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. 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 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 Saturday Night Science, we came up with this list as the 10 snowiest cities in Mount Rushmore State.
182.2 inches of snow per year
Lead is a city in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 3,124 at the 2010 census. Lead is located in western South Dakota, in the Black Hills near the Wyoming state line.
135.4 inches of snow per year
133.9 inches of snow per year
132.1 inches of snow per year
Located in
Lawrence County, South Dakota
Spearfish is a city in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 10,494 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
120.2 inches of snow per year
Located in
Meade County, South Dakota
Sturgis is a city in Meade County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 6,627 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Meade County and is named after Union General Samuel D. Sturgis.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
113.2 inches of snow per year
Located in
Butte County, South Dakota
Belle Fourche is a city in and the county seat of Butte County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 5,594 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
57.0 inches of snow per year
56.2 inches of snow per year
55.8 inches of snow per year
53.5 inches of snow per year
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is South Dakota’s statewide median.
On the map
Where South Dakota’s snowiest cities are
Saturday Night Science
How We Determined The Cities In South Dakota With The Most Snow
In order to rank the snowiest cities in South Dakota, we used Saturday Night Science and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database, to see which cities in the Mount Rushmore State get the most annual snowfall.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our second time ranking the snowiest cities in South Dakota.
Before we get too far, here are the annual snowfall rates for major cities: Sioux Falls (40.6 inches), Rapid City (42.3 inches), and Aberdeen (38.3 inches).
The snowiest cities in South Dakota are Lead, North Spearfish, Deadwood, Spearfish, Sturgis, Belle Fourche, Summerset, Hill City, Custer, and Clear Lake.
There’s a complete chart at the bottom.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Snowiest Places In South Dakota
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Snow (Inches) | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lead | 182.2 | 3,082 |
| 2 | North Spearfish | 135.4 | 2,054 |
| 3 | Deadwood | 133.9 | 1,211 |
| 4 | Spearfish | 132.1 | 10,980 |
| 5 | Sturgis | 120.2 | 6,657 |
| 6 | Belle Fourche | 113.2 | 5,702 |
| 7 | Summerset | 57.0 | 2,221 |
| 8 | Hill City | 56.2 | 1,422 |
| 9 | Custer | 55.8 | 1,899 |
| 10 | Clear Lake | 53.5 | 1,284 |
| 11 | Winner | 47.0 | 2,855 |
| 12 | Platte | 47.0 | 1,543 |
| 13 | Gregory | 45.4 | 1,479 |
| 14 | Sisseton | 44.4 | 2,668 |
| 15 | Britton | 44.4 | 1,522 |
| 16 | Rapid City | 42.3 | 71,692 |
| 17 | Webster | 42.0 | 1,798 |
| 18 | Huron | 41.6 | 13,159 |
| 19 | Rapid Valley | 41.6 | 8,516 |
| 20 | De Smet | 41.4 | 1,171 |
| 21 | Dell Rapids | 41.3 | 3,693 |
| 22 | Garretson | 41.2 | 1,210 |
| 23 | Lemmon | 40.7 | 1,309 |
| 24 | Sioux Falls | 40.6 | 164,341 |
| 25 | Box Elder | 40.4 | 8,959 |
