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Monthly climate in Rapid City, South Dakota, United States

Last updated: May 6, 2024

Under the Köppen–Geiger climate classification Rapid City features a humid continental climate (Dfa).Temperatures typically range between -6 °C (22 °F) and 22 °C (72 °F) through the year, but rarely can drop to -29 °C (-19 °F) or can rise to as high as 38 °C (100 °F).The average annual precipitation amounts to about 634 mm (25.0 inches) and receives 114 rainy days on the 1 mm (0.04 inches) threshold annually.Rapid City enjoys an average of 3304 hours of sunshine throughout the year, and daylight varies from 8 hours 55 minutes to 15 hours 25 minutes per day.

Monthly average temperatures in Rapid City, South Dakota, United States §

The warmest months in Rapid City are June, July and August, with daily mean temperatures ranging from 19 to 22 °C (67 - 72 °F) throughout the day. The coldest temperatures usually occur in January, February and December, when daily mean temperatures range from -6 to -1 °C (22 - 30 °F) throughout the day. On average each year, Rapid City experiences 69 days above 25 °C (77.0 °F) and 150 days below 0 °C (32.0 °F).

Monthly average temperatures with daily means, minimums and maximums for period, average high and low temperatures in Rapid City, South Dakota, United States.Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information.Data for period from January 2017 to June 2022.
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Maximum 16°C
(61°F)		 21°C
(69°F)		 22°C
(71°F)		 25°C
(77°F)		 30°C
(86°F)		 36°C
(97°F)		 38°C
(100°F)		 37°C
(98°F)		 37°C
(100°F)		 30°C
(86°F)		 24°C
(75°F)		 21°C
(70°F)
Mean maximum 12°C
(54°F)		 14°C
(58°F)		 20°C
(68°F)		 25°C
(76°F)		 29°C
(84°F)		 31°C
(88°F)		 35°C
(96°F)		 34°C
(93°F)		 33°C
(92°F)		 27°C
(81°F)		 21°C
(69°F)		 16°C
(61°F)
Average high 2°C
(37°F)		 0°C
(33°F)		 8°C
(47°F)		 12°C
(53°F)		 17°C
(63°F)		 25°C
(78°F)		 28°C
(84°F)		 27°C
(81°F)		 23°C
(74°F)		 13°C
(56°F)		 9°C
(48°F)		 4°C
(40°F)
Daily mean -3°C
(27°F)		 -6°C
(22°F)		 2°C
(36°F)		 5°C
(41°F)		 11°C
(53°F)		 19°C
(67°F)		 22°C
(72°F)		 20°C
(69°F)		 16°C
(62°F)		 7°C
(45°F)		 3°C
(37°F)		 -1°C
(30°F)
Average low -8°C
(18°F)		 -11°C
(12°F)		 -4°C
(26°F)		 -1°C
(30°F)		 6°C
(42°F)		 12°C
(54°F)		 16°C
(60°F)		 14°C
(57°F)		 10°C
(49°F)		 1°C
(34°F)		 -3°C
(27°F)		 -6°C
(21°F)
Mean minimum -22°C
(-7°F)		 -24°C
(-11°F)		 -15°C
(5°F)		 -11°C
(13°F)		 -2°C
(29°F)		 6°C
(44°F)		 10°C
(51°F)		 8°C
(46°F)		 2°C
(35°F)		 -11°C
(13°F)		 -12°C
(10°F)		 -16°C
(3°F)
Minimum -26°C
(-14°F)		 -29°C
(-19°F)		 -26°C
(-14°F)		 -16°C
(3°F)		 -4°C
(24°F)		 4°C
(40°F)		 9°C
(49°F)		 7°C
(44°F)		 -4°C
(26°F)		 -18°C
(-1°F)		 -19°C
(-2°F)		 -23°C
(-10°F)

Compare climate in Rapid City with other places

Compare temperature, precipitation, sunshine, UV index in Rapid City, South Dakota, United States with other places around the world.

Monthly average precipitation in Rapid City, South Dakota, United States §

Rapid City usually has the most precipitation in April, May and July, with an average of 14 rainy days and 94 mm (3.7 inches) of precipitation per month.The driest months in Rapid City are January, February and November. On average, 19 mm (0.8 inches) of precipitation falls during these months.

Monthly average precipitation and precipitation days in Rapid City, South Dakota, United States.Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information.Data for period from January 2017 to January 2022.
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Average precipitation mm (inches) 14 (0.5) 27 (1.1) 44 (1.7) 73 (2.9) 112 (4.4) 72 (2.8) 96 (3.8) 57 (2.2) 43 (1.7) 52 (2.0) 17 (0.7) 28 (1.1)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 4 7 8 11 17 13 16 12 7 8 5 6

Monthly sunshine hours in Rapid City, South Dakota, United States §

The sunniest months in Rapid City are June, July and August, when the sun shines an average of 12 hours 6 minutes a day.Least sunny months in Rapid City: January, February and December receive an average of 6 hours 28 minutes of sunshine daily.

Mean monthly sunshine duration, average sunshine hours per day and mean daily daylight hours in Rapid City, South Dakota, United States.Generated using Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information.Data for period from January 2017 to January 2022.
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Mean monthly sunshine hours 168 213 260 282 300 376 381 355 287 246 223 206
Mean daily daylight hours 9h 18m 10h 28m 11h 57m 13h 29m 14h 46m 15h 25m 15h 4m 13h 54m 12h 26m 10h 56m 9h 36m 8h 55m

Solar UV radiation in Rapid City, South Dakota, United States §

Rapid City experiences the highest level of ultraviolet (UV) radiation in June, July and August, when the maximum UV index can reach values of 10 - 11, which corresponds to the Very High / Extreme category of sun exposure.January, November and December are in the Low / Moderate exposure category. In these months, the maximum values of the UV index do not exceed 3. For more detailed information, check out our hourly Rapid City UV Index data.

Average daily maximum UV levels by month for Rapid City, South Dakota, United States.Generated using Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information.Data for period from January 2022 to January 2023.
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
UV Index (month maximum) 3 5 6 9 9 11 11 10 8 5 3 2