September snow in Rapid City breaks records

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - After 100-degree temperatures Saturday, Tuesday weather set some new records.

This was the earliest measurable snow Rapid City has seen in September since 2014. The previous record was on Sept. 11, 2014, when there was 1.6″ in downtown Rapid City, according to meteorologist Matt Gonterak.

Tuesday’s weather set a record for a daily low in downtown Rapid City at 31 degrees. The previous record was in 1929 when downtown’s low was 34 degrees.

There was also record precipitation too as Tuesday’s weather brought almost an inch of precipitation to the downtown area. Previously, the record for the earliest precipitation had been set in 1951.

The earliest freeze in Rapid City was on Sept. 11, 1921, when the temperature dropped to 29 degrees. This is most likely going to be broked Tuesday.

Other records that could be broken by the impending snowfall:

Snowiest September. (In 1927, Rapid City saw four and eight tenth inches.)

The northern part of the Black Hills saw the highest amounts. The National Weather Service reports Lead saw ten inches, while Deadwood saw six inches. Keystone, near Mount Rushmore in the central Black Hills saw four inches. Rapid City received a little over an inch.

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