| 26 | Antelope | 40.4 | 1,126 |
| 27 | Arlington | 40.0 | 1,013 |
| 28 | Oglala | 39.8 | 1,404 |
| 29 | Baltic | 39.6 | 1,070 |
| 30 | Colonial Pine Hills | 39.5 | 1,906 |
| 31 | Gettysburg | 39.5 | 1,260 |
| 32 | Chamberlain | 39.4 | 2,582 |
| 33 | Crooks | 39.4 | 1,329 |
| 34 | Wagner | 39.1 | 1,572 |
| 35 | Brandon | 38.8 | 9,497 |
| 36 | Eagle Butte | 38.8 | 1,271 |
| 37 | North Eagle Butte | 38.7 | 2,091 |
| 38 | Pine Ridge | 38.5 | 3,562 |
| 39 | Rosebud | 38.5 | 1,665 |
| 40 | Mission | 38.5 | 1,211 |
| 41 | Aberdeen | 38.3 | 27,418 |
| 42 | Tea | 38.0 | 4,427 |
| 43 | Howard | 37.6 | 1,094 |
| 44 | Hartford | 37.5 | 2,887 |
| 45 | Blackhawk | 37.3 | 2,893 |
| 46 | Milbank | 37.2 | 3,269 |
| 47 | Madison | 37.1 | 6,972 |
| 48 | Harrisburg | 37.1 | 4,942 |
| 49 | Lennox | 37.0 | 2,371 |
| 50 | Fort Thompson | 37.0 | 1,286 |
| 51 | Redfield | 36.5 | 2,581 |
| 52 | Volga | 36.2 | 2,401 |
| 53 | Parker | 36.1 | 1,142 |
| 54 | Watertown | 36.0 | 21,919 |
| 55 | Freeman | 36.0 | 1,298 |
| 56 | Tyndall | 36.0 | 1,043 |
| 57 | Porcupine | 35.6 | 1,369 |
| 58 | Salem | 35.5 | 1,476 |
| 59 | Parkston | 35.4 | 1,691 |
| 60 | Yankton | 34.8 | 14,531 |
| 61 | Ipswich | 34.7 | 1,002 |
| 62 | Miller | 34.4 | 1,537 |
| 63 | Springfield | 34.1 | 1,942 |
| 64 | Groton | 34.1 | 1,873 |
| 65 | Mitchell | 34.0 | 15,543 |
| 66 | Elk Point | 33.7 | 2,080 |
| 67 | Fort Pierre | 33.3 | 2,244 |
| 68 | Pierre | 32.8 | 13,938 |
| 69 | Vermillion | 32.7 | 10,746 |
| 70 | Flandreau | 32.7 | 2,082 |
| 71 | Brookings | 32.4 | 22,974 |
| 72 | North Sioux City | 31.6 | 2,597 |
| 73 | Mobridge | 31.5 | 3,302 |
| 74 | Canton | 30.2 | 3,258 |
| 75 | Hot Springs | 29.4 | 3,542 |
| 76 | Beresford | 29.0 | 2,211 |
| 77 | Clark | 26.8 | 1,141 |
| 78 | Dakota Dunes | 2,970 |
Source: NOAA snowfall data via Saturday Night Science. 78 South Dakota cities ranked.
Summary
Summary: The Snowiest Cities In South Dakota For 2026
If you’re looking for the South Dakota cities that get buried in snow each winter, this is an accurate list.
The snowiest cities in South Dakota are Lead, North Spearfish, Deadwood, Spearfish, Sturgis, Belle Fourche, Summerset, Hill City, Custer, and Clear Lake. Not sold on South Dakota? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Snowiest Cities In South Dakota FAQs
What is the snowiest city in South Dakota?
Lead is the snowiest city in South Dakota for 2026, with 182.2 inches of snow in an average year, per NOAA data. North Spearfish and Deadwood are next.
What are the snowiest cities in South Dakota?
The snowiest cities in South Dakota are Lead, North Spearfish, Deadwood, Spearfish, Sturgis, Belle Fourche, Summerset, Hill City, Custer, and Clear Lake. We ranked all 78 South Dakota cities with measurable snowfall.
How much snow do South Dakota’s biggest cities get?
Sioux Falls averages 40.6 inches of snow a year, Rapid City gets 42.3, and Aberdeen gets 38.3. Wherever you land in South Dakota, the shovel situation varies a lot.
Which city on the list gets the least snow?
Dakota Dunes gets the least snow of the 78 South Dakota cities with measurable snowfall. It still made the list, which is more than most of the Sun Belt can say.
Where does the snowfall data come from?
Average annual snowfall comes from NOAA weather station records. Cities are ranked purely on that average — no bonus points for dramatic blizzard stories.
