National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Critical Fire Weather in the Southern High Plains; Heavy Snow in the Great Lakes and Northeast U.S.

Gusty winds and low relative humidity will bring elevated to critical fire weather conditions to the southern High Plains through the weekend. A winter storm will track across the Great Lakes and Northeast U.S. into Saturday with areas of wintry mix and heavy snow from northern New York through southern Maine. Read More >

The following tables show the climate information for Rapid City, Gillette, Lead, Winner, Lemmon, Sundance, Spearfish, Newcastle, Hot Springs, and Custer on Independence Day, as well as the weather in Rapid City and Gillette for the past 10 Independence Days. Average highs around the area on July 4th are in the 80s, with upper 70s in the Black Hills. Early July is notorious for severe thunderstorms, so be aware of the potential for dangerous cloud-to-ground lightning, strong winds, and large hail when celebrating!

Independence Day in 2023 was unseasonably cool across much of the area, with the high in Rapid City only reaching 61°—a mere one degree above the record low maximum for July 4th. 2024's Independence Day was warmer, but temperatures remained below normal, with highs generally in the 70s.