Severe Thunderstorms and Heavy Rain in the Central Plains; Dry Thunderstorms and Critical Fire Weather in the West

Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain may produce large to very-large hail, severe winds, tornadoes and numerous instances of flash flooding across portions of the central Plains. Scattered slow-moving storms will continue to bring a flash flooding threat to the central Gulf Coast. Elevated to critical fire weather conditions are expected across much of the western U.S.. 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.

Records

Averages

Last 10 Years

UNR RSS Feed

Severe Thunderstorms and Heavy Rain in the Central Plains; Dry Thunderstorms and Critical Fire Weather in the West

Independence Day Climate Information