There are many reasons people choose to live in South Dakota, like the low cost of living and the high rate of employment. However, the weather is not on this list. 

South Dakota’s weather is notorious for being bipolar, in fact, our state holds the world record for the fastest recorded temperature change ever. Nearly 80 years ago, in Spearfish, mother nature experienced a rapid change of heart causing the temperature to change 49℉ in a whopping two minutes, taking the temperature from four below to a positive 45. Now we have reached the time of the year where it feels like everyday experiences a wide range of temperatures. The cool mornings and warm afternoons give kids two choices: either freeze while walking into school or sweat while walking out.

Weather mood swings are not an uncommon occurrence in South Dakota, with many seasonal alterations making the four seasons feel more like 10, with winter dominating the majority of the year. And when I say “the majority of the year,” I mean it. In April of 2013, nearly three weeks after the “official” end of winter, Sioux Falls experienced a summertime blizzard that covered the city in a layer of ice and cancelled school for nearly a week. For years, citizens of the state have been attempting to identify a pattern in this chaos, many have even given the region their own set of seasons. 

The year starts off in the classic winter, full of cold weather and fresh snow. The next season comes when the weather heats up, melting the snow and giving residents everywhere false hope. The state then experiences two more periods of winter with a spring of deception in between. After the third, final and usually the worst winter, the slush season hits. During this time, the rapidly warming temperatures melt the copious amounts of snow leaving behind just as copious amounts of disgusting, muddy slush to lay in the street until nature deals with it. Finally, after all the winters and fake springs and mud, the real spring comes and the people can take a deep sigh of relief. That is until summer hits and temperatures reach heights comparable to that of Satan’s backyard. Now don’t get it twisted, there are days where the weather is absolutely perfect, but between the tornado-like winds, hades-like sunshine and shocking humidity, they do not come very often.