| Island in the Sea of Grass
| The Black Hills are sometimes described as an island rising within a sea of grass. This sudden rise in elevation and the resulting slopes and exposures produce a much different climate than the surrounding plains. Wind Cave National Park lies on the southern tip of the "island" and, like the rest of the southern hills, has weather patterns that are greatly influenced by the Rocky Mountains to the west and the higher peaks of the northern Black Hills. Generally, the climate is semi-arid with mild winters and warm summers. |
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| What a Difference | Climate and weather are not the same! Climate is a general term used to express broad patterns--for example, South Dakota's climate is sunny with warm summers and cold winters. Weather applies to specific movements of air masses, levels of precipitation, and temperature fluctuations at specific times of year--for example, today's weather is partly cloudy. |
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Banana
Belt  | |
| Wind
Cave National Park and the rest of the southern Black Hills are much warmer
and drier
than the northern hills. Some residents call the area South Dakota's banana
belt. The banana belt exits because of two weather patterns--one that
begins west
of the Rocky Mountains and the other, north of the Black Hills. One of the weather
patterns occurs when warm, moist air traveling east from the Pacific Ocean
reaches
the Rocky Mountains. The mountains force the air to rise, causing it to cool.
When the air cools, the water vapor in the clouds condenses and falls
as rain
or snow. Once the air reaches the other side of the mountain, it is considerably
drier. The dry air begins to descend, becoming warmer again. The warm
winds created
by the descending air masses are called Chinook winds. This warm, dry air continues
east bringing warmer and drier weather to the southern Black Hills. At the same time the Chinook winds are arriving from the west, there are also arctic air masses moving south from Canada. When the frigid air masses encounter the summits of the northern Black Hills, they are directed around the western and eastern flanks. Because Wind Cave National Park is located on the southern extremity of the hills, much of the cold air is funneled downward and away from the park and the southern hills. | |
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| Seasonal Patterns Winter
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Weather forecasting for Wind Cave is covered by the National Weather Service office at Rapid City, SD. There is also an automated weather station on Elk Mountain in the park which displays the previous days weather. |
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| Monthly Weather Summary | ||
| January is the coldest month. The average high and low are 37.0° F and 10.3° F. Temperatures below zero are common. The average snowfall is 6.6". | May can be a wetter month with an average of 2.95" of rain. Temperatures are often pleasant. The average high and low are 67.3° F and 40.1° F. | September weather is often very pleasant with an average high of 76.1° F and an average low of 43.9° F. September is a little drier than the summer months. |
| February brings an average of 5.9" of snow. The average high is 41.2° F and the average low is 14.7° F. | June is a great month to observe dramatic thunderstorms. June is slightly wetter than May with an average precipitation of 3.05". The average high is a comfortable 77.3° F. The average low is 48.6° F. | October is often a mixture of warm and cold days. The average high is 63.0° F and the average low is 32.3° F. Precipitation is light. Expect some snow, especially late in the month. |
| March brings the warmest winter temperatures, but the most snow. The average high and low are 48.9° F and 21.2° F. Snowfall averages 7.4". | July is the warmest month of the year with an average high of 84.3° F and average low of 54.7° F. Hail and thunderstorms are common. | November often brings snow. The average high temperature is 46.5° F, and the average low temperature is 20.5° F. |
| April is a variable time. There is warm weather mixed with cold and snowy days. Precipitation increases with an average of 1.78". The average high and low are 57.9° F and 29.6° F. | August is much like July, but drier, and there are fewer thunderstorms. The average high and low are 84.0° F and 53.2° F. | December is generally a dry month. Snow averages 6". It is the second coldest month with an average high of 38.8° F and an average low of 12.2° F. |