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Weather in December in South Dakota

Planning a journey to South Dakota this December and curious over the weather conditions to await? Your essential details are found on this page, answering your query:

What is the weather like in South Dakota in December?

South Dakota is a region in the United States of America. December in South Dakota generally has temperatures that range from very cold to cold, with precipitation levels ranging from low to moderate. In December, it is winter.

Temperatures

During the day temperatures vary from very cold in Watertown at -4°C to cold in Hot Springs at 3°C. At night it cools down to -10°C in Hot Springs and -13°C in Watertown. In numerous regions in the United States of America, December is marked by its cold weather conditions. If you're heading to these areas during this month, it's vital to be well-prepared. Dressing in layered and insulated outfits will ensure you stay warm.

Precipitation

In December, precipitation varies across different areas. From low snow/rainfall in Rapid City with an average of 12 mm to moderate snow/rainfall in Deadwood with 43 mm.

For a closer look at December's conditions in South Dakota, see the map below. For a more detailed look at South Dakota's yearly weather, check out our South Dakota climate page.

Where to go in South Dakota in December

Find more information for the most popular destinations in the South Dakota on the map below. Click on a destination dot for more detailes.

Map not visible? Whoops sorry! Please refresh the page.
Legend perfect weather pleasant tolerable unpleasant poor
Perfect weather is subjective. On this map perfect weather has been defined with temperatures between 20°C and 29°C and not too much precipitation (less than 90 mm a month).

Popular destinations

What is the weather like in December for the 5 most popular destinations in South Dakota?

Sioux Falls

In December Sioux Falls generally has very low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around -2°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around -12°C and moderate monthly snowfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Sioux Falls
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
precipitationMonthly snowfall precipitationSnowfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
8°C 
-5°C 
19 mm 
4 days 
-2°C 
-12°C 
35 mm 
8 days 
poor 
January   >> January
>>  
-3°C 
-14°C 
16 mm 
7 days 
poor 
Climate in Sioux Falls

Pierre

In December Pierre generally has very low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around -1°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around -13°C and low monthly snowfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Pierre
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
precipitationMonthly snowfall precipitationSnowfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
8°C 
-6°C 
9.2 mm 
4 days 
-1°C 
-13°C 
15 mm 
6 days 
poor 
January   >> January
>>  
-1°C 
-13°C 
11 mm 
5 days 
poor 
Climate in Pierre

Rapid City

In December Rapid City generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 3°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around -9°C and low monthly snow/rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Rapid City
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
precipitationMonthly snow/rainfall precipitationSnow/rainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
9°C 
-4°C 
11 mm 
4 days 
3°C 
-9°C 
12 mm 
6 days 
poor 
January   >> January
>>  
4°C 
-9°C 
6.6 mm 
6 days 
poor 
Climate in Rapid City

Deadwood

In December Deadwood generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 2°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around -9°C and moderate monthly snow/rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Deadwood
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
precipitationMonthly snow/rainfall precipitationSnow/rainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
8°C 
-4°C 
36 mm 
9 days 
poor 
2°C 
-9°C 
43 mm 
10 days 
poor 
January   >> January
>>  
3°C 
-8°C 
43 mm 
10 days 
poor 
Climate in Deadwood

Custer

In December Custer generally has very low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 2°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around -10°C and low monthly snow/rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Custer
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
precipitationMonthly snow/rainfall precipitationSnow/rainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
7°C 
-5°C 
13 mm 
5 days 
2°C 
-10°C 
14 mm 
6 days 
poor 
January   >> January
>>  
3°C 
-9°C 
8.2 mm 
5 days 
poor 
Climate in Custer

Is your destination not in the list? Have a look at other destinations in South Dakota, in the United States of America.

Is December the best time to visit South Dakota?

Given the typically poor weather conditions in Sioux Falls, December may not be the ideal time to visit South Dakota.

On average, the best time to visit South Dakota is in May, July, August and September with generally perfect weather in Sioux Falls. On the other hand, the months of January, February, March and December tend to have poor weather conditions.

Interested in more climate information?

We have much more information about the climate in South Dakota. Interested in the weather conditions in a specific month? Select the month below.

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  • Weather and climate has detailed information for every country in the world. Are you going to the United States of America? Get detailed historical weather averages for many cities in the United States of America.

    Not sure yet where to go? We now have a tool which recommends destinations that suit your ideal travel conditions. Find out where to go with our weather planner.