Brookings weather in August

In August, Brookings sees average daytime highs of 79°F and overnight lows near 59°F, with 3.2 in of rain across 8.4 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 79°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in August, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 30 min at the start of August to 13 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Brookings's 3rd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Brookings's year-round climate.

Daytime high
79°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
59°
11th coldest
Rainfall
3.2 in
8.4 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:36 AM – 7:27 PM
Cloud cover
45%
3rd clearest
Wind
9 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.2
out of 10

Brookings is city in and county seat of Brookings County, South Dakota, United States.

Density
701/km²
people per km²
Founded
1857

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 79°F through the month.

A typical August day in Brookings reaches about 79°F in the afternoon and slips back to 59°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 71°F and 87°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 2°F cooler than July and about 8°F warmer than September.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18061
28061
38061
48061
58060
68060
78060
88060
97960
107960
117960
127960
137959
147959
157959
167959
177959
187959
197959
207959
217959
227959
237958
247958
257858
267858
277858
287858
297858
307857
317757

How August really feels in Brookings

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

August sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Brookings weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 0.854.99.10.0
Feb28° / 11°0.84.54.510.20.0
Mar40° / 22°1.76.43.811.60.5
Apr55° / 34°3.19.72.413.23.5
May67° / 47°3.711.20.114.55.9
Jun77° / 58°4.512.2015.36.5
Jul81° / 62°3.18.70156.9
Aug79° / 59°3.28.4013.87.2
Sep71° / 50°2.87.5012.37.2
Oct57° / 37°2.27.31.110.84.4
Nov41° / 24°1.453.49.40.5
Dec28° / 13°0.94.95.18.70.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 34%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16832
26832
36832
46733
56634
66535
76535
86436
96436
106436
116337
126337
136337
146436
156436
166535
176535
186535
196436
206535
216535
226535
236634
246634
256733
266733
276832
286832
296832
306832
316832

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Brookings gets around 3.2 in of rain over 8.4 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 27% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
328
428
528
628
728
828
929
1029
1129
1229
1329
1429
1528
1628
1727
1827
1927
2026
2126
2226
2325
2425
2524
2624
2723
2823
2923
3023
3123

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of August feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, August lands in the humid band about 28% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 22% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1192727216
2192727216
3192727216
4192727216
5192727215
6192827215
7192828205
8192828205
9192828205
10202829195
11202829194
12202829184
13202829184
14212829184
15212829183
16222829183
17222829183
18232829183
19232729183
20242729183
21252629182
22252629182
23262528182
24272428182
25292428182
26302328182
27312227172
28332227172
29352127161
30372126151
31392025141

Wind in August

Winds average 9 mph in August, the calmest month.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
3110light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 30 min at the start of August to 13 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 84 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:18 AM to 5:53 AM, and sunset from 7:48 PM to 7:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.55:187:48
214.55:197:47
314.45:207:46
414.45:227:44
514.35:237:43
614.35:247:42
714.35:257:40
814.25:267:39
914.25:277:38
1014.15:287:36
1114.15:307:35
1214.05:317:33
1314.05:327:32
1414.05:337:30
1513.95:347:29
1613.95:367:27
1713.85:377:25
1813.85:387:24
1913.75:397:22
2013.75:407:20
2113.65:417:19
2213.65:437:17
2313.55:447:15
2413.55:457:14
2513.45:467:12
2613.45:477:10
2713.35:497:08
2813.35:507:07
2913.25:517:05
3013.25:527:03
3113.15:537:01

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.75 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.64 kWh/m² to a high of 6.64 kWh/m² in July across the year — August's 5.75 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.0Intense
76.0Bright
86.0Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Brookings

In seasonPeak

In August, Brookings sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Brookings's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is August a good time to visit Brookings?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

7.2
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.9
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

August is one of the better times to visit Brookings for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Brookings in August

From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In August, Brookings sees daytime highs around 79°F and nights near 59°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Brookings in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Brookings peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 9Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Brookings?

Brookings sits at 44.3°N, 96.8°W, 1,621 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Watertown, 43 mi away.

Topography around Brookings

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Brookings.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Brookings has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 118 ft around an average of 1,627 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 246 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 974 ft.

The land around Brookings is covered by grassland (42%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 2 miles, cropland (63%) and grassland (29%) within 10 miles, and cropland (72%) and grassland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
118 ft
10 miles
246 ft
50 miles
974 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: Watertown 43 mi · Sioux Falls 53 mi · Mitchell 74 mi · Willmar 103 mi · Aberdeen 115 mi · Sioux City 127 mi · Mankato 139 mi · Saint Cloud 155 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Brookings (44.3114°, -96.7984°, elevation 1,621 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).