Places › Rapid City, SD
Rapid City, SD — best months to visit
The Black Hills basecamp — Mount Rushmore, Badlands, and Custer State Park.
Best months for Rapid City: September — mild days around 76°F, rain on about 7 days a month.
36°F
Rain 6 days
Daylight 9h 13mFEB
38°F
Rain 7 days
Daylight 10h 23mMAR
48°F
Rain 7 days
Daylight 11h 47mAPR
57°F
Rain 10 days
Daylight 13h 23mMAY
66°F
Rain 13 days
Daylight 14h 44mJUN
78°F
Rain 12 days
Daylight 15h 28mJUL
86°F
Rain 10 days
Daylight 15h 11mAUG
85°F
Rain 8 days
Daylight 14h 00mSEP
76°F
★ Best
Rain 7 days
Daylight 12h 27mOCT
60°F
Rain 7 days
Daylight 10h 55mNOV
47°F
Rain 5 days
Daylight 9h 34mDEC
37°F
Rain 5 days
Daylight 8h 54m
Averages are the 1991–2020 climate normals (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information) for the station named on each page. Rain days = days with at least 0.01 in of precipitation. Daylight is computed for the middle of the month.
Temperature band (low to high) in each month's color; pale bars behind = total rain for the month. 1991–2020 normals.
All twelve months
| Month | Score | Avg high | Avg low | Rain | Rain days | Daylight | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37 | 36° | 13° | 0.31 in | 6 | 9h 13m | The toughest month |
| February | 38 | 38° | 14° | 0.50 in | 7 | 10h 23m | An off month |
| March | 58 | 48° | 23° | 0.91 in | 7 | 11h 47m | A shoulder month |
| April | 67 | 57° | 31° | 2.08 in | 10 | 13h 23m | A good month |
| May | 88 | 66° | 42° | 3.45 in | 13 | 14h 44m | One of the best months |
| June | 85 | 78° | 52° | 2.87 in | 12 | 15h 28m | One of the best months |
| July | 71 | 86° | 58° | 2.28 in | 10 | 15h 11m | A good month |
| August | 75 | 85° | 56° | 1.59 in | 8 | 14h 00m | A good month |
| September ★ Best | 95 | 76° | 46° | 1.22 in | 7 | 12h 27m | One of the best months |
| October | 87 | 60° | 34° | 1.41 in | 7 | 10h 55m | One of the best months |
| November | 60 | 47° | 22° | 0.47 in | 5 | 9h 34m | A shoulder month |
| December | 38 | 37° | 14° | 0.35 in | 5 | 8h 54m | An off month |
Score is rule-derived from the same normals — the rules are published on How we pick. Rain days = days with at least 0.01 in of precipitation.
September in Rapid City: one of the best months (score 95 of 100)
Typical September days in Rapid City reach about 76°F with nights near 46°F.
- A warm jacket for evenings and early starts.
- Layers — afternoons run about 30° warmer than mornings.
- A compact rain layer — about 7 days see rain in a typical September.