Brookings weather in February

In February, Brookings sees average daytime highs of 28°F and overnight lows near 11°F, with 0.8 in of precipitation across 4.5 wet days and about 10.2 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 25°F in the first days to 31°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in February, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of February to 10 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, February is Brookings's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Brookings's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
11th warmest
Overnight low
11°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
0.8 in
4.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 12 min
7:37 AM – 5:47 PM
Cloud cover
64%
10th clearest
Wind
11 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
3.06 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
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 February

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 25°F in the first days to 31°F by the end.

A typical February day in Brookings reaches about 28°F in the afternoon and slips back to 11°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°F and 44°F. Set against its neighbours, February runs about 4°F warmer than January and about 13°F cooler than March.

20°40°151015202528
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
1258
2258
3258
4258
5269
6269
7269
8269
9269
10269
112710
122710
132710
142710
152811
162811
172811
182811
192912
202912
212912
222912
233013
243013
253013
263113
273114
283114

How February really feels in Brookings

Once humidity and wind are folded in, February averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 28 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
28
28 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in February is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Brookings weather by month

How February compares with the rest of the year at a glance. February is the 11th-warmest and 11th-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 February

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in February.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of February, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23763
33763
43862
53862
63763
73862
83862
93862
103862
113961
123961
133961
143961
153961
163961
173961
183961
193961
203961
213961
223961
234060
244060
254060
264060
274258
284258

Chance of precipitation in February

Any precipitationSnow

Brookings gets around 0.8 in of rain and snow over 4.5 wet days in February. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 16% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202528
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11414
21414
31415
41415
51415
61515
71515
81515
91516
101516
111516
121616
131616
141616
151717
161717
171717
181717
191717
201717
211717
221717
231816
241816
251816
261816
271816
281816

Humidity in February

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, February lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100

Wind in February

Winds average 11 mph in February.

Across February, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 11 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202528
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
911light breeze
1011light breeze
1111light breeze
1211light breeze
1311light breeze
1411light breeze
1511light breeze
1611light breeze
1711light breeze
1811light breeze
1911light breeze
2011light breeze
2111light breeze
2211light breeze
2311light breeze
2411light breeze
2511light breeze
2611light breeze
2711light breeze
2811light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in February

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of February to 10 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 72 minutes over February. Sunrise moves from 7:54 AM to 7:17 AM, and sunset from 5:27 PM to 6:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202528
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:545:27
29.67:535:29
39.67:525:30
49.77:515:32
59.77:505:33
69.87:485:34
79.87:475:36
89.87:465:37
99.97:455:38
109.97:445:40
1110.07:425:41
1210.07:415:43
1310.17:405:44
1410.17:385:45
1510.27:375:47
1610.27:355:48
1710.37:345:49
1810.37:335:51
1910.47:315:52
2010.47:305:54
2110.57:285:55
2210.57:265:56
2310.57:255:58
2410.67:235:59
2510.67:226:00
2610.77:206:02
2710.77:186:03
2810.87:176:04

Solar energy in February

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in February, about 3.06 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 — February's 3.06 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202528
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.6Moderate
42.6Moderate
52.7Moderate
62.7Moderate
72.8Moderate
82.8Moderate
92.8Moderate
102.9Moderate
112.9Moderate
123.0Moderate
133.0Moderate
143.0Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.1Moderate
173.2Moderate
183.2Moderate
193.3Moderate
203.3Moderate
213.4Moderate
223.4Moderate
233.4Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.6Moderate
283.7Moderate
Planning a trip in February

Hazard calendar for Brookings

In seasonPeak

None of Brookings's seasonal hazards are active in February. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

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 February a good time to visit Brookings?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

February is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Brookings.

What to pack for Brookings in February

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

In February, Brookings sees daytime highs around 28°F and nights near 11°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Brookings in February

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in February peaks around 2. 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
February 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).