Snow Day Predictor for South Dakota

Browse snow day predictions for all 22 cities in South Dakota. Select your city to check tomorrow's school closure forecast.

Every city below links to its own live snow day forecast for South Dakota. Find your city in the alphabetical list and click it to check today's snowfall probability and school closure forecast.

About South Dakota

South Dakota sits in the northern Great Plains, bordered by North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana. It became the 40th state on November 2, 1889, the same day as North Dakota, in an order President Benjamin Harrison deliberately obscured. The Census Bureau estimated the population at roughly 935,000 in 2025, one of the smallest state totals in the nation. Agriculture anchors the economy: cattle, corn, soybeans, wheat, and hogs top the list of exports, and South Dakota ranks among the top ethanol-producing states. Tourism runs a close second, pulling millions toward Mount Rushmore, Badlands National Park, and the Black Hills. The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally alone drew over 739,000 riders in 2015, nearly matching the state's entire population that year. Terrain splits the state's winter risk in two. East of the Missouri River, Sioux Falls and the James River Valley sit flat and exposed, much like neighboring North Dakota, where wind turns modest snow into a ground blizzard fast. West of the river, the Black Hills add elevation, and Rapid City can dodge a storm that buries Lead under two feet.

South Dakota Snow Day Climate and School Closures

How South Dakota's Climate Affects Snow Days

NOAA's 30-year normals put average annual snowfall at 48.5 inches in Rapid City, 45.3 inches in Sioux Falls, and 38.4 inches in Aberdeen, lighter than states to the north. The Black Hills push totals dramatically higher at elevation, while the flat eastern plains rely on wind, not depth, to shut schools down.

The January 12, 1888 Schoolhouse Blizzard struck without warning during unseasonable warmth, killing 235 people across the Dakota Territory and neighboring states, many of them children walking home from country schools. (National Weather Service, Aberdeen, SD)

What Causes School Closures in South Dakota

Wind, not snow depth, decides most closures on South Dakota's eastern plains, where flat terrain turns a few inches into a whiteout ground blizzard in minutes. In the Black Hills, elevation changes everything, Lead and Deadwood can sit under two feet while Rapid City sees rain. Rural bus routes stretching 30-plus miles complicate every call.

Explore Snow Day Predictions Across South Dakota

South Dakota has 22 cities covered by the Snow Day Predictor. Predictions are updated hourly using real-time weather data from Open-Meteo.

Popular Cities to Check in South Dakota

Sioux Falls. Sioux Falls, the state's largest city near 210,000 residents, sits on flat plains where wind, not depth, decides closures. A few inches with 40 mph gusts shuts schools faster than a calm foot of snow.

Rapid City. Rapid City, gateway to the Black Hills, averages 48.5 inches of snow yearly under NOAA's 1991-2020 normals. Terrain nearby climbs past 5,000 feet, and storms dumping two feet on Lead can leave Rapid City bare.

Pierre. Pierre, the small capital city on the Missouri River, averages 37.2 inches of snow annually. With under 14,000 residents and few high-rises to block gusts, open river-bottom terrain lets wind pile drifts across Highway 14.

Aberdeen. Aberdeen anchors the northeast corner near the James River Valley, averaging 38.4 inches of snow a year. Farm country surrounds the city, and rural bus routes running 20-plus miles push districts to call closures early.

Brookings. Brookings, home to South Dakota State University, sits in the exposed eastern plains near the Minnesota border. SDSU closed its campus for a weekend in March 2024 when heavy snow and wind hit hard.

Spearfish. Spearfish sits at the mouth of Spearfish Canyon in the northern Black Hills, shaped by chinook winds. On January 22, 1943, the temperature rose 49 degrees in two minutes, one of the fastest swings recorded.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Snow Days in South Dakota

How do South Dakota schools decide to call a snow day?

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Superintendents make the call, usually before 6 a.m., weighing road reports from SD511, wind chill forecasts from NWS Sioux Falls, Aberdeen, or Rapid City, and how far rural buses must travel. Districts running routes over 30 miles tend to close earlier than compact districts like Sioux Falls, where plow crews clear main roads within hours of a storm's start.

Do South Dakota schools still take traditional snow days?

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Fewer than they used to. Rapid City Area Schools dropped built-in snow days years ago and shifted to remote learning instead, so students log on from home rather than losing a day outright. Sioux Falls and several other districts have adopted similar e-learning days, though smaller rural districts without reliable broadband still call full closures.

Why do the Black Hills and the eastern plains see such different snow patterns?

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Elevation. The Black Hills rise well over a mile in places, wringing extra moisture from Pacific storms and dumping heavy, wet snow on towns like Lead and Deadwood while Rapid City stays dry a few miles away. The eastern plains sit flat and low by comparison, so storms there spread out evenly but let wind do the damage instead.

What makes a ground blizzard so dangerous in South Dakota?

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A ground blizzard needs almost no new snow, just loose snow already on the ground and sustained wind above 35 mph. Visibility can drop to near zero on I-90 or I-29 within minutes, which is why the Highway Patrol closes interstate stretches during these events even when the sky overhead looks clear and no storm is anywhere in sight.

What was the worst blizzard in South Dakota history?

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The Schoolhouse Blizzard of January 12, 1888, also known as the Children's Blizzard, remains the deadliest in state history. The Black Hills largely escaped the death toll, per NWS Rapid City, though temperatures crashed to -25 degrees and rail and telegraph lines stayed blocked for days. October 2013's Winter Storm Atlas was the costlier modern disaster, killing tens of thousands of cattle across the region.

Where can South Dakota parents check road and weather conditions before a storm?

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SD511 posts real-time road conditions and closures statewide, while the National Weather Service offices in Sioux Falls, Aberdeen, and Rapid City issue winter storm warnings for their respective regions. The South Dakota Office of Emergency Management also publishes a winter preparedness guide ahead of each season for households and schools alike. Drivers can also dial 511 from any South Dakota phone for a recorded conditions report.