Downtown Rapid City, Rapid City Weather
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Climate of Downtown Rapid City: monthly averages
Based on 25 years of satellite and reanalysis data (2001-2025), July is usually the hottest month in Downtown Rapid City, with average daytime highs around 33°C. February is the coolest, when nights typically fall to about -8°C and frost is possible on the coldest nights. That is a wide yearly range of roughly 41°C, so the seasons feel very different from each other.
The area receives about 450 mm of rain in a typical year. Rainfall is modest in every month; May is the wettest at about 87 mm. The driest stretch is November to February, with under 20 mm a month.
For outdoor plans and travel, May to June and August to September usually offer the most comfortable weather in Downtown Rapid City, with mild days and relatively little rain.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rainfall | Humidity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3° | -8° | 9 mm | 67% |
| Feb | 4° | -8° | 14 mm | 65% |
| Mar | 10° | -4° | 24 mm | 60% |
| Apr | 15° | 1° | 52 mm | 58% |
| May | 21° | 6° | 87 mm | 57% |
| Jun | 28° | 13° | 68 mm | 54% |
| Jul | 33° | 17° | 55 mm | 50% |
| Aug | 31° | 15° | 48 mm | 51% |
| Sep | 25° | 10° | 38 mm | 52% |
| Oct | 15° | 2° | 33 mm | 59% |
| Nov | 9° | -3° | 12 mm | 61% |
| Dec | 3° | -7° | 11 mm | 67% |
Source: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis), averaged over the roughly 50 km grid area around Downtown Rapid City. Values describe typical conditions, not a forecast.
About Downtown Rapid City weather
Downtown Rapid City, in South Dakota's continental climate, with sharp seasonal extremes typical of the northern Great Plains, is positioned about 525 km west of Sioux Falls. The warmer months mean warm-to-hot summers (June–August) with highs in the high 20s to low 30s°C. Finally, there's cold, windy winters (December–February) with significant snow. This page shows live, auto-refreshing weather for Downtown Rapid City: current conditions, an hourly breakdown, a 16-day outlook, a date-lookup tool for any past or future date, and real-time air quality, sourced from Open-Meteo. Local timezone: America/Denver.
Frequently asked questions
Downtown Rapid City is about 525 km west of Sioux Falls, in South Dakota.
Downtown Rapid City sees cold, windy winters (December–February) with significant snow.
The live current conditions, hourly forecast and 16-day outlook above are pulled in real time for Downtown Rapid City's exact coordinates. No fixed schedule, the page updates whenever you load it.
July is usually the hottest month in Downtown Rapid City, with average daytime highs of about 33°C and nights around 17°C.
The coldest nights come in February, when the average low is about -8°C and daytime highs reach around 4°C. Frost is possible on clear, calm nights.
Downtown Rapid City receives about 450 mm of rain in a typical year. May is the wettest month at roughly 87 mm; no month averages more than 100 mm.
May to June and August to September usually offer the most comfortable weather in Downtown Rapid City, with mild daytime temperatures and little rain.
In November Downtown Rapid City typically sees daytime highs near 9°C and lows near -3°C, with about 12 mm of rain over the month and average humidity around 61%. Check the live forecast above for this week's actual conditions.
Up to 16 days ahead using the extended forecast and date picker above; further-out or historical dates use the same date lookup tool.
The current temperature for Downtown Rapid City updates automatically at the top of this page — scroll to the hourly strip below to see how it's expected to change over the day.
Downtown Rapid City's day-to-day weather follows the broader pattern of South Dakota described above. See the hourly weather forecast or the air quality index for more detail.