Climate and average weather in Rapid City
In Rapid City, the summers are warm, showery, and mostly clear and the winters are cold, snowy, and partly cloudy.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Rapid City typically varies from 17°F to 82°F, and is rarely below -3°F or above 94°F. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Rapid City for warm-weather activities are from mid June to mid July and early August to early October.
- Hottest
- Jul
- 82°
- Coldest
- Jan
- 17°
- Wettest
- May
- 4.4 in
- Driest
- Jan
- 0.5 in
- Rain / yr
- 24.7 in
- 103 wet days
- Daylight
- 8.7–15.3 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 3,241 ft
- 44.1°N
- Clearest
- Sep
- 41% cloud
Rapid City is seat of Pennington County, South Dakota, United States.
- Density
- 521/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1876
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Rapid City weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early August to early October.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Rapid City, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 3.4 months, from June 7 to September 17, with daily high temperatures above 71°F. The hottest month of the year in Rapid City is July, with an average high of 82°F and low of 58°F.
The cool season lasts 3.6 months, from November 20 to March 9, with daily high temperatures below 44°F. The coldest month of the year in Rapid City is January, with an average low of 17°F and high of 36°F.
Days typically run about 22°F warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 24°F) in August.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 36 | 38 | 46 | 54 | 64 | 74 | 82 | 81 | 72 | 58 | 46 | 37 |
| Avg low (°F) | 17 | 18 | 25 | 32 | 42 | 52 | 58 | 56 | 47 | 36 | 25 | 18 |
| Avg high (°F) | Avg low (°F) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 17 |
| Feb | 38 | 18 |
| Mar | 46 | 25 |
| Apr | 54 | 32 |
| May | 64 | 42 |
| Jun | 74 | 52 |
| Jul | 82 | 58 |
| Aug | 81 | 56 |
| Sep | 72 | 47 |
| Oct | 58 | 36 |
| Nov | 46 | 25 |
| Dec | 37 | 18 |
How hot and cold Rapid City really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about 6°F (around January 3), with roughly 207 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 32°F) — 107 of them bitterly cold — worst in January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°F) | 36 | 38 | 46 | 54 | 64 | 74 | 82 | 81 | 72 | 58 | 45 | 37 |
| Air high (°F) | 36 | 38 | 46 | 54 | 64 | 74 | 82 | 81 | 72 | 58 | 46 | 37 |
| Feels-like low (°F) | 7 | 7 | 16 | 25 | 37 | 51 | 58 | 56 | 45 | 29 | 17 | 8 |
| Air low (°F) | 17 | 18 | 25 | 32 | 42 | 52 | 58 | 56 | 47 | 36 | 25 | 18 |
| Feels-like high (°F) | Air high (°F) | Feels-like low (°F) | Air low (°F) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 36 | 7 | 17 |
| Feb | 38 | 38 | 7 | 18 |
| Mar | 46 | 46 | 16 | 25 |
| Apr | 54 | 54 | 25 | 32 |
| May | 64 | 64 | 37 | 42 |
| Jun | 74 | 74 | 51 | 52 |
| Jul | 82 | 82 | 58 | 58 |
| Aug | 81 | 81 | 56 | 56 |
| Sep | 72 | 72 | 45 | 47 |
| Oct | 58 | 58 | 29 | 36 |
| Nov | 45 | 46 | 17 | 25 |
| Dec | 37 | 37 | 8 | 18 |
Average hourly temperature in Rapid City
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 82°F, and coldest before dawn in January, near 17°F.
Rapid City weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36° / 17° | 0.5 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 9.1 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 38° / 18° | 0.7 | 5 | 5.1 | 10.2 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 46° / 25° | 1.6 | 7.6 | 5.4 | 11.6 | 1.4 |
| Apr | 54° / 32° | 3.2 | 11.8 | 5.5 | 13.2 | 3.1 |
| May | 64° / 42° | 4.4 | 14.1 | 1.2 | 14.5 | 5.0 |
| Jun | 74° / 52° | 3.8 | 14.5 | 0.1 | 15.2 | 6.1 |
| Jul | 82° / 58° | 3.1 | 13.4 | 0 | 15 | 5.9 |
| Aug | 81° / 56° | 2.4 | 10.9 | 0 | 13.8 | 6.7 |
| Sep | 72° / 47° | 1.6 | 6.7 | 0.4 | 12.3 | 7.4 |
| Oct | 58° / 36° | 2.0 | 7.3 | 2.7 | 10.8 | 4.7 |
| Nov | 46° / 25° | 0.8 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 9.4 | 1.3 |
| Dec | 37° / 18° | 0.6 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 8.8 | 0.0 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Rapid City gets about 24.7 in of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 5.0 months, from around Mar 25 to Aug 22, peaking in June at about 53% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Dec 9.
