Rapid City Downtown, SD

South Dakota · Records since 1888–2026

☁️ 74°F Feels like 79°
Currently in Rapid City Downtown
As of 1:30 AM MDT

Records for August 11

🔥 Record High

103°F

August 11, 1969

+19° from 84° normal

❄ Record Low

45°F

August 11, 2004

-16° from 61° normal
🌞 Normal high: 84°F 🌑 Normal low: 61°F 1991–2020 normals

All-Time Records — Rapid City Downtown

🔥
110°F
Hottest Day Ever
Jul 25, 2026
-34°F
Coldest Day Ever
Feb 11, 1899
🌧
5.57"
Wettest Day Ever
May 27, 1926
20.0"
Most Snow in One Day
Apr 18, 1970

Top 10 Record Highs — August 11

# Temp Date
🏆 103°F August 11, 1969
2 102°F August 11, 2022
3 100°F August 11, 2000
4 100°F August 11, 1959
5 100°F August 11, 1949
6 99°F August 11, 1936
7 98°F August 11, 2006
8 98°F August 11, 1965
9 98°F August 11, 1928
10 97°F August 11, 1957

Top 5 Record Lows — August 11

# Temp Date
🥶 45°F August 11, 2004
2 45°F August 11, 1939
3 45°F August 11, 1902
4 47°F August 11, 1916
5 48°F August 11, 1964
About this data — Records are sourced from the NOAA Threadex dataset via RCC ACIS, a quality-controlled record for long-term climate stations. Threadex adjusts for station relocations and observation-time changes, making records comparable across all years since 1888–2026. Climate normals represent the 1991–2020 average.

Heat Wave Summary — Rapid City Downtown

threshold: 94°F (90th percentile of historical Jun–Aug highs)
3.8
Avg heat wave length
days (historical)
101°
Avg peak temp
during heat waves
11
Dangerous nights 2026
Overnights ≥ 70°F
3
Heat waves 2026
so far

2026 Daily High Temperature vs Normal

Year to date
Above normal Below normal

153 of 221 days with data were above the 1991–2020 normal high for their date.


Days ≥ 90°F Per Year

1888–2026
35
2026 so far
25
Avg/year 1970–2025
29
Avg/year (last 10 complete)
55
Most in a year (1936)

Average Daily High by Decade

Full year · complete decades only


Longest Heat Waves — Rapid City Downtown

# Dates Days Peak Avg High Avg Overnight Low
🏆 Jul 2, 1936 – Jul 11, 1936 10 106°F (Jul 5) 102°F 71°F
2 Jul 21, 1931 – Jul 27, 1931 7 105°F (Jul 25) 100°F 70°F
3 Jul 10, 2026 – Jul 16, 2026 7 105°F (Jul 12) 101°F 68°F
4 Jul 18, 2012 – Jul 24, 2012 7 103°F (Jul 19) 98°F 68°F
5 Sep 4, 1931 – Sep 10, 1931 7 101°F (Sep 7) 98°F 64°F
6 Jul 24, 2026 – Jul 29, 2026 6 110°F (Jul 25) 102°F 70°F
7 Jul 8, 1954 – Jul 13, 1954 6 107°F (Jul 9) 101°F 70°F
8 Jul 21, 1936 – Jul 26, 1936 6 106°F (Jul 23) 99°F 68°F
9 Jul 17, 1934 – Jul 22, 1934 6 104°F (Jul 18) 100°F 70°F
10 Jul 14, 1936 – Jul 19, 1936 6 104°F (Jul 19) 100°F 70°F

Heat Waves Per Year


Warm Summer Nights (Jun–Aug)

Nights where the overnight low exceeded the 1991–2020 normal low

43
2026 so far
above-normal nights
44.7
Avg / summer
1970–2020
63
Most in a summer
1936

Above-Normal Summer Nights Per Year

Average June–August Low by Decade

Overnight lows · complete decades only

Precipitation

Actual vs. 1991–2020 full-month and full-season normals

6.98"
2026 YTD
Normal: 14.94"
-7.96"
0.00"
August so far
August normal: 2.17"
-2.17"
2.21"
Summer so far
Summer normal: 8.12"
-5.91"
1
2026 heavy rain days
Days with ≥ 1.0"

Monthly Precipitation — Last 24 Months

Blue = actual · dashed line = monthly normal

Annual Precipitation Per Year (1970–2026)

Blue = above average · tan = below average · gold = 2026 (partial)

Heavy Rain Days Per Year (≥ 1.0")

Compare year-to-year changes in days with heavy rainfall (≥ 1.0")

Month in Review — July 2026

80.7°F

Average temperature · July 2026

2nd-warmest month on record

2nd-warmest July of 115 on record

+7.0° vs. 73.8° average (1991–2020)
82.4°F
Warmest month ever
July 1936
82.4°F
Warmest July ever
1936
21
Days ≥ 90°F
in July
110°F
Hottest of 2026
Jul 25

Longest 90°F Streak in July

11 consecutive days with highs of at least 90°F (Jul 10–20, 2026, peaking at 105°F)

Ties the longest July streak since 1964 (62 years). The July record is 13 days, set in 1934.


Average July Temperature by Year

1888–2026 · 2026 highlighted


Warmest Julys on Record

# Year Avg Temp
1 1936 82.4°F
2 2026 80.7°F
3 2012 79.2°F
4 2017 78.4°F
5 2006 78.3°F
6 2007 78.1°F
7 1954 77.9°F
8 1966 77.8°F
9 2021 77.5°F
10 2003 77.5°F

Warmest Months on Record (Any Month)

# Month Avg Temp
1 July 1936 82.4°F
2 July 2026 80.7°F
3 July 2012 79.2°F
4 July 2017 78.4°F
5 July 2006 78.3°F
6 July 2007 78.1°F
7 July 1954 77.9°F
8 July 1966 77.8°F
9 July 2021 77.5°F
10 July 2003 77.5°F

Nearby Stations — July 2026

How the same month ranked at the closest reporting stations

Station Avg Temp July Rank
Rapid City Downtown, SD 80.7°F 2nd of 115
Rapid City, SD 79.3°F 2nd of 84
Scottsbluff, NE 79.1°F 3rd of 130
Valentine, NE 78.9°F 13th of 138
Mobridge, SD 79.0°F 4th of 106
About this data. Monthly averages are the mean of daily average temperatures, computed from NOAA Threadex records via RCC ACIS. Months missing more than three days of observations are excluded from the rankings, so the in-progress month never appears. Rankings cover 1375 complete months on record.