Everyone wants a bit of a blissful breeze or a scoop of sunny sanctuary when looking for a place to live in South Dakota.
The more sun, the more you can go outside. The more you go outside, the more you’ll feel at peace. The more you’ll feel at peace, the more you’ll enjoy where you live.
So it makes sense to try and find the places with the best weather in South Dakota. We used Saturday Night Science to compare the number of sunny days, total precipitation, and the deviation from the ideal 70-degree weather for 11 places in South Dakota over 10,000 people.
Grab your shades and put away your raincoat as we look at the cities with the best weather in South Dakota.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table
The 10 Cities With The Best Weather In South Dakota For 2024
What city has the best weather in South Dakota, with more than 10,000 people? The city with the best weather in South Dakota is Pierre with 32.8 sunny days and an average high of 59.0 degrees.
Read on below to see where your city ranked.
And if you already knew these places were beautiful, check out the best places to live in South Dakota or the cheapest places in South Dakota.
The 10 Snowiest Cities In South Dakota For 2024
Population: 13,938
Average Annual High: 59.0 degrees
Average Annual Low: 34.7 degrees
Average Annual Snowfall: 32.8 inches
Average Annual Precipitation: 18.2 inches
Sunny Days: 322.7 days
More on Pierre: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Population: 71,692
Average Annual High: 59.3 degrees
Average Annual Low: 35.1 degrees
Average Annual Snowfall: 42.3 inches
Average Annual Precipitation: 18.6 inches
Sunny Days: 322.7 days
More on Rapid City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Population: 15,543
Average Annual High: 58.4 degrees
Average Annual Low: 36.0 degrees
Average Annual Snowfall: 34.0 inches
Average Annual Precipitation: 24.8 inches
Sunny Days: 318.3 days
More on Mitchell: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Population: 10,746
Average Annual High: 60.4 degrees
Average Annual Low: 37.0 degrees
Average Annual Snowfall: 32.7 inches
Average Annual Precipitation: 27.3 inches
Sunny Days: 313.3 days
More on Vermillion: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Population: 14,531
Average Annual High: 59.2 degrees
Average Annual Low: 36.8 degrees
Average Annual Snowfall: 34.8 inches
Average Annual Precipitation: 27.0 inches
Sunny Days: 313.7 days
More on Yankton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Population: 27,418
Average Annual High: 55.2 degrees
Average Annual Low: 32.4 degrees
Average Annual Snowfall: 38.3 inches
Average Annual Precipitation: 21.7 inches
Sunny Days: 319.7 days
More on Aberdeen: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Population: 13,159
Average Annual High: 57.3 degrees
Average Annual Low: 34.4 degrees
Average Annual Snowfall: 41.6 inches
Average Annual Precipitation: 23.2 inches
Sunny Days: 319.0 days
More on Huron: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Population: 22,974
Average Annual High: 54.2 degrees
Average Annual Low: 33.1 degrees
Average Annual Snowfall: 32.4 inches
Average Annual Precipitation: 24.9 inches
Sunny Days: 317.5 days
More on Brookings: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Population: 10,980
Average Annual High: 59.2 degrees
Average Annual Low: 34.1 degrees
Average Annual Snowfall: 132.1 inches
Average Annual Precipitation: 22.2 inches
Sunny Days: 316.4 days
More on Spearfish: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Population: 21,919
Average Annual High: 53.9 degrees
Average Annual Low: 32.9 degrees
Average Annual Snowfall: 36.0 inches
Average Annual Precipitation: 22.5 inches
Sunny Days: 317.0 days
More on Watertown: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
How We Determined The Cities In South Dakota With The Best Weather
To rank the most fair weather cities in South Dakota, we used Saturday Night Science and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database, to see which cities in the Mount Rushmore State get the best weather.
We used the following criteria to find the best weather:
- Number of sunny days
- Highest average low
- Average high deviation from 70 degrees
- Least amount of rain
- Least amount of snow
We ranked each city of over 10,000 people in South Dakota from best to worst on each criterion. We then averaged each ranking into a weather quality index. The city with the best index, Pierre, was anointed the city with the best weather in South Dakota.
Before we get too far, here are the annual precipitation rates for major cities:
- Sioux Falls — 26.6 inches
- Rapid City — 18.6 inches
- Aberdeen — 21.7 inches
The cities with the best weather in South Dakota are Pierre, Rapid City, Mitchell, Vermillion, Yankton, Aberdeen, Huron, Brookings, Spearfish, and Watertown.
There’s a complete chart at the bottom.
If you’re curious, here are the places with the worst weather in South Dakota:
- Sioux Falls
- Watertown
- Spearfish
For more South Dakota reading, check out:
Detailed List Of Places With The Best Weather In South Dakota
| Rank | City | Population | Sunny Days | Avg. High | Precipitation (Inches) | Snow (Inches) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pierre | 13,938 | 322.7 | 59.0 | 18.2 | 32.8 |
| 2 | Rapid City | 71,692 | 322.7 | 59.3 | 18.6 | 42.3 |
| 3 | Mitchell | 15,543 | 318.3 | 58.4 | 24.8 | 34.0 |
| 4 | Vermillion | 10,746 | 313.3 | 60.4 | 27.3 | 32.7 |
| 5 | Yankton | 14,531 | 313.7 | 59.2 | 27.0 | 34.8 |
| 6 | Aberdeen | 27,418 | 319.7 | 55.2 | 21.7 | 38.3 |
| 7 | Huron | 13,159 | 319.0 | 57.3 | 23.2 | 41.6 |
| 8 | Brookings | 22,974 | 317.5 | 54.2 | 24.9 | 32.4 |
| 9 | Spearfish | 10,980 | 316.4 | 59.2 | 22.2 | 132.1 |
| 10 | Watertown | 21,919 | 317.0 | 53.9 | 22.5 | 36.0 |
| 11 | Sioux Falls | 164,341 | 312.9 | 56.7 | 26.6 | 40.6 |