May is the wettest month by volume, with 4.4 in over about 14 wet days; January is the driest, with 0.5 in. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 13 | 18 | 24 | 38 | 46 | 49 | 43 | 34 | 24 | 22 | 15 | 12 |
| Rain days | 4 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | 4 |
| Feb | 18 | 5 |
| Mar | 24 | 8 |
| Apr | 38 | 12 |
| May | 46 | 14 |
| Jun | 49 | 15 |
| Jul | 43 | 13 |
| Aug | 34 | 11 |
| Sep | 24 | 7 |
| Oct | 22 | 7 |
| Nov | 15 | 4 |
| Dec | 12 | 4 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Rapid City collects about 24.7 in of rain across 103 wet days — roughly 2.1 in in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. May is the wettest month with 4.4 in, while January is the driest at just 0.5 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 46% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (in) | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 3.2 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 |
| Rain days | 4 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| Snow days | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Rainfall (in) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.5 | 4 | 4 |
| Feb | 0.7 | 5 | 5 |
| Mar | 1.6 | 8 | 5 |
| Apr | 3.2 | 12 | 6 |
| May | 4.4 | 14 | 1 |
| Jun | 3.8 | 15 | 0 |
| Jul | 3.1 | 13 | 0 |
| Aug | 2.4 | 11 | 0 |
| Sep | 1.6 | 7 | 0 |
| Oct | 2.0 | 7 | 3 |
| Nov | 0.8 | 4 | 4 |
| Dec | 0.6 | 4 | 4 |
Snow in Rapid City
Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.
Rapid City averages about 32 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Sep 16 to May 27 — about 8.4 months.
April is snowiest, with roughly 5 days of snow and an estimated 15 in of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 59 in of snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow days | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Snowfall (in) | 5 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| Snow days | Snowfall (in) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | 5 |
| Feb | 5 | 8 |
| Mar | 5 | 11 |
| Apr | 6 | 15 |
| May | 1 | 4 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 1 |
| Oct | 3 | 4 |
| Nov | 4 | 6 |
| Dec | 4 | 6 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Rapid City, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around June 15 and lasts for 6.5 months, ending around December 30. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 73% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around December 31 and lasts for 5.5 months, ending around June 14. The cloudiest month is April, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 58% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 56 | 54 | 51 | 42 | 44 | 60 | 72 | 73 | 69 | 63 | 61 | 61 |
| Cloudier (%) | 44 | 46 | 49 | 58 | 56 | 40 | 28 | 27 | 31 | 37 | 39 | 39 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 44 |
| Feb | 54 | 46 |
| Mar | 51 | 49 |
| Apr | 42 | 58 |
| May | 44 | 56 |
| Jun | 60 | 40 |
| Jul | 72 | 28 |
| Aug | 73 | 27 |
| Sep | 69 | 31 |
| Oct | 63 | 37 |
| Nov | 61 | 39 |
| Dec | 61 | 39 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 13, brings about 15 h 18 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 8 h 42 min — a swing of roughly 6 h 36 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.1 | 10.2 | 11.6 | 13.2 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.8 | 12.3 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.8 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:31 | 7:02 | 6:14 | 5:17 | 4:33 | 4:15 | 4:29 | 5:02 | 5:38 | 6:15 | 6:56 | 7:28 |
| Sunset (PM) | 4:33 | 5:13 | 5:51 | 6:30 | 7:06 | 7:32 | 7:28 | 6:52 | 5:56 | 5:01 | 4:20 | 4:10 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.1 | 7:31 | 4:33 |
| Feb | 10.2 | 7:02 | 5:13 |
| Mar | 11.6 | 6:14 | 5:51 |
| Apr | 13.2 | 5:17 | 6:30 |
| May | 14.5 | 4:33 | 7:06 |
| Jun | 15.2 | 4:15 | 7:32 |
| Jul | 15.0 | 4:29 | 7:28 |
| Aug | 13.8 | 5:02 | 6:52 |
| Sep | 12.3 | 5:38 | 5:56 |
| Oct | 10.8 | 6:15 | 5:01 |
| Nov | 9.4 | 6:56 | 4:20 |
| Dec | 8.8 | 7:28 | 4:10 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Rapid City averages about 12 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 7 and 17 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 6.7 months, from around Jun 23 to Jan 12. The sunniest month is August, with roughly 16 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is April, down near 7 sunny days — about 54% fewer than the August peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 12 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 14 |
| Sky | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Mixed |
| Feb | 10 | Mixed |
| Mar | 10 | Mixed |
| Apr | 7 | Gloomy |
| May | 8 | Gloomy |
| Jun | 10 | Mixed |
| Jul | 15 | Mixed |
| Aug | 16 | Bright |
| Sep | 16 | Bright |
| Oct | 15 | Mixed |
| Nov | 13 | Mixed |
| Dec | 14 | Mixed |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Rapid City, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in July, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 13% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 98 | 80 | 55 | 68 | 95 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 31 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 98 | 2 | 0 |
| Jun | 80 | 17 | 3 |
| Jul | 55 | 31 | 13 |
| Aug | 68 | 25 | 7 |
| Sep | 95 | 4 | 1 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Rapid City is typically light breeze, near 8 mph, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 8.2 months, from around Sep 25 to May 31. The windiest month is April, averaging about 8 mph (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Jun 1 to Sep 24, with July the calmest month at about 7 mph.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (mph) | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Feels | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | calm | calm | calm | calm | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze |
| Wind speed (mph) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | light breeze |
| Feb | 8 | light breeze |
| Mar | 8 | light breeze |
| Apr | 8 | light breeze |
| May | 8 | light breeze |
| Jun | 7 | calm |
| Jul | 7 | calm |
| Aug | 7 | calm |
| Sep | 7 | calm |
| Oct | 8 | light breeze |
