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In South Dakota, Lewis and Clark Lake is a reservoir used for time on and around the water. At around 31,400 acres (about 49 square miles), it is a large waterbody. Nearby alternatives include Lewis and Clark Lake. Coverage here includes an hourly and 7-day forecast, wind and gust outlook, and activity scores for boating, paddling, and swimming. Forecasts for Lewis and Clark Lake come from the National Weather Service and refresh several times a day.
Updated
Latest source update is older than expected. Use caution and check the official source.
The last automated check (Oct 11, 8:18 AM CDT) found no active alerts for this lake, but that check is older than LakeRadar's alert freshness window, so the current alert status could not be confirmed.
Confirm before heading out: official alerts for this area or weather.gov/alerts. LakeRadar scores summarize available conditions and are not a substitute for official warnings, local rules, or on-water judgment.
Overall Good (85/100) across 4 activities. Best right now: Fishing (88/100).
How the score is calculated →Best excellent fishing window, averaging 95/100 across these hours. Wind 5 mph from the northeast. Dawn hours (07:00 local). Derived from the hourly forecast; official alerts are not forecast and are checked separately.
| Metric | 3p | 4p | 5p | 6p | 7p | 8p | 9p | 10p | 11p | 12a | 1a | 2a | 3a | 4a | 5a | 6a | 7a | 8a | 9a | 10a | 11a | 12p | 1p | 2p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°F) | 72° | 76° | 79° | 82° | 85° | 86° | 86° | 84° | 81° | 76° | 72° | 67° | 68° | 67° | 66° | 67° | 66° | 65° | 64° | 63° | 62° | 61° | 62° | 63° |
| Wind (kts) | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Direction | SW | SW | S | S | SW | SW | SW | SW | W | NW | NW | NW | N | NW | NW | NW | NW | NW | NW | NW | N | NE | N | N |
| Gusts (kts) | 19 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Precip % | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 2% |
| Time | Temp | Wind | Gusts | Precip | Cloud | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, 10 AM CDT | 72°F | 10 mph SSW (203°) | 22 mph | 0% | 17% | Sunny |
| Sun, 11 AM CDT | 76°F | 10 mph SSW (203°) | 17 mph | 0% | 25% | Sunny |
| Sun, 12 PM CDT | 79°F | 10 mph S (180°) | 14 mph | 0% | 33% | Mostly Sunny |
| Sun, 1 PM CDT | 82°F | 10 mph S (180°) | 14 mph | 0% | 41% | Mostly Sunny |
| Sun, 2 PM CDT | 85°F | 10 mph SSW (203°) | 14 mph | 0% | 56% | Partly Sunny |
| Sun, 3 PM CDT | 86°F | 10 mph SSW (203°) | 14 mph | 0% | 71% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Sun, 4 PM CDT | 86°F | 10 mph SSW (203°) | 12 mph | 0% | 87% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Sun, 5 PM CDT | 84°F | 5 mph SW (225°) | 12 mph | 0% | 77% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Sun, 6 PM CDT | 81°F | 5 mph W (270°) | 10 mph | 0% | 68% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Sun, 7 PM CDT | 76°F | 5 mph WNW (293°) | 12 mph | 2% | 59% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Sun, 8 PM CDT | 72°F | 5 mph WNW (293°) | 14 mph | 2% | 50% | Partly Cloudy |
| Sun, 9 PM CDT | 67°F | 10 mph NW (315°) | 18 mph | 2% | 41% | Partly Cloudy |
| Sun, 10 PM CDT | 68°F | 10 mph NNW (338°) | 21 mph | 2% | 33% | Partly Cloudy |
| Sun, 11 PM CDT | 67°F | 5 mph WNW (293°) | 14 mph | 2% | 34% | Partly Cloudy |
| Mon, 12 AM CDT | 66°F | 5 mph NW (315°) | 13 mph | 2% | 18% | Mostly Clear |
| Mon, 1 AM CDT | 67°F | 5 mph NW (315°) | 10 mph | 3% | 9% | Mostly Clear |
| Mon, 2 AM CDT | 66°F | 5 mph NW (315°) | 9 mph | 3% | 23% | Mostly Clear |
| Mon, 3 AM CDT | 65°F | 5 mph WNW (293°) | 8 mph | 3% | 29% | Partly Cloudy |
| Mon, 4 AM CDT | 64°F | 5 mph WNW (293°) | 7 mph | 3% | 29% | Partly Cloudy |
| Mon, 5 AM CDT | 63°F | 5 mph NW (315°) | 7 mph | 3% | 43% | Partly Cloudy |
| Mon, 6 AM CDT | 62°F | 5 mph N (0°) | 7 mph | 3% | 48% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 7 AM CDT | 61°F | 5 mph NE (45°) | 7 mph | 3% | 52% | Partly Sunny |
| Mon, 8 AM CDT | 62°F | 5 mph N (0°) | 8 mph | 3% | 69% | Partly Sunny |
| Mon, 9 AM CDT | 63°F | 5 mph NNW (338°) | 9 mph | 2% | 64% | Partly Sunny |
| Mon, 10 AM CDT | 67°F | 5 mph WNW (293°) | 10 mph | 2% | 48% | Mostly Sunny |
Official National Weather Service hourly forecast. Showing 10 of 25 hours. Wind arrows point the way the wind is blowing; the compass point and degrees show where it comes from.
