National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

FOR THIS SUMMER AND THE YEAR...MOST OF SIOUX FALLS HAS HAD MUCH MORE
PRECIPITATION THAN THE OFFICIAL SITE AT THE AIRPORT. THE FOLLOWING
ARE TABULATIONS OF HOW THREE SITES IN SOUTHERN SIOUX FALLS COMPARE
TO THE AIRPORT. LOCATIONS ARE BASED ON DISTANCE FROM THE AIRPORT...

PRECIPITATION...INCHES     AUG     JULY    JUNE     SUMMER    YEAR

SIOUX FALLS AIRPORT        6.26    8.55    7.83     22.64    30.88

5 MILES SOUTHWEST          6.84   13.16    9.70     29.70    39.12

5.5 MILES SOUTHEAST        6.92   12.54    8.70     28.16    37.15

7 MILES SOUTH OF AIRPORT   6.23   14.01    9.31     29.55    39.18

NOTICE THAT MUCH OF SOUTHERN SIOUX FALLS HAS HAD 6 TO 8 INCHES MORE
PRECIPITATION THAN JUST TO THE NORTH...FOR BOTH THE SUMMER AND THE
YEAR. THE WEATHER PATTERN HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY FAVORING HEAVY
RAINFALL FROM WEST TO SOUTH OF THE SIOUX FALLS AIRPORT AREA.

NEVERTHELESS...SIOUX FALLS OFFICIALLY HAS HAD THE WETTEST SUMMER
PERIOD OF JUNE/JULY/AUGUST ON RECORD WITH 22.64 INCHES. THIS BEATS THE
OLD SUMMER RECORD OF 17.39 INCHES SET IN 1993...BY A WHOPPING 5.25
INCHES. AND WE HAVE THE SECOND WETTEST YEAR TO DATE PRECIPITATION ON
RECORD AT THE END OF AUGUST...WITH 30.88 INCHES. THIS COMPARES TO
THE WETTEST FIRST 8 MONTHS SET IN 1993 WITH 31.81 INCHES.

The following map shows how the total rainfall from June
through August varied from much above normal in southeast
South Dakota and northwest Iowa, to closer to normal in most 
of southwest Minnesota...

For the official observing site at Joe Foss Field, here is the year-to-date

precipitation and how the trace compares to the wettest year-to-date (1993)

as of the end of August.