Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Winter nights in Hill City are colder than in 92% of U.S. towns
July afternoons average 80°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 92% of U.S. towns. January has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.4° rise. The outdoor season runs from June to September, with highs of 70–80°.
A year in Hill City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hill City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hill City’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Hill City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 102 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 1 and the first by September 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Hill City, SD, 0.6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hill City’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −21°. 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 67 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Hill City, SD, falls mostly in April. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 22 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 104 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Hill City
97% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Hill City, SD.
Living with Hill City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
102 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by Jun 1 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 10.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 0.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Hill City from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hill City and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Hill City yet.
Climates most like Hill City’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hill City, SD | 11° | 80° | 22" | 67" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
| Whitefish, MT | 17° | 82° | 18" | 63" |
| Gleneagle, CO | 14° | 84° | 21" | 55" |
| Kingsford, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
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 Hill City averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.9°).
A smaller shift than in 50% 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 Hill City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hill City’s place among South Dakota’s.
Hill City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Hill City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Hill City, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 11° | 0.4" | 6.1" | 5 | 16 | 16° – 32° |
| February | 37° | 11° | 0.7" | 8.7" | 7 | 13 | 10° – 33° |
| March | 45° | 19° | 1.1" | 11.6" | 7 | 10 | 21° – 43° |
| April | 52° | 27° | 2.4" | 13.8" | 11 | 5 | 33° – 45° |
| May | 61° | 36° | 4.2" | 4.1" | 14 | 1 | 44° – 54° |
| June | 72° | 46° | 3.5" | 0.3" | 12 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| July | 80° | 52° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 71° |
| August | 79° | 50° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 60° – 68° |
| September | 70° | 41° | 1.6" | 1.0" | 8 | 0 | 49° – 61° |
| October | 56° | 29° | 1.6" | 6.5" | 8 | 3 | 34° – 48° |
| November | 45° | 19° | 0.6" | 7.5" | 5 | 8 | 23° – 41° |
| December | 37° | 12° | 0.5" | 7.0" | 5 | 14 | 15° – 30° |
| Year | 56° | 29° | 22.2" | 66.6" | 104 | 68 |
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 33°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Hill City’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 Hill City’s center.
- Snow: Hill City, SD (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Hill City, SD, 0.6 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 Hill City’s climate
What is the weather like in Hill City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 67 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hill City in winter?
January nights average 11°. About 212 nights a year reach 32° or below and 26 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Hill City get?
About 67 inches in a normal winter at Hill City, SD, most of it in April, with snow on the ground about 68 days a year.
How hot does it get in Hill City?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 52°. About 8 days a year reach 90° (Hill City, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Hill City?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 1 and the first fall frost by September 10, about 102 frost-free days, at Hill City, SD.
What growing zone is Hill City in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −21°.
What is the best time of year to visit Hill City?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Hill City getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 50% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Hill City.
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.