Winter temperatures · South Dakota
How cold does Rapid City get in winter?
In a typical winter, December to February, Rapid City averages highs around 37°F and lows around 14°F.
About 43 days a year never get above freezing. About 41 nights a year drop to 10°F or colder, and about 18 go below zero. That makes it the 18th coldest winter of the 129 US cities we track.
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The coldest low in the forecast for the next 48 hours is about 33°F.
Rapid City gets about 41 nights a year at 10°F or colder, then a chinook wind turns up and makes January feel briefly like a typo.
Live 48-hour forecast from OpenWeatherMap, refreshed about every half hour. Alerts from the National Weather Service.
More about the weather here
Winter at a glance
| Average winter high | 37°F |
|---|---|
| Average winter low | 14°F |
| Days a year that stay below freezing | 43 |
| Nights a year at 32°F or colder | 174 |
| Nights a year at 10°F or colder | 41 |
| Nights a year below zero | 18 |
| Average summer high, for comparison | 83°F |
Winter here is December to February. Counts are averages a year.
Cities with about the same winter
- Casper, Wyoming: highs around 36°F, lows around 15°F
- Concord, New Hampshire: highs around 35°F, lows around 16°F
- Binghamton, New York: highs around 32°F, lows around 18°F
Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991 to 2020, station USW00024090.