Rapid City weather in May

In May, Rapid City sees average daytime highs of 64°F and overnight lows near 42°F, with 4.4 in of precipitation across 14.1 wet days and about 14.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 59°F in the first days to 68°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 15 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Rapid City's 11th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rapid City's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 64°; 5th warmest
Overnight low: 42°; 8th coldest
Precipitation: 4.4 in; 14.1 wet days
Daylight: 14 h 36 min; 4:33 AM – 7:06 PM
Cloud cover: 62%; 11th clearest
Wind: 8 mph; 3rd windiest
Solar energy: 6.11 kWh/m²
Travel score: 5.0; 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.

← April Rapid City year-round climate June →Best places to visit in May

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 59°F in the first days to 68°F by the end.

A typical May day in Rapid City reaches about 64°F in the afternoon and slips back to 42°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 49°F and 78°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 11°F cooler than June.

	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)	58	58	59	59	60	60	60	61	61	62	62	62	63	63	63	64	64	64	65	65	65	66	66	66	67	67	67	68	68	68	69
Avg low (°F)	37	37	37	38	38	38	39	39	40	40	40	41	41	42	42	43	43	43	44	44	44	45	45	46	46	46	46	47	47	47	48

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	58	37
2	58	37
3	59	37
4	59	38
5	60	38
6	60	38
7	60	39
8	61	39
9	61	40
10	62	40
11	62	40
12	62	41
13	63	41
14	63	42
15	63	42
16	64	43
17	64	43
18	64	43
19	65	44
20	65	44
21	65	44
22	66	45
23	66	45
24	66	46
25	67	46
26	67	46
27	67	46
28	68	47
29	68	47
30	68	47
31	69	48

How May really feels in Rapid City

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 4 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

wind chill below the day's low

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

Rapid City weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 1st-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

	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 (%)	42	43	43	44	44	45	45	46	46	46	46	45	45	44	44	44	44	43	43	43	43	43	43	43	44	44	44	45	45	46	47
Cloudier (%)	58	57	57	56	56	55	55	54	54	54	54	55	55	56	56	56	56	57	57	57	57	57	57	57	56	56	56	55	55	54	53

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	42	58
2	43	57
3	43	57
4	44	56
5	44	56
6	45	55
7	45	55
8	46	54
9	46	54
10	46	54
11	46	54
12	45	55
13	45	55
14	44	56
15	44	56
16	44	56
17	44	56
18	43	57
19	43	57
20	43	57
21	43	57
22	43	57
23	43	57
24	43	57
25	44	56
26	44	56
27	44	56
28	45	55
29	45	55
30	46	54
31	47	53

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Rapid City gets around 4.4 in of rain and snow over 14.1 wet days in May, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 46% and peaks near 52% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

	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 (%)	41	41	41	42	42	42	42	42	43	43	44	44	45	45	46	46	47	47	47	48	48	49	50	50	51	51	52	52	52	52	52
Snow chance (%)	11	10	10	9	9	8	7	7	6	6	5	5	5	5	4	4	4	4	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	1	1	1	1

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	41	11
2	41	10
3	41	10
4	42	9
5	42	9
6	42	8
7	42	7
8	42	7
9	43	6
10	43	6
11	44	5
12	44	5
13	45	5
14	45	5
15	46	4
16	46	4
17	47	4
18	47	4
19	47	3
20	48	3
21	48	3
22	49	2
23	50	2
24	50	2
25	51	2
26	51	2
27	52	2
28	52	1
29	52	1
30	52	1
31	52	1

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 99% 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	99	99	99	99	99	99	99	99	98	98	98	98	98	97	97	97	96	96	95	94
Comfortable (%)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	4	4	5	6

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)
1	100	0
2	100	0
3	100	0
4	100	0
5	100	0
6	100	0
7	100	0
8	100	0
9	100	0
10	100	0
11	100	0
12	99	1
13	99	1
14	99	1
15	99	1
16	99	1
17	99	1
18	99	1
19	99	1
20	98	2
21	98	2
22	98	2
23	98	2
24	98	2
25	97	3
26	97	3
27	97	3
28	96	4
29	96	4
30	95	5
31	94	6

Wind in May

Winds average 8 mph in May.

Across May, 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 May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 15 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 4:52 AM to 4:20 AM, and sunset from 6:48 PM to 7:21 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)	13.9	14.0	14.0	14.1	14.1	14.2	14.2	14.2	14.3	14.3	14.4	14.4	14.4	14.5	14.5	14.6	14.6	14.6	14.7	14.7	14.7	14.8	14.8	14.8	14.9	14.9	14.9	14.9	15.0	15.0	15.0
Sunrise (AM)	4:52	4:51	4:49	4:48	4:46	4:45	4:44	4:42	4:41	4:40	4:38	4:37	4:36	4:35	4:34	4:33	4:31	4:30	4:29	4:28	4:27	4:26	4:26	4:25	4:24	4:23	4:22	4:22	4:21	4:20	4:20
Sunset (PM)	6:48	6:49	6:51	6:52	6:53	6:54	6:55	6:57	6:58	6:59	7:00	7:01	7:02	7:04	7:05	7:06	7:07	7:08	7:09	7:10	7:11	7:12	7:13	7:14	7:15	7:16	7:17	7:18	7:19	7:20	7:21

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	13.9	4:52	6:48
2	14.0	4:51	6:49
3	14.0	4:49	6:51
4	14.1	4:48	6:52
5	14.1	4:46	6:53
6	14.2	4:45	6:54
7	14.2	4:44	6:55
8	14.2	4:42	6:57
9	14.3	4:41	6:58
10	14.3	4:40	6:59
11	14.4	4:38	7:00
12	14.4	4:37	7:01
13	14.4	4:36	7:02
14	14.5	4:35	7:04
15	14.5	4:34	7:05
16	14.6	4:33	7:06
17	14.6	4:31	7:07
18	14.6	4:30	7:08
19	14.7	4:29	7:09
20	14.7	4:28	7:10
21	14.7	4:27	7:11
22	14.8	4:26	7:12
23	14.8	4:26	7:13
24	14.8	4:25	7:14
25	14.9	4:24	7:15
26	14.9	4:23	7:16
27	14.9	4:22	7:17
28	14.9	4:22	7:18
29	15.0	4:21	7:19
30	15.0	4:20	7:20
31	15.0	4:20	7:21

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.11 kWh/m².

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 — May's 6.11 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

	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)	5.9	5.9	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.1	6.1	6.1	6.1	6.1	6.1	6.1	6.1	6.1	6.1	6.1	6.1	6.1	6.1	6.1	6.1	6.2	6.2	6.2	6.2	6.2	6.3	6.3
Level	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	5.9	Bright
2	5.9	Bright
3	6.0	Bright
4	6.0	Bright
5	6.0	Intense
6	6.0	Intense
7	6.0	Intense
8	6.0	Intense
9	6.1	Intense
10	6.1	Intense
11	6.1	Intense
12	6.1	Intense
13	6.1	Intense
14	6.1	Intense
15	6.1	Intense
16	6.1	Intense
17	6.1	Intense
18	6.1	Intense
19	6.1	Intense
20	6.1	Intense
21	6.1	Intense
22	6.1	Intense
23	6.1	Intense
24	6.1	Intense
25	6.2	Intense
26	6.2	Intense
27	6.2	Intense
28	6.2	Intense
29	6.2	Intense
30	6.3	Intense
31	6.3	Intense

Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Rapid City

In seasonPeak

In May, Rapid City sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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 May a good time to visit Rapid City?

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

5.0

Sightseeing

5th-best month of the year

1.5

Beach & pool

5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Rapid City for sightseeing.

What to pack for Rapid City in May

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

In May, Rapid City sees daytime highs around 64°F and nights near 42°F. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer. About 14 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectiona warm layer

UV index in Rapid City in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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

← April Rapid City year-round climate June →Best places to visit in May

May 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	58	37
2	58	37
3	59	37
4	59	38
5	60	38
6	60	38
7	60	39
8	61	39
9	61	40
10	62	40
11	62	40
12	62	41
13	63	41
14	63	42
15	63	42
16	64	43
17	64	43
18	64	43
19	65	44
20	65	44
21	65	44
22	66	45
23	66	45
24	66	46
25	67	46
26	67	46
27	67	46
28	68	47
29	68	47
30	68	47
31	69	48

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	42	58
2	43	57
3	43	57
4	44	56
5	44	56
6	45	55
7	45	55
8	46	54
9	46	54
10	46	54
11	46	54
12	45	55
13	45	55
14	44	56
15	44	56
16	44	56
17	44	56
18	43	57
19	43	57
20	43	57
21	43	57
22	43	57
23	43	57
24	43	57
25	44	56
26	44	56
27	44	56
28	45	55
29	45	55
30	46	54
31	47	53

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	41	11
2	41	10
3	41	10
4	42	9
5	42	9
6	42	8
7	42	7
8	42	7
9	43	6
10	43	6
11	44	5
12	44	5
13	45	5
14	45	5
15	46	4
16	46	4
17	47	4
18	47	4
19	47	3
20	48	3
21	48	3
22	49	2
23	50	2
24	50	2
25	51	2
26	51	2
27	52	2
28	52	1
29	52	1
30	52	1
31	52	1

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)
1	100	0
2	100	0
3	100	0
4	100	0
5	100	0
6	100	0
7	100	0
8	100	0
9	100	0
10	100	0
11	100	0
12	99	1
13	99	1
14	99	1
15	99	1
16	99	1
17	99	1
18	99	1
19	99	1
20	98	2
21	98	2
22	98	2
23	98	2
24	98	2
25	97	3
26	97	3
27	97	3
28	96	4
29	96	4
30	95	5
31	94	6

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	58	37
2	58	37
3	59	37
4	59	38
5	60	38
6	60	38
7	60	39
8	61	39
9	61	40
10	62	40
11	62	40
12	62	41
13	63	41
14	63	42
15	63	42
16	64	43
17	64	43
18	64	43
19	65	44
20	65	44
21	65	44
22	66	45
23	66	45
24	66	46
25	67	46
26	67	46
27	67	46
28	68	47
29	68	47
30	68	47
31	69	48

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	42	58
2	43	57
3	43	57
4	44	56
5	44	56
6	45	55
7	45	55
8	46	54
9	46	54
10	46	54
11	46	54
12	45	55
13	45	55
14	44	56
15	44	56
16	44	56
17	44	56
18	43	57
19	43	57
20	43	57
21	43	57
22	43	57
23	43	57
24	43	57
25	44	56
26	44	56
27	44	56
28	45	55
29	45	55
30	46	54
31	47	53

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	41	11
2	41	10
3	41	10
4	42	9
5	42	9
6	42	8
7	42	7
8	42	7
9	43	6
10	43	6
11	44	5
12	44	5
13	45	5
14	45	5
15	46	4
16	46	4
17	47	4
18	47	4
19	47	3
20	48	3
21	48	3
22	49	2
23	50	2
24	50	2
25	51	2
26	51	2
27	52	2
28	52	1
29	52	1
30	52	1
31	52	1

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)
1	100	0
2	100	0
3	100	0
4	100	0
5	100	0
6	100	0
7	100	0
8	100	0
9	100	0
10	100	0
11	100	0
12	99	1
13	99	1
14	99	1
15	99	1
16	99	1
17	99	1
18	99	1
19	99	1
20	98	2
21	98	2
22	98	2
23	98	2
24	98	2
25	97	3
26	97	3
27	97	3
28	96	4
29	96	4
30	95	5
31	94	6

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	58	37
2	58	37
3	59	37
4	59	38
5	60	38
6	60	38
7	60	39
8	61	39
9	61	40
10	62	40
11	62	40
12	62	41
13	63	41
14	63	42
15	63	42
16	64	43
17	64	43
18	64	43
19	65	44
20	65	44
21	65	44
22	66	45
23	66	45
24	66	46
25	67	46
26	67	46
27	67	46
28	68	47
29	68	47
30	68	47
31	69	48

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	42	58
2	43	57
3	43	57
4	44	56
5	44	56
6	45	55
7	45	55
8	46	54
9	46	54
10	46	54
11	46	54
12	45	55
13	45	55
14	44	56
15	44	56
16	44	56
17	44	56
18	43	57
19	43	57
20	43	57
21	43	57
22	43	57
23	43	57
24	43	57
25	44	56
26	44	56
27	44	56
28	45	55
29	45	55
30	46	54
31	47	53

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	41	11
2	41	10
3	41	10
4	42	9
5	42	9
6	42	8
7	42	7
8	42	7
9	43	6
10	43	6
11	44	5
12	44	5
13	45	5
14	45	5
15	46	4
16	46	4
17	47	4
18	47	4
19	47	3
20	48	3
21	48	3
22	49	2
23	50	2
24	50	2
25	51	2
26	51	2
27	52	2
28	52	1
29	52	1
30	52	1
31	52	1

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)
1	100	0
2	100	0
3	100	0
4	100	0
5	100	0
6	100	0
7	100	0
8	100	0
9	100	0
10	100	0
11	100	0
12	99	1
13	99	1
14	99	1
15	99	1
16	99	1
17	99	1
18	99	1
19	99	1
20	98	2
21	98	2
22	98	2
23	98	2
24	98	2
25	97	3
26	97	3
27	97	3
28	96	4
29	96	4
30	95	5
31	94	6