Rapid City weather in December

In December, Rapid City sees average daytime highs of 37°F and overnight lows near 18°F, with 0.6 in of precipitation across 3.6 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 39°F in the first days to 35°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 54 min at the start of December to 8 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Rapid City's 5th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rapid City's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 37°; 11th warmest
Overnight low: 18°; 3rd coldest
Precipitation: 0.6 in; 3.6 wet days
Daylight: 8 h 42 min; 7:28 AM – 4:10 PM
Cloud cover: 49%; 5th clearest
Wind: 8 mph; 6th windiest
Solar energy: 1.91 kWh/m²
Travel score: 0.0; out of 10

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.

← November Rapid City year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 39°F in the first days to 35°F by the end.

A typical December day in Rapid City reaches about 37°F in the afternoon and slips back to 18°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°F and 52°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 9°F cooler than November and on par with January.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°F)	40	39	39	39	39	38	38	38	38	38	38	37	37	37	37	37	37	36	36	36	36	36	35	35	35	35	35	35	35	35	35
Avg low (°F)	21	21	20	20	20	20	20	19	19	19	19	19	19	19	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	16	16

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	40	21
2	39	21
3	39	20
4	39	20
5	39	20
6	38	20
7	38	20
8	38	19
9	38	19
10	38	19
11	38	19
12	37	19
13	37	19
14	37	19
15	37	18
16	37	18
17	37	18
18	36	18
19	36	18
20	36	18
21	36	18
22	36	17
23	35	17
24	35	17
25	35	17
26	35	17
27	35	17
28	35	17
29	35	17
30	35	16
31	35	16

How December really feels in Rapid City

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 32°F

31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Rapid City weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

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

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	62	62	62	62	62	62	62	62	62	62	62	62	62	62	61	61	61	61	61	60	60	60	60	60	60	60	60	59	59	59	59
Cloudier (%)	38	38	38	38	38	38	38	38	38	38	38	38	38	38	39	39	39	39	39	40	40	40	40	40	40	40	40	41	41	41	41

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	62	38
2	62	38
3	62	38
4	62	38
5	62	38
6	62	38
7	62	38
8	62	38
9	62	38
10	62	38
11	62	38
12	62	38
13	62	38
14	62	38
15	61	39
16	61	39
17	61	39
18	61	39
19	61	39
20	60	40
21	60	40
22	60	40
23	60	40
24	60	40
25	60	40
26	60	40
27	60	40
28	59	41
29	59	41
30	59	41
31	59	41

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Rapid City gets around 0.6 in of rain and snow over 3.6 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 11% and peaks near 13% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	13	12	12	11	11	11	11	10	10	10	10	10	11	11	11	11	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12
Snow chance (%)	14	13	13	13	12	12	12	12	11	11	11	11	11	12	12	12	12	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	12	12

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	13	14
2	12	13
3	12	13
4	11	13
5	11	12
6	11	12
7	11	12
8	10	12
9	10	11
10	10	11
11	10	11
12	10	11
13	11	11
14	11	12
15	11	12
16	11	12
17	12	12
18	12	13
19	12	13
20	12	13
21	12	13
22	12	13
23	12	13
24	12	13
25	12	13
26	12	13
27	12	13
28	12	13
29	12	13
30	12	12
31	12	12

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

Wind in December

Winds average 8 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (mph)	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8
Feels	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze

	Wind speed (mph)	Feels
1	8	light breeze
2	8	light breeze
3	8	light breeze
4	8	light breeze
5	8	light breeze
6	8	light breeze
7	8	light breeze
8	8	light breeze
9	8	light breeze
10	8	light breeze
11	8	light breeze
12	8	light breeze
13	8	light breeze
14	8	light breeze
15	8	light breeze
16	8	light breeze
17	8	light breeze
18	8	light breeze
19	8	light breeze
20	8	light breeze
21	8	light breeze
22	8	light breeze
23	8	light breeze
24	8	light breeze
25	8	light breeze
26	8	light breeze
27	8	light breeze
28	8	light breeze
29	8	light breeze
30	8	light breeze
31	8	light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 54 min at the start of December to 8 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:14 AM to 7:34 AM, and sunset from 4:11 PM to 4:18 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	8.9	8.9	8.9	8.9	8.9	8.8	8.8	8.8	8.8	8.8	8.8	8.7	8.7	8.7	8.7	8.7	8.7	8.7	8.7	8.7	8.7	8.7	8.7	8.7	8.7	8.7	8.7	8.7	8.7	8.7	8.7
Sunrise (AM)	7:14	7:16	7:17	7:18	7:19	7:20	7:20	7:21	7:22	7:23	7:24	7:25	7:26	7:26	7:27	7:28	7:28	7:29	7:30	7:30	7:31	7:31	7:32	7:32	7:32	7:33	7:33	7:33	7:34	7:34	7:34
Sunset (PM)	4:11	4:11	4:10	4:10	4:10	4:10	4:10	4:10	4:10	4:10	4:10	4:10	4:10	4:10	4:10	4:10	4:11	4:11	4:11	4:12	4:12	4:13	4:13	4:14	4:14	4:15	4:15	4:16	4:17	4:17	4:18

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	8.9	7:14	4:11
2	8.9	7:16	4:11
3	8.9	7:17	4:10
4	8.9	7:18	4:10
5	8.9	7:19	4:10
6	8.8	7:20	4:10
7	8.8	7:20	4:10
8	8.8	7:21	4:10
9	8.8	7:22	4:10
10	8.8	7:23	4:10
11	8.8	7:24	4:10
12	8.7	7:25	4:10
13	8.7	7:26	4:10
14	8.7	7:26	4:10
15	8.7	7:27	4:10
16	8.7	7:28	4:10
17	8.7	7:28	4:11
18	8.7	7:29	4:11
19	8.7	7:30	4:11
20	8.7	7:30	4:12
21	8.7	7:31	4:12
22	8.7	7:31	4:13
23	8.7	7:32	4:13
24	8.7	7:32	4:14
25	8.7	7:32	4:14
26	8.7	7:33	4:15
27	8.7	7:33	4:15
28	8.7	7:33	4:16
29	8.7	7:34	4:17
30	8.7	7:34	4:17
31	8.7	7:34	4:18

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.91 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.91 kWh/m² to a high of 6.88 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.91 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9
Level	Moderate	Moderate	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	2.0	Moderate
2	2.0	Moderate
3	2.0	Dim
4	2.0	Dim
5	2.0	Dim
6	2.0	Dim
7	1.9	Dim
8	1.9	Dim
9	1.9	Dim
10	1.9	Dim
11	1.9	Dim
12	1.9	Dim
13	1.9	Dim
14	1.9	Dim
15	1.9	Dim
16	1.9	Dim
17	1.9	Dim
18	1.9	Dim
19	1.9	Dim
20	1.9	Dim
21	1.9	Dim
22	1.9	Dim
23	1.9	Dim
24	1.9	Dim
25	1.9	Dim
26	1.9	Dim
27	1.9	Dim
28	1.9	Dim
29	1.9	Dim
30	1.9	Dim
31	1.9	Dim

Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Rapid City

In seasonPeak

None of Rapid City's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Rapid City's rainy season runs April–August, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Is December a good time to visit Rapid City?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0

Sightseeing

10th-best month of the year

0.0

Beach & pool

8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Rapid City.

What to pack for Rapid City in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Rapid City sees daytime highs around 37°F and nights near 18°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Rapid City in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

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

Location & terrain

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.

2 miles

719 ft

artificial surfaces 49%

10 miles

2,008 ft

grassland 64%

50 miles

5,108 ft

grassland 69%

treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain

← November Rapid City year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

December weather nearby: Gillette 114 mi · Casper 176 mi · Sheridan 190 mi · Dickinson 194 mi · Cheyenne 219 mi · Mandan 221 mi · Bismarck 222 mi · Laramie 226 mi

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).

