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Soil Moisture in South Dakota

Across 5 monitoring stations in South Dakota, 2 are about normal, and 3 are drier than normal. Last updated July 18, 2026.

How This Is Measured

Every reading here is measured by an in-ground sensor at USDA SCAN (Soil Climate Analysis Network) and NOAA USCRN (US Climate Reference Network) stations, at or near the 2-inch root-zone depth, not modeled. A raw moisture percentage is not comparable between two soils, so each station is compared against its own history for the date. That comparison, wetter or drier than this station normally is, is the honest signal.

Stations Measuring Soil Moisture in South Dakota (5)

Soil moisture stations in South Dakotawith the current reading, depth, and how it compares to the station’s own history
StationDepthMoisturevs. NormalLast Reading
Eros Data Center2"19%Drier than normal2026-07-18
Aberdeen 35 WNW2"12%Normal for this time of year2026-07-18
Buffalo 13 ESE2"15%Drier than normal2026-07-18
Pierre 24 S2"18%Normal for this time of year2026-07-18
Sioux Falls 14 NNE2"15%Drier than normal2026-07-18

Moisture is the volumetric water content at the sensor. It is not comparable between soils, which is why the “vs. normal” comparison against each station’s own history is the reading to trust. A dash means that station does not yet have enough of its own history for a confident comparison.

Cities in South Dakota (9)

Open a city for its nearest station’s current soil moisture and temperature, planting windows, and lawn-care timing.

Cities in South Dakota with soil moisture and temperature pages
CityZIP
Aberdeen57401
Brandon57005
Brookings57006
Chamberlain57325
Huron57350
Milbank57252
Rapid City57701
Sioux Falls57101
Spearfish57783

Soil Moisture FAQ for South Dakota

How wet is the soil in South Dakota right now?

Across 5 monitoring stations in South Dakota, 2 are about normal, and 3 are drier than normal. Last updated July 18, 2026. Each station is compared against its own moisture history for the date, so the reading means the same thing everywhere.

Where does South Dakota soil moisture data come from?

Every value is measured by an in-ground sensor, not estimated from a weather model. Readings come from the USDA SCAN network and NOAA USCRN stations, at or near the 2-inch root-zone depth (some stations report at the nearest available depth), and are refreshed daily.

What does wetter or drier than normal mean?

For each station, the current reading is compared against that station's own readings around this date across several years, after leaving out frozen-soil days. A raw moisture percentage is not comparable between two different soils, so the comparison against a station's own history is what makes the reading meaningful.

See the national soil moisture map, the full South Dakota soil temperature directory (all depths), or the live national soil temperature map.