Rapid City, SD

South Dakota · Records since 1942–2026

🌙 70°F Feels like 73°
Currently in Rapid City
As of 3:45 AM MDT

Records for August 11

🔥 Record High

103°F

August 11, 2022

+17° from 86° normal

❄ Record Low

40°F

August 11, 2004

-18° from 58° normal
🌞 Normal high: 86°F 🌑 Normal low: 58°F 1991–2020 normals

All-Time Records — Rapid City

🔥
112°F
Hottest Day Ever
Jul 25, 2026
-31°F
Coldest Day Ever
Feb 2, 1996
🌧
3.78"
Wettest Day Ever
Jun 15, 1963
20.0"
Most Snow in One Day
Apr 9, 2013

Top 10 Record Highs — August 11

# Temp Date
🏆 103°F August 11, 2022
2 103°F August 11, 2006
3 102°F August 11, 2000
4 101°F August 11, 1969
5 101°F August 11, 1959
6 100°F August 11, 1957
7 100°F August 11, 1949
8 99°F August 11, 2010
9 99°F August 11, 1988
10 99°F August 11, 1965

Top 5 Record Lows — August 11

# Temp Date
🥶 40°F August 11, 2004
2 47°F August 11, 1977
3 47°F August 11, 1974
4 47°F August 11, 1964
5 50°F August 11, 2017
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 1942–2026. Climate normals represent the 1991–2020 average.

Heat Wave Summary — Rapid City

threshold: 96°F (90th percentile of historical Jun–Aug highs)
3.7
Avg heat wave length
days (historical)
103°
Avg peak temp
during heat waves
7
Dangerous nights 2026
Overnights ≥ 70°F
2
Heat waves 2026
so far

2026 Daily High Temperature vs Normal

Year to date
Above normal Below normal

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


Days ≥ 90°F Per Year

1942–2026
37
2026 so far
32
Avg/year 1970–2025
35
Avg/year (last 10 complete)
59
Most in a year (1988)

Average Daily High by Decade

Full year · complete decades only


Longest Heat Waves — Rapid City

# Dates Days Peak Avg High Avg Overnight Low
🏆 Jul 25, 1987 – Aug 2, 1987 9 105°F (Jul 25) 102°F 68°F
2 Jul 18, 2012 – Jul 24, 2012 7 107°F (Jul 19) 100°F 65°F
3 Jul 10, 2026 – Jul 16, 2026 7 105°F (Jul 12) