South Dakota ยท season guide
Sledding season in Rapid City
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Rapid City Rgnl Airport weather station, about 12 miles from the middle of our Rapid City hill list show October as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (3 inches). The normals are monthly averages, so they can't give a first-snow date. Some years come early, some late.
October snow is part of the record here: the normal for that month is 3 inches.
Unusually, March (8.4 inches) averages more snow than December (6.7 inches), so the season runs late.
Across a normal year the station records about 48.5 inches of snow. That puts Rapid City at 46 of 98 metros on this site, ranked from snowiest down.
Snow doesn't sit around long, though. Only about 48 days a year have an inch or more on the ground, which is low for this much snowfall. Go soon after a storm.
For comparison, Casper, the nearest metro on our list, averages 71.8 inches, more than here.
All 3 hills we list here come from local sources rather than the park or city.
Month by month
| Month | Average snowfall | Days with 1 inch or more of new snow | Days with 1 inch or more on the ground |
|---|---|---|---|
| October | 3 inches | 0.9 | 1.4 |
| November | 5.7 inches | 1.7 | 4.3 |
| December | 6.7 inches | 2.5 | 11.6 |
| January | 5.3 inches | 1.9 | 10.6 |
| February | 7.7 inches | 2.6 | 10.1 |
| March | 8.4 inches | 2.2 | 6.0 |
| April | 10.1 inches | 2.7 | 4.1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00024090. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
None of the sources we used for Rapid City mention lights on a sledding hill. Plan on daylight, and see our national lit hills list if you're travelling.
Local rules
We didn't find a city-wide sledding rule for Rapid City in the sources we checked. Individual parks may post their own signs, and those win.
Short answers
When does it usually start snowing in Rapid City?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Rapid City Rgnl Airport station, October is the first month averaging an inch of snow or more. The normals are monthly averages, not a date.
How much snow does Rapid City get in a year?
About 48.5 inches a year at the Rapid City Rgnl Airport station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in Rapid City?
None of the sources we used mention lights. Plan on daylight.
Updated