Photo: Bradleygee · CC BY-SA 2.0Belle Fourche’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 42 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Belle Fourche at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Belle Fourche’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Belle Fourche’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Belle Fourche feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 143 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 10 and the first by September 30. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Belle Fourche, SD, 0.7 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Belle Fourche’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −20°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 42 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Belle Fourche, SD, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 19 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 80 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Belle Fourche
91% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Belle Fourche, SD.
Living with Belle Fourche’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
143 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 10 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 30.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 0.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Belle Fourche from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (38%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 26%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Belle Fourche and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Belle Fourche yet.
Climates most like Belle Fourche’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belle Fourche, SD | 13° | 88° | 19" | 42" |
| Alliance, NE | 13° | 88° | 17" | 45" |
| Providence, UT | 15° | 89° | 19" | 44" |
| Glenwood Springs, CO | 14° | 87° | 15" | 39" |
| Lockwood, MT | 15° | 88° | 15" | 35" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Belle Fourche averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.2°).
A smaller shift than in 68% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Belle Fourche compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Belle Fourche’s place among South Dakota’s.
Belle Fourche weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Belle Fourche’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Belle Fourche, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 13° | 0.5" | 5.5" | 5 | 15° – 36° |
| February | 38° | 15° | 0.7" | 6.7" | 5 | 7° – 36° |
| March | 49° | 23° | 1.0" | 7.2" | 5 | 24° – 47° |
| April | 59° | 32° | 2.1" | 5.2" | 7 | 39° – 51° |
| May | 68° | 43° | 3.4" | 1.3" | 10 | 47° – 61° |
| June | 79° | 53° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 60° – 72° |
| July | 88° | 59° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 65° – 79° |
| August | 86° | 56° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 66° – 77° |
| September | 77° | 46° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 56° – 68° |
| October | 61° | 34° | 1.8" | 2.6" | 8 | 39° – 53° |
| November | 47° | 23° | 0.7" | 3.9" | 5 | 24° – 44° |
| December | 37° | 14° | 0.6" | 9.8" | 5 | 15° – 34° |
| Year | 60° | 34° | 19.0" | 42.2" | 80 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 7° to 36°. August is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Belle Fourche’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Belle Fourche’s center.
- Snow: Belle Fourche, SD (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Belle Fourche, SD, 0.7 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft lower; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Belle Fourche’s climate
What is the weather like in Belle Fourche?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 42 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 89% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 68% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Belle Fourche in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 167 nights a year reach 32° or below and 19 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Belle Fourche get?
About 42 inches in a normal winter at Belle Fourche, SD, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Belle Fourche?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 59°. About 38 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Belle Fourche, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Belle Fourche?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 10 and the first fall frost by September 30, about 143 frost-free days, at Belle Fourche, SD.
What growing zone is Belle Fourche in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −20°.
What is the best time of year to visit Belle Fourche?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Belle Fourche getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 68% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Belle Fourche.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.