and Lewis and Clark Lake.

1,170 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.

Traced down the USGS NHDPlus V2.1 river network from the Census center point of Oacoma; river miles along the main stem, rounded.

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Oacoma’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1980 · Chamberlain 5 S, 6 mi southeast

Oacoma has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 87° in July; winter nights fall to about 9° in January. A normal year brings about 43 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 24 inches of water.

29°9°34°12°45°22°57°33°69°45°80°56°87°61°85°59°77°50°62°36°46°23°33°13° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY OACOMA 24.1 in rain and snowmelt
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average87° / 61°high / low, the warmest month
January, average29° / 9°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow24.1 inwettest months: June and May
Snow a year43.3 insnowiest: February
Hottest on record113°FJuly 26, 2003
Coldest on record−34°FFebruary 9, 1994
Wettest day on record7.39 inJune 21, 2024
Snowiest day on record13.0 inMarch 31, 2009
90° days a year33about 4 of them 100° or more
Nights at or below 32°166and 58 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 8, to the last in spring, about May 10 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingDec. 15 to Feb. 11; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingOct. 24 to April 14; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchMay through July: 10.6 of the year’s 24.1 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Oacoma normally reaches 47° and falls to 24°. The record high is 77°, in 1999; the record low −8°, in 1986. The most rain on this date, 0.17 in, fell in 1983.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high29°34°45°57°69°80°87°85°77°62°46°33°
Normal low9°12°22°33°45°56°61°59°50°36°23°13°
Rain and melt, in0.540.601.082.653.514.272.823.022.281.970.810.53
Snow, inches7.38.07.26.80.00.00.00.00.01.45.17.5
Record high68° (1989)75° (2000)88° (2012)95° (2026)100° (2004)111° (1988)113° (2003)112° (1988)105° (2023)98° (1997)87° (2016)73° (1998)
Record low−30° (2018)−34° (1994)−19° (1998)1° (2018)24° (2013)32° (1998)42° (2025)35° (2024)24° (1991)4° (2020)−13° (1985)−30° (1989)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1980 at Chamberlain 5 S, 6 miles southeast, 320 ft higher. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Oacoma on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Sioux Falls SD · 133 MI 133 miles east Sioux City IA · 175 MI 175 miles southeast Rapid City SD · 193 MI 193 miles west
FORECASTCITY
Map of Oacoma, South Dakota. Explore the plate
SOUTH DAKOTA · LYMAN

Oacoma

392 people, 1,380 ft above sea level in Lyman County.

1,380 ftElevation
392People
3 sq miLand
Sunny 48°
SunnyDew point 31°
1

Today in Oacoma

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now partly cloudy day 44° 0%
4p partly cloudy day 46° 0%
7p partly cloudy night 43° 0%
10p partly cloudy night 39° 0%
1a partly cloudy night 38° 0%
4a partly cloudy night 38° 0%
Rain
NEXT RAINFriday · 70%
→
Sat0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
35
46
A
Sun0%
Sunny; warmer Sunny; warmer
40
57
B
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
41
60
B
Tue0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
41
57
B
Wed20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
36
57
C
Thu10%
Partly cloudy; cooler Partly cloudy; cooler
36
49
C
Fri70%
Showers likely Showers likely
37
53
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK IN 1999 · NOV. 13, 1999

80°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1980.

2

What Oacoma stands on

Oacoma’s center stands about 1,380 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,360 ft to 1,740 ft, a difference of 380 ft: rolling country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Lewis Hill, about 1,800 ft, 11 miles north.

Oacoma, northwest to southeast Oacoma1,380 ftAmerican Crow Creekabout 1,410 ft ← NWSE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 79×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,380 ft
Within 3 miles1,360 to 1,740 ft
Lie of the landRolling (380 ft of relief)
High point nearbyLewis Hill, 1,800 ft, 11 mi north
Rock at the surfaceTerrace Deposits
Its ageQuaternary, less than 2.6 million years old
5

Oacoma’s year

Oacoma has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 87° in July; winter nights fall to about 9° in January. A normal year brings about 43 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 24 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 24.1 in
July, average87° / 61° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average29° / 9° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow24.1 in · wettest months: June and May
Snow a year43.3 in · snowiest: February
Hottest on record113°F · July 26, 2003
Coldest on record−34°F · February 9, 1994
Wettest day on record7.39 in · June 21, 2024
Snowiest day on record13.0 in · March 31, 2009
90° days a year33 · about 4 of them 100° or more
Nights at or below 32°166 · and 58 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 8, to the last in spring, about May 10 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Dec. 15 to Feb. 11; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Oct. 24 to April 14; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · May through July: 10.6 of the year’s 24.1 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Oacoma normally reaches 47° and falls to 24°. The record high is 77°, in 1999; the record low −8°, in 1986. The most rain on this date, 0.17 in, fell in 1983.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1980 at Chamberlain 5 S, 6 miles southeast, 320 ft higher. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 2,120 mito the Gulf of AmericaMissouri → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Oacoma reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Missouri and the Mississippi: about 2,120 river miles.

Lakes on the way: Lake Francis Case and Lewis and Clark Lake.

1,170 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.