Rapid City Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

How Often it Snows in Rapid City

The next two tables list monthly and yearly totals for amount of snow and how many days it snows at least 0.1 inches (0.25 centimetres).

10-year snowfall averages at Rapid City, 2010 to 2019

Days		Inches	Centi­metres
2.2	January	5.1	12.9
2.9	February	10.3	26.1
2.4	March	7.8	19.8
2.7	April	10.3	26.1
0.6	May	2.5	6.3
0.1	September	0.2	0.4
0.9	October	3.9	9.9
2.2	November	8.3	21.0
2.5	December	8.4	21.4
16.5	Year	56.7	143.9

30-year snowfall averages at Rapid City, 1991 to 2020

Days		Inches	Centi­metres
6.1	January	5.3	13.5
7.1	February	7.7	19.6
4.1	March	8.4	21.3
4.3	April	10.1	25.7
0.4	May	1.5	3.8
0.1	September	0.1	0.3
1.7	October	3.0	7.6
3.6	November	5.7	14.5
5.4	December	6.7	17.0
32.8	Year	48.5	123.2

These averages don't show how much the snowfall in Rapid City varies from year to year.

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 10.3 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 3.2 inches for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 7.3 inches, while the lightest years get less than 2.5 inches.

New snow for February ranges from over 8.2 inches in heavy snowfall years to under 4.7 inches in light years.

When Rapid City Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

The first snowfall of winter for Rapid City usually arrives in November. But snow can start falling as early as September.

The season's last snowfall typically happens in April. Every few years, May also gets fresh snow.

Rapid City is normally free of snow every year from June to August.

How Many Snowstorms Rapid City Gets

Most days of snowfall in Rapid City leave just a skiff, amounting to less than an inch, of fresh snow on the ground. For 15 days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least an inch.

Snowstorms of over five inches a day normally occur a couple times a year. But major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day are rare events that don't happen every year.

Number of days per month and year on average in Rapid City with a total snowfall of at least 1, 3, 5 or 10 inches

1 inch 2.5 cm	3 inches 7.6 cm		5 inches 12.7 cm	10 inches 25.4 cm
1.9	0.3	January	0.1	0.0
2.6	0.6	February	0.2	0.0
2.2	1.0	March	0.6	0.1
2.7	1.1	April	0.5	0.2
0.3	0.2	May	0.1	0.0
0.9	0.3	October	0.1	0.0
1.7	0.5	November	0.3	0.0
2.5	0.5	December	0.2	0.0
14.8	4.5	Year	2.1	0.3

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Rapid City

For about one-third of winter days, Rapid City has at least an inch of snow on the ground.

Typically, on one or two days a year the snow covering Rapid City builds up to ten or more inches deep.

Average total days per month and year in Rapid City with snow depth of at least 1, 3, 5 or 10 inches on the ground

1 inch 2.5 cm	3 inches 7.6 cm		5 inches 12.7 cm	10 inches 25.4 cm
10.6	4.7	January	1.7	0.5
10.1	4.8	February	2.1	0.3
6.0	3.6	March	1.9	0.4
4.1	2.2	April	1.2	0.3
0.3	0.3	May	0.2	0.0
1.4	0.5	October	0.2	0.0
4.3	2.0	November	1.0	0.0
11.6	4.1	December	0.9	0.0
48.4	22.2	Year	9.2	1.5