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	40	21
2	39	21
3	39	20
4	39	20
5	39	20
6	38	20
7	38	20
8	38	19
9	38	19
10	38	19
11	38	19
12	37	19
13	37	19
14	37	19
15	37	18
16	37	18
17	37	18
18	36	18
19	36	18
20	36	18
21	36	18
22	36	17
23	35	17
24	35	17
25	35	17
26	35	17
27	35	17
28	35	17
29	35	17
30	35	16
31	35	16

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	62	38
2	62	38
3	62	38
4	62	38
5	62	38
6	62	38
7	62	38
8	62	38
9	62	38
10	62	38
11	62	38
12	62	38
13	62	38
14	62	38
15	61	39
16	61	39
17	61	39
18	61	39
19	61	39
20	60	40
21	60	40
22	60	40
23	60	40
24	60	40
25	60	40
26	60	40
27	60	40
28	59	41
29	59	41
30	59	41
31	59	41

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	13	14
2	12	13
3	12	13
4	11	13
5	11	12
6	11	12
7	11	12
8	10	12
9	10	11
10	10	11
11	10	11
12	10	11
13	11	11
14	11	12
15	11	12
16	11	12
17	12	12
18	12	13
19	12	13
20	12	13
21	12	13
22	12	13
23	12	13
24	12	13
25	12	13
26	12	13
27	12	13
28	12	13
29	12	13
30	12	12
31	12	12

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	40	21
2	39	21
3	39	20
4	39	20
5	39	20
6	38	20
7	38	20
8	38	19
9	38	19
10	38	19
11	38	19
12	37	19
13	37	19
14	37	19
15	37	18
16	37	18
17	37	18
18	36	18
19	36	18
20	36	18
21	36	18
22	36	17
23	35	17
24	35	17
25	35	17
26	35	17
27	35	17
28	35	17
29	35	17
30	35	16
31	35	16

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	62	38
2	62	38
3	62	38
4	62	38
5	62	38
6	62	38
7	62	38
8	62	38
9	62	38
10	62	38
11	62	38
12	62	38
13	62	38
14	62	38
15	61	39
16	61	39
17	61	39
18	61	39
19	61	39
20	60	40
21	60	40
22	60	40
23	60	40
24	60	40
25	60	40
26	60	40
27	60	40
28	59	41
29	59	41
30	59	41
31	59	41

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	13	14
2	12	13
3	12	13
4	11	13
5	11	12
6	11	12
7	11	12
8	10	12
9	10	11
10	10	11
11	10	11
12	10	11
13	11	11
14	11	12
15	11	12
16	11	12
17	12	12
18	12	13
19	12	13
20	12	13
21	12	13
22	12	13
23	12	13
24	12	13
25	12	13
26	12	13
27	12	13
28	12	13
29	12	13
30	12	12
31	12	12

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	40	21
2	39	21
3	39	20
4	39	20
5	39	20
6	38	20
7	38	20
8	38	19
9	38	19
10	38	19
11	38	19
12	37	19
13	37	19
14	37	19
15	37	18
16	37	18
17	37	18
18	36	18
19	36	18
20	36	18
21	36	18
22	36	17
23	35	17
24	35	17
25	35	17
26	35	17
27	35	17
28	35	17
29	35	17
30	35	16
31	35	16

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	62	38
2	62	38
3	62	38
4	62	38
5	62	38
6	62	38
7	62	38
8	62	38
9	62	38
10	62	38
11	62	38
12	62	38
13	62	38
14	62	38
15	61	39
16	61	39
17	61	39
18	61	39
19	61	39
20	60	40
21	60	40
22	60	40
23	60	40
24	60	40
25	60	40
26	60	40
27	60	40
28	59	41
29	59	41
30	59	41
31	59	41

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	13	14
2	12	13
3	12	13
4	11	13
5	11	12
6	11	12
7	11	12
8	10	12
9	10	11
10	10	11
11	10	11
12	10	11
13	11	11
14	11	12
15	11	12
16	11	12
17	12	12
18	12	13
19	12	13
20	12	13
21	12	13
22	12	13
23	12	13
24	12	13
25	12	13
26	12	13
27	12	13
28	12	13
29	12	13
30	12	12
31	12	12

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100