#1Lead
Lawrence County · 3,064 people40 days a year with an inch or more·Lead station, 2 km
Lead, #1 on this list · Photo: Gary Chancey, Black Hills National Forest · Public domainSouth Dakota rankings · Climate
Snowiest towns in South Dakota
Lead gets the most snow of South Dakota’s 35 towns of 2,500+ with a snow record: about 184 inches in a normal winter at its NOAA station. Hot Springs gets the least, about 32 inches; 2 of the 35 average 60 inches or more.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020, at each town’s nearest station with a snow record (named in each row). A described list: no letters. How grades work
#1184in
#2Spearfish
Lawrence County · 14,154 people18 days a year with an inch or more·Spearfish station, 4 km
#3Winner
Tripp County · 2,969 people15 days a year with an inch or more·Winner station, 2 km
All 35 towns
Snow in a normal winter, most first. Towns that share a station share its figure and rank (T = tied; 16 towns here share a station).
35 towns ranked. Not here? See why a town may be missing.
#TownSnow a yearDays with 1″+NOAA station
A station’s normal can differ from the town’s own when the station sits higher or lower; each town’s Climate page names its station and checks it.
Quick answers
Questions people ask
Which South Dakota town gets the most snow?
Lead (Lawrence County), about 184 inches in a normal winter at the Lead station.
What part of South Dakota gets the least amount of snow?
Among towns of 2,500+, the least snow falls in Hot Springs (Fall River County, about 32 in), Milbank (Grant County, about 32 in), Brookings (Brookings County, about 36 in), on NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals at each town’s station. See the towns with the least snow.
Why isn’t my town on this list?
The list covers towns of 2,500+ residents (35 in South Dakota) whose nearest station has a snow normal of an inch or more; 0 have no station with a snow record. Smaller towns show their snow on their own Climate page.
Go deeper
All South Dakota rankings →More South Dakota lists
Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.
Best places to live35 towns · #1 BrandonBest small towns21 towns · #1 LennoxMost affordable towns35 towns · #1 MilbankSafest towns23 towns · #1 Hot SpringsTowns with the best schools35 towns · #1 Brandon and Split Rock TownshipHealthiest towns35 towns · #1 Dakota DunesBest towns for jobs & income35 towns · #1 Split Rock TownshipMost walkable towns35 towns · #1 SturgisTowns with the lowest natural-hazard risk35 towns · #1 Split Rock TownshipBest towns for the outdoors35 towns · #1 SpearfishMost historic towns35 towns · #1 LeadTowns with the most civic life31 towns · #1 CantonTowns with the least snow35 towns · #1 Hot SpringsDescribed, no lettersTowns with the mildest winters37 towns · #1 SpearfishDescribed, no lettersTowns with the hottest summers37 towns · #1 WinnerDescribed, no lettersTowns with the coolest summers37 towns · #1 LeadDescribed, no lettersTowns with the highest incomes35 towns · #1 Split Rock TownshipDescribed, no lettersTowns with the lowest property taxes35 towns · #1 WinnerDescribed, no lettersFastest-growing towns30 towns · #1 HarrisburgDescribed, no lettersTowns with the most-used libraries15 towns · #1 CantonDescribed, no letters
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