| Period | Overnight October 11, 2026 | Sunday October 11, 2026 | Today October 11, 2026 | Tonight October 11, 2026 | Columbus Day October 12, 2026 | Monday Night October 12, 2026 | Tuesday October 13, 2026 | Tuesday Night October 13, 2026 | Wednesday October 14, 2026 | Wednesday Night October 14, 2026 | Thursday October 15, 2026 | Thursday Night October 15, 2026 | Friday October 16, 2026 | Friday Night October 16, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°F) | 68° | 85° | 87° | 61° | 79° | 51° | 67° | 50° | 65° | 49° | 61° | 44° | 55° | 37° |
| Wind | S 10 to 15 mph | S 10 mph | SW 5 to 10 mph | NW 5 to 10 mph | NNW 5 to 15 mph | NW 10 to 15 mph | NNW 5 to 10 mph | N 5 mph | NE 5 to 10 mph | ENE 5 to 10 mph | NNE 10 to 15 mph | NW 10 to 15 mph | NW 15 to 20 mph | NW 5 to 10 mph |
| Gusts | 25 mph | 25 mph | 25 mph | 25 mph | 25 mph | 25 mph | 17 mph | 13 mph | 18 mph | 16 mph | 25 mph | 25 mph | 33 mph | 22 mph |
| Precip % | 0% | 1% | 0% | 3% | 3% | 1% | 1% | 9% | 17% | 55% | 55% | 33% | 12% | 4% |
| Forecast |
Good for fishing (88/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 10 mph from the south-southwest. 0% chance of precipitation. Not available from a verified source for this lake: pressure trend, water temperature. Confidence is moderate (74%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Good for boating (81/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: No active official alerts for this lake. Wind 10 mph from the south-southwest. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility and conditions, verified water access. Confidence is moderate (84%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Good for sailing (87/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 10 mph from the SSW is in the preferred sailing range. No active official alerts for this lake. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility. Confidence is high (88%).
Good for kayaking (81/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 10 mph from the south-southwest. No active official alerts for this lake. Confidence is high (90%).
Water temperature is not available from a verified source for this lake. No swimming score is shown without it.
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Individual boat ramp GPS coordinates are maintained under the jurisdiction of SD Parks & Wildlife Authority. Public boaters should verify seasonal launch water levels, gate hours, and daily vehicle/vessel fees before traveling.
Lewis and Clark Lake is a well-known freshwater reservoir in SD, providing refreshing open water and abundant outdoor recreation. Anglers value its seasonal bite while recreational boaters enjoy expansive open water corridors. Checking active weather advisories and water temperatures ensures a rewarding visit.
Valid freshwater sport fishing license issued by South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (SDGFP) is required for anglers age 16+. Digital license on mobile is accepted.
Current motorized watercraft registration mandatory. Practice Clean, Drain & Dry protocols: drain all livewells and inspect props before launching. Life jackets required for all passengers.
Public shoreline and boating access managed by State & Local Authorities. Verify seasonal gate hours, launch fees, and parking rules before travel.
High-speed motorboating, pontoon cruising, wakeboarding, and water skiing across main channels. Target gamefish include Green Sunfish, White Bass, Paddlefish, Largemouth Bass. Morning hours typically provide optimal glassy conditions for kayak and stand-up paddleboard (SUP) touring.
Warm water temperatures, peak swimming, active watersports, and open full-service campgrounds. Highest weekly attendance; plan early arrivals on summer weekends.
Spring pre-spawn and fall feeding transitions create prime trophy angling conditions. Cooler air, lower boat traffic, and vibrant seasonal shoreline foliage.
Northern cold winter conditions with freezing air temperatures and potential surface ice formation. Ramps and water systems may be winterized. Confirm open status before visiting.
No external source rows are cited by the data currently shown on this page.
Updated
Scores are heuristics, not safety guarantees. LakeRadar scores summarize available conditions and are not a substitute for official warnings, local rules, or on-water judgment.
All telemetry for Lewis and Clark Lake is synchronized directly from authorized federal and state monitoring networks (USGS, NWS, NOAA, and state environmental authorities). Observations are strictly instrumented readings — unmonitored sensors are transparently disclosed rather than synthetic estimates.
Last source audit: Oct 11, 10:03 AM CDT