Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Box Elder’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 49 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Box Elder at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Box Elder’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Box Elder’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Box Elder feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 139 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 12 and the first by October 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Rapid City Rgnl Airport, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Box Elder’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −16°. 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 49 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Rapid City Rgnl Airport, falls mostly in April. 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 96 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Box Elder
92% 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 Rapid City Rgnl Airport.
Living with Box Elder’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
139 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 12 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 5.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Box Elder from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (47%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 23%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Box Elder and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Box Elder in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Box Elder’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Box Elder, SD | 14° | 86° | 19" | 49" |
| Colorado Springs, CO | 17° | 86° | 18" | 55" |
| Doney Park, AZ | 17° | 86° | 16" | 52" |
| Laurel, MT | 15° | 88° | 14" | 48" |
| Cheyenne, WY | 16° | 85° | 15" | 65" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Box Elder averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.9°).
A bigger shift than in 57% 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 Box Elder compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Box Elder’s place among South Dakota’s.
Box Elder weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Box Elder’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Rapid City Rgnl Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 14° | 0.4" | 5.3" | 6 | 11 | 16° – 36° |
| February | 39° | 15° | 0.6" | 7.7" | 7 | 10 | 10° – 37° |
| March | 49° | 24° | 1.1" | 8.4" | 7 | 6 | 23° – 49° |
| April | 57° | 32° | 2.1" | 10.1" | 11 | 4 | 38° – 51° |
| May | 67° | 43° | 3.6" | 1.5" | 13 | 0 | 48° – 60° |
| June | 78° | 53° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 59° – 72° |
| July | 86° | 60° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 79° |
| August | 85° | 58° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| September | 76° | 48° | 1.3" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| October | 61° | 35° | 1.4" | 3.0" | 7 | 1 | 39° – 54° |
| November | 48° | 24° | 0.5" | 5.7" | 5 | 4 | 25° – 45° |
| December | 38° | 15° | 0.4" | 6.7" | 5 | 12 | 17° – 34° |
| Year | 60° | 35° | 18.5" | 48.5" | 96 | 48 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 10° to 37°. August is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Box Elder’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 Box Elder’s center.
- Snow: Rapid City Rgnl Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Rapid City Rgnl Airport, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Box Elder’s climate
What is the weather like in Box Elder?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 49 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 88% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Box Elder in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 174 nights a year reach 32° or below and 18 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Box Elder get?
About 49 inches in a normal winter at Rapid City Rgnl Airport, most of it in April, with snow on the ground about 48 days a year.
How hot does it get in Box Elder?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 60°. About 32 days a year reach 90° and 5 reach 100° (Rapid City Rgnl Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Box Elder?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 12 and the first fall frost by October 1, about 139 frost-free days, at Rapid City Rgnl Airport.
What growing zone is Box Elder in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −16°.
What is the best time of year to visit Box Elder?
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 Box Elder getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 57% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Box Elder.
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.