Climateby Month

Sioux Falls vs Rapid City weather

Sioux Falls, SD and Rapid City, SD · 328 mi apart

July highs: 85°F in Sioux Falls, 86°F in Rapid City (Rapid City is 1°F warmer). January highs: 27°F and 36°F (Rapid City is 9°F warmer). Sioux Falls has about 104 wet days a year, Rapid City about 96. Muggy days: about 29 a year in Sioux Falls, about 1 in Rapid City. Snow: 45.3 in a year in Sioux Falls, 53.7 in in Rapid City.

Sioux Falls, SD

0°20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 27°F (-3°C), low 9°F (-13°C) 27° 9° February: normal high 32°F (0°C), low 13°F (-11°C) March: normal high 45°F (7°C), low 24°F (-4°C) April: normal high 59°F (15°C), low 36°F (2°C) May: normal high 71°F (22°C), low 48°F (9°C) June: normal high 81°F (27°C), low 59°F (15°C) July: normal high 85°F (29°C), low 63°F (17°C) 85° 63° August: normal high 83°F (28°C), low 61°F (16°C) September: normal high 76°F (24°C), low 52°F (11°C) October: normal high 61°F (16°C), low 38°F (3°C) November: normal high 45°F (7°C), low 25°F (-4°C) December: normal high 32°F (0°C), low 13°F (-11°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Best months: May

Rapid City, SD

0°20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 36°F (2°C), low 13°F (-11°C) 36° 13° February: normal high 38°F (3°C), low 14°F (-10°C) March: normal high 48°F (9°C), low 23°F (-5°C) April: normal high 57°F (14°C), low 31°F (-1°C) May: normal high 67°F (19°C), low 42°F (6°C) June: normal high 78°F (26°C), low 52°F (11°C) July: normal high 86°F (30°C), low 59°F (15°C) 86° 59° August: normal high 85°F (29°C), low 56°F (13°C) September: normal high 76°F (24°C), low 46°F (8°C) October: normal high 60°F (16°C), low 34°F (1°C) November: normal high 47°F (8°C), low 22°F (-6°C) December: normal high 37°F (3°C), low 14°F (-10°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Best months: May, June

Which city for what

  • Milder winters: Rapid City (January high 36°F vs January high 27°F)
  • Less humid: Rapid City (1 muggy days vs 29 muggy days)
  • Less snow: Sioux Falls (45.3 in vs 53.7 in)

Listed only where the difference is at least 3°F in highs, 10 days a year or 3 in of snow.

Season by season

SeasonAvg high Sioux FallsAvg high Rapid CityWet days Sioux FallsWet days Rapid City
Winter (Dec-Feb)30°F37°F2117
Spring (Mar-May)58°F57°F3130
Summer (Jun-Aug)83°F83°F3030
Fall (Sep-Nov)61°F61°F2219

Side by side over a year

Sioux FallsRapid City
Hot days (90°F+)1532
Freezing nights162175
Muggy days291
Comfortable days7783
Precipitation27.9 in17.4 in
Snowfall45.3 in53.7 in
Frost dateslast May 1, first Oct 6last May 3, first Oct 8
Daylight in June / December15.4 h / 9.0 h15.4 h / 8.9 h
Best monthsMayMay, June

Day counts from each city's daily records, 1991-2020. Comfortable days: highs 65-80°F and dew point under 60°F.

Month by month

MonthHigh Sioux FallsHigh Rapid CityWet days Sioux FallsWet days Rapid City
January27°F36°F76
February32°F38°F77
March45°F48°F87
April59°F57°F1011
May71°F67°F1213
June81°F78°F1213
July85°F86°F910
August83°F85°F98
September76°F76°F87
October61°F60°F87
November45°F47°F65
December32°F37°F75

Both charts use the same temperature scale.

Where the numbers come from

  • Sioux Falls, SD: temperature from Sioux Falls (USW00014944), 3.0 mi NNW of the city center; precipitation from Sioux Falls (USW00014944). NOAA 1991-2020 normals and daily records.
  • Rapid City, SD: temperature from Rapid City Rgnl Airport (USW00024090), 9.2 mi ESE of the city center; precipitation from Rapid City Rgnl Airport (USW00024090). NOAA 1991-2020 normals and daily records.

Every station for each city, including humidity and frost, is listed on the city page. Methodology.