Black Hills South Dakota Weather & Seasons

The Missouri River runs through the central part of South Dakota. To the east of the river lie low hills and lakes formed by glaciers. Fertile farm country covers the area.

To the west of the Missouri River, the land consists of deep canyons and rolling plains.

South Dakota is comprised of four major land regions; the Drift Prairie, the Dissected Till Plains, the Great Plains, and the Black Hills. These all lend themselves to differing weather systems.

The Sunshine State: South Dakota has been promoted as "The Sunshine State" in state publications promoting tourism because of the great percentage of sunshine that is present during the year.

Conversely, the severe winter weather of South Dakota led to another nickname; The Blizzard State. Needless to say, those who promoted South Dakota as The Sunshine State weren’t too fond of this particular nickname, for Texas is also known as "The Blizzard State."

South Dakota has also been referred to as "The Land of Plenty" and "The Land of Infinite Variety." When both North and South Dakota are the subject, they are sometimes referred to as The Twin Sisters.

Highest Temperature The highest temperature recorded in South Dakota is 120°, Fahrenheit. This record high was recorded on July 5, 1936 at Gannvalley.

Lowest Temperature The lowest temperature in South Dakota, -58°, was recorded on February 17, 1936 at McIntosh.

Average Temperature Monthly average temperatures range from a high of 86.5 degrees to a low of 1.9 degrees.