Winter, it's the best six months of the year in South Dakota. Well, maybe not that bad, but if you're new to the area, don't let the last couple of mild winters fool ya, winter is serious business in the Sioux Empire.

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Sioux Falls is no stranger to snow. It can, and has, snowed in every month of the year except July and August. The real fun happens in March and April, but we've spent plenty of holidays inside behind snow drifts.

How Much Snow Falls in Sioux Falls Each Year

Our annual average snowfall is 40-ish inches a year. We usually get our first taste of snow in October and our last in April. Usually. Most of that snow falls from December to March.

Snow comes from different weather events. There's a pleasant snow shower, nothing exciting, but very quiet and beautiful. These can be heavy or light. And then there are blizzards.

The Blizzards That Shaped Our History

Technically, what makes a blizzard a blizzard is the wind. For example, the Blizzard of January 1975 is considered one of the worst for the area. Only about seven inches of snow fell, but that snow was whipped around by 70 mph winds. That is serious whiteout conditions.

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Thanks to the good folks at the National Weather Service office in Sioux Falls, here are some of Sioux Falls' snow records: