Rapid City weather in September

In September, Rapid City sees average daytime highs of 72°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 1.6 in of precipitation across 6.7 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 78°F in the first days to 66°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in September, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 06 min at the start of September to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is Rapid City's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rapid City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
72°
4th warmest
Overnight low
47°
9th coldest
Precipitation
1.6 in
6.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:38 AM – 5:56 PM
Cloud cover
41%
1st clearest
Wind
7 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.9 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.4
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.

Temperature in September

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 78°F in the first days to 66°F by the end.

A typical September day in Rapid City reaches about 72°F in the afternoon and slips back to 47°F overnight — a 24°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 57°F and 86°F. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 9°F cooler than August and about 14°F warmer than October.

40°60°80°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17954
27853
37853
47752
57752
67652
77651
87651
97550
107450
117449
127449
137348
147348
157248
167247
177147
187146
197046
207046
216945
226945
236944
246844
256844
266743
276743
286643
296642
306542

How September really feels in Rapid City

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

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

September sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Rapid City weather by month

How September compares with the rest of the year at a glance. September is the 4th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan36° / 17°0.53.93.99.10.0
Feb38° / 18°0.755.110.20.0
Mar46° / 25°1.67.65.411.61.4
Apr54° / 32°3.211.85.513.23.1
May64° / 42°4.414.11.214.55.0
Jun74° / 52°3.814.50.115.26.1
Jul82° / 58°3.113.40155.9
Aug81° / 56°2.410.9013.86.7
Sep72° / 47°1.66.70.412.37.4
Oct58° / 36°2.07.32.710.84.7
Nov46° / 25°0.84.43.89.41.3
Dec37° / 18°0.63.63.98.80.0

Cloud cover in September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in September, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17525
27525
37426
47426
57327
67327
77327
87129
97129
107030
117030
126931
136931
146733
156733
166733
176733
186733
196832
206832
216832
226733
236733
246832
256733
266733
276733
286733
296634
306733

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitationSnow

Rapid City gets around 1.6 in of rain and snow over 6.7 wet days in September. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 24% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202530
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1240
2240
3241
4231
5231
6231
7241
8241
9241
10241
11251
12251
13251
14252
15252
16252
17242
18242
19242
20232
21232
22222
23222
24223
25223
26223
27224
28234
29235
30245

Humidity in September

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, September lands in the dry band about 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
185123
286113
388102
48992
58992
69181
79271
89271
99361
109451
119451
129541
139640
149730
159730
169730
179820
189820
199820
209910
219910
229910
239910
2410000
2510000
2610000
2710000
2810000
2910000
3010000

Wind in September

Winds average 7 mph in September.

Across September, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202530
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177light breeze
187light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in September

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 06 min at the start of September to 11 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 90 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 5:21 AM to 5:55 AM, and sunset from 6:25 PM to 5:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.15:216:25
213.05:226:23
313.05:236:21
412.95:246:19
512.95:256:17
612.85:266:15
712.85:286:13
812.75:296:12
912.75:306:10
1012.65:316:08
1112.65:326:06
1212.55:346:04
1312.55:356:02
1412.45:366:00
1512.45:375:58
1612.35:385:56
1712.25:395:54
1812.25:415:52
1912.15:425:50
2012.15:435:48
2112.05:445:47
2212.05:455:45
2311.95:475:43
2411.95:485:41
2511.85:495:39
2611.85:505:37
2711.75:515:35
2811.75:535:33
2911.65:545:31
3011.65:555:29

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 4.9 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 — September's 4.9 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.2Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.6Bright
214.6Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.2Bright
294.2Bright
304.1Bright
Planning a trip in September

Hazard calendar for Rapid City

In seasonPeak

None of Rapid City's seasonal hazards are active in September. 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 September a good time to visit Rapid City?

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

7.4
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

September is one of the better times to visit Rapid City for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Rapid City in September

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

In September, Rapid City sees daytime highs around 72°F and nights near 47°F. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Rapid City in September

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in September peaks around 6 — 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 20UV 9Dec 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
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
10 miles
2,008 ft
50 miles
5,108 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
September 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
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

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).