| Nov | 8 | light breeze |
| Dec | 8 | light breeze |
Hazard calendar for Rapid City
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Rapid City's rainy season runs April–August, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Rapid City
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Rapid City throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around mid August, Rapid City is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 64°F and 82°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Rapid City for general outdoor tourist activities run from mid June to early July and again from early August to early October, with a peak score in the first week of September.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 5.0 | 6.1 | 6.0 | 6.7 | 7.3 | 4.7 | 1.4 | 0.0 |
| Rating | poor | poor | poor | poor | fair | good | good | good | good | fair | poor | poor |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.0 | poor |
| Feb | 0.0 | poor |
| Mar | 1.4 | poor |
| Apr | 3.1 | poor |
| May | 5.0 | fair |
| Jun | 6.1 | good |
| Jul | 6.0 | good |
| Aug | 6.7 | good |
| Sep | 7.3 | good |
| Oct | 4.7 | fair |
| Nov | 1.4 | poor |
| Dec | 0.0 | poor |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 75°F and 93°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Rapid City for hot-weather activities is from late June to mid September, with a peak score in the last week of August.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Rapid City, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 82°F), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 36°F), pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.
In July, Rapid City sees daytime highs around 82°F and nights near 58°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Rapid City by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Rapid City peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Very high | High | High | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Low |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 5 | High |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 8 | Very high |
| Aug | 6 | High |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 4 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Average hourly UV index in Rapid City
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in June the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 5.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5.5 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 7 | 6 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5.5 | 5 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 4 | 0 |
| Apr | 5.5 | 0 |
| May | 7.5 | 3 |
| Jun | 8.5 | 5.5 |
| Jul | 8.5 | 5 |
| Aug | 7 | 2.5 |
| Sep | 6 | 0 |
| Oct | 3.5 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Growing season
The growing season in Rapid City typically lasts about 195 days, from around April 15 to October 26 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from May 13 to September 30.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 11 | 13 | 25 | 53 | 91 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 97 | 67 | 25 | 11 |
| Frost nights | 31 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 30 | 31 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | 31 |
| Feb | 13 | 28 |
| Mar | 25 | 31 |
| Apr | 53 | 30 |
| May | 91 | 12 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 97 | 0 |
| Oct | 67 | 31 |
| Nov | 25 | 30 |
| Dec | 11 | 31 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 50°F: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Rapid City banks about 2,011 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°F·days) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 102 | 396 | 627 | 580 | 294 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°F·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 0 |
| Apr | 0 |
| May | 102 |
| Jun | 396 |
| Jul | 627 |
| Aug | 580 |
| Sep | 294 |
| Oct | 12 |
| Nov | 0 |
| Dec | 0 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Rapid City receives about 4.5 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.9 and 7.0 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.3 months, from around Mar 14 to Sep 22. The brightest month is July, averaging about 6.9 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is December, down near 1.9 kWh/m² — roughly 72% less than the July peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 2.2 | 3.2 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 6.1 | 6.8 | 6.9 | 6.1 | 4.9 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Moderate | Moderate | Dim |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.2 | Moderate |
| Feb | 3.2 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4.6 | Bright |
| Apr | 5.5 | Bright |
| May | 6.1 | Intense |
| Jun | 6.8 | Intense |
| Jul | 6.9 | Intense |
| Aug | 6.1 | Intense |
| Sep | 4.9 | Bright |
| Oct | 3.4 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2.4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 1.9 | Dim |
Where is Rapid City?
Rapid City sits at 44.1°N, 103.2°W, 3,241 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Gillette, 114 mi away.
Topography around Rapid City
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Rapid City.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Rapid City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 719 ft around an average of 3,340 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,008 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,108 ft.
The land around Rapid City is covered by artificial surfaces (49%) and grassland (33%) within 2 miles, grassland (64%) and trees (24%) within 10 miles, and grassland (69%) and trees (22%) within 50 miles.
United States travel facts
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 120 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 100% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $90,027
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 98%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 5.8
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 12.7
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Rapid City (44.0805°, -103.231°, elevation 3,241 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).