Photo: WeaponizingArchitecture · CC BY-SA 4.0Rapid City’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Rapid City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Rapid City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Rapid City’s place in South Dakota beside it.
What a year in Rapid City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 147 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 10 and the first by October 5. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Rapid City Wfo, SD, 0.4 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; frost dates and degree days from Rapid City 4nw, SD, 5 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Rapid City’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −14°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 36 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Rapid City 4nw, SD, falls mostly in April. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 19 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 67 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Rapid City
94% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Rapid City 4nw, SD.
Living with Rapid City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
147 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 10 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 5.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 33 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Rapid City from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (42%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 23%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Rapid City and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Rapid City in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Rapid City’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid City, SD | 14° | 86° | 19" | 36" |
| Glenwood Springs, CO | 14° | 87° | 15" | 39" |
| Lockwood, MT | 15° | 88° | 15" | 35" |
| Raton, NM | 15° | 85° | 16" | 25" |
| Doney Park, AZ | 17° | 86° | 16" | 52" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Rapid City averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.9°).
A bigger shift than in 58% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Rapid City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Rapid City’s place among South Dakota’s.
Rapid City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Rapid City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Rapid City 4nw, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 14° | 0.3" | 3.9" | 3 | 5 | 17° – 36° |
| February | 39° | 15° | 0.5" | 6.1" | 4 | 7 | 11° – 37° |
| March | 49° | 24° | 1.0" | 6.2" | 4 | 4 | 23° – 48° |
| April | 57° | 32° | 2.1" | 7.9" | 7 | 2 | 37° – 51° |
| May | 66° | 42° | 4.0" | 0.9" | 9 | 0 | 48° – 60° |
| June | 77° | 52° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 59° – 71° |
| July | 86° | 59° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 64° – 78° |
| August | 85° | 57° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| September | 76° | 47° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| October | 61° | 35° | 1.5" | 2.1" | 5 | 1 | 39° – 54° |
| November | 48° | 24° | 0.5" | 4.0" | 3 | 3 | 26° – 45° |
| December | 38° | 15° | 0.4" | 5.0" | 2 | 6 | 17° – 33° |
| Year | 60° | 34° | 19.3" | 36.1" | 67 | 28 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 11° to 37°. August is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Rapid City’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Rapid City’s center.
- Snow: Rapid City 4nw, SD.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Rapid City 4nw, SD, 5 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Rapid City Wfo, SD, 0.4 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Rapid City’s climate
What is the weather like in Rapid City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 88% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 54% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Rapid City in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 144 nights a year reach 32° or below and 15 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Rapid City get?
About 36 inches in a normal winter at Rapid City 4nw, SD, most of it in April, with snow on the ground about 28 days a year.
How hot does it get in Rapid City?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 59°. About 23 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Rapid City 4nw, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Rapid City?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 10 and the first fall frost by October 5, about 147 frost-free days, at Rapid City 4nw, SD.
What growing zone is Rapid City in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −14°.
What is the best time of year to visit Rapid City?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Rapid City getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Rapid City.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.