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Sure, a Saturday morning right after a foot of fluffy snow is the best thing ever. But that same amount of snow on Tuesday in South Dakota can make a commute last forever. So just imagine it's the dead of winter, and the time of year when the ground is frozen, the air is bone chilling, and there are piles of dirty, nasty ice encrusted snow all over the place.
This is about the time of year when you're just about ready for spring -- especially in Lead, the snowiest place in South Dakota.
So, put on your parkas, snow boots and your gloves and let's go outside to see which South Dakota cities get dumped on the most every year. After analyzing all the cities in South Dakota with a decent amount of people in them, we came up with this list as the 10 snowiest cities in Mount Rushmore State.
The 10 Snowiest Cities In South Dakota For 2022
What's the snowiest place in South Dakota with more than 1,000 people? That would be Lead with an average annual snowfall of 182.2 inches.
Read on below to see where your town ranked, you snow angels.
And if you already knew these places were snowy, check out the best places to live in South Dakota or the cheapest places in South Dakota.
The 10 Snowiest Cities In South Dakota For 2022
/10
Population: 3,082
Average Annual Snowfall: 182.2 inches
More on Lead: Real Estate | Crime Report
/10
Population: 2,054
Average Annual Snowfall: 135.4 inches
More on North Spearfish: Real Estate
/10
Population: 1,211
Average Annual Snowfall: 133.9 inches
More on Deadwood: Real Estate
/10
Population: 10,980
Average Annual Snowfall: 132.1 inches
More on Spearfish: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 6,657
Average Annual Snowfall: 120.2 inches
More on Sturgis: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 5,702
Average Annual Snowfall: 113.2 inches
More on Belle Fourche: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 2,221
Average Annual Snowfall: 57.0 inches
More on Summerset: Real Estate | Crime Report
Population: 1,422
Average Annual Snowfall: 56.2 inches
More on Hill City: Real Estate
/10
Population: 1,899
Average Annual Snowfall: 55.8 inches
More on Custer: Real Estate
/10
Population: 1,284
Average Annual Snowfall: 53.5 inches
More on Clear Lake: Real Estate
How We Determined The Cities In South Dakota With The Most Snow
In order to rank the snowiest cities in South Dakota, we only had to scrape the database of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to see which cities in the Mount Rushmore State get the most annual snowfall.
Before we get too far, here are the annual snowfall rates for major cities:
- Sioux Falls -- 40.6 inches
- Rapid City -- 42.3 inches
- Aberdeen -- 38.3 inches
There's a complete chart at the bottom.
If you're curious, here are the places that get the least amount of snow in South Dakota with at least snow snowfall:
- Clark -- 26.8 inches
- Beresford -- 29.0 inches
- Hot Springs -- 29.4 inches
For more South Dakota reading, check out:
- Best Counties To Live In South Dakota
- Safest Places In South Dakota
- Best Places To Live In South Dakota
Detailed List Of The Snowiest Places In South Dakota
| Rank | City | Snow (Inches) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lead | 182.2 |
| 2 | North Spearfish | 135.4 |
| 3 | Deadwood | 133.9 |
| 4 | Spearfish | 132.1 |
| 5 | Sturgis | 120.2 |
| 6 | Belle Fourche | 113.2 |
| 7 | Summerset | 57.0 |
| 8 | Hill City | 56.2 |
| 9 | Custer | 55.8 |
| 10 | Clear Lake | 53.5 |
| 11 | Winner | 47.0 |
| 12 | Platte | 47.0 |
| 13 | Gregory | 45.4 |
| 14 | Sisseton | 44.4 |
| 15 | Britton | 44.4 |
| 16 | Rapid City | 42.3 |
| 17 | Webster | 42.0 |
| 18 | Huron | 41.6 |
| 19 | Rapid Valley | 41.6 |
| 20 | De Smet | 41.4 |
| 21 | Dell Rapids | 41.3 |
| 22 | Garretson | 41.2 |
| 23 | Lemmon | 40.7 |
| 24 | Sioux Falls | 40.6 |
| 25 | Box Elder | 40.4 |
| 26 | Antelope | 40.4 |
| 27 | Arlington | 40.0 |
| 28 | Oglala | 39.8 |
| 29 | Baltic | 39.6 |
| 30 | Colonial Pine Hills | 39.5 |
| 31 | Gettysburg | 39.5 |
| 32 | Chamberlain | 39.4 |
| 33 | Crooks | 39.4 |
| 34 | Wagner | 39.1 |
| 35 | Brandon | 38.8 |
| 36 | Eagle Butte | 38.8 |
| 37 | North Eagle Butte | 38.7 |
| 38 | Pine Ridge | 38.5 |
| 39 | Rosebud | 38.5 |
| 40 | Mission | 38.5 |
| 41 | Aberdeen | 38.3 |
| 42 | Tea | 38.0 |
| 43 | Howard | 37.6 |
| 44 | Hartford | 37.5 |
| 45 | Blackhawk | 37.3 |
| 46 | Milbank | 37.2 |
| 47 | Madison | 37.1 |
| 48 | Harrisburg | 37.1 |
| 49 | Lennox | 37.0 |
| 50 | Fort Thompson | 37.0 |
| 51 | Redfield | 36.5 |
| 52 | Volga | 36.2 |
| 53 | Parker | 36.1 |
| 54 | Watertown | 36.0 |
| 55 | Freeman | 36.0 |
| 56 | Tyndall | 36.0 |
| 57 | Porcupine | 35.6 |
| 58 | Salem | 35.5 |
| 59 | Parkston | 35.4 |
| 60 | Yankton | 34.8 |
| 61 | Ipswich | 34.7 |
| 62 | Miller | 34.4 |
| 63 | Springfield | 34.1 |
| 64 | Groton | 34.1 |
| 65 | Mitchell | 34.0 |
| 66 | Elk Point | 33.7 |
| 67 | Fort Pierre | 33.3 |
| 68 | Pierre | 32.8 |
| 69 | Vermillion | 32.7 |
| 70 | Flandreau | 32.7 |
| 71 | Brookings | 32.4 |
| 72 | North Sioux City | 31.6 |
| 73 | Mobridge | 31.5 |
| 74 | Canton | 30.2 |
| 75 | Hot Springs | 29.4 |
| 76 | Beresford | 29.0 |
| 77 | Clark | 26.8 |
| 78 | Dakota Dunes | nan |
