SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — It’s back to the 1950s with 100-plus degree days this summer, said South Dakota State Climatologist Laura Edwards.

“From the 1950s through the 1980s, we had more years with 100-plus degree days than not,” Edwards said.

From 1992 to 2022 for Sioux Falls, the area had “only seven of those summers with 100-plus degree temperatures,” Edwards said.

And from 2021 on, there have been 100-plus degree days in Sioux Falls, she said.

KELOLAND weather has forecast highs of 103 for Sioux Falls on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Pierre is expected to top out at 104 on Tuesday and 101 on Wednesday.

Still, “overnight lows have warmed but we are not seeing as many 100-degree days,” Edwards said in comparison to the 1950s through the 1980s.

It’s typical for the state to get its hottest temperatures around the third week of July, she said.

The hottest reported day of the year was in July in 2006. A high of 120 degrees was reported in Usta on July 15 and in Gann Valley on July 5.

On July 25, KELOLAND meteorologist Brian Karstens reported heat advisories for the next several days because of high temperatures and high temperature dew points in the 70s

Excessive heat advisories or warnings have been issued from Monday this week through Wednesday night for parts of eastern South Dakota, southwestern Minnesota and northwestern Iowa.

Several day heat waves have happened this summer but such high temperatures, even the mid 90s, are not typical for August, Edwards said.

The average August temperature for Sioux Falls is 83, according to Current Results which uses data from the National Centers for Environmental Information. The average is 83 in Aberdeen, 79 in Brookings and 85 in Yankton. The average is 85 in Rapid City and 82 in Deadwood. The average is 87 in Pierre and 84 in Mobridge.

Edwards said an August high in Sioux Falls was 104 on Aug. 30, 2012. According to the National Weather Service, Sioux Falls had three days of 100 degrees or more in August 2012. A record of 102 was set on Aug. 1. It was 100 on Aug. 29, which was part of two-day stretch of 100 or better.

The heat warnings extend into the Sioux City, Iowa, area. Edwards said the temperatures on Tuesday and Wednesday will challenge records for both cities. Sioux City reached 101 in 1914. Wednesday’s high in Sioux Falls was set in 1971. It was 1938 in Sioux City.

“We’re talking some long-time daily records,” Edwards said.

As of Aug. 17, the U.S. Drought Monitor still listed a chunk of eastern South Dakota as moderate to severe drought or at the least, abnormally dry.

Although we are in a several-day heat wave across much of South Dakota this week, many areas received higher than average rainfall for this month.

Sioux Falls, for example, has had more than three inches as of Aug. 21, Edwards said.

With the projected heat this week and some heat after the weekend, the month’s rain totals so far will be important for crops, Edwards said.

It may still be hot and dry this summer but it’s not as hot or dry as 1936.

The year 1936 was the driest summer on record, with only 3.5 inches of precipitation (4.6 inches below the long-term average). It was also the hottest summer, with an average temperature of 76.4°F (6.7°F above the long-term average), according to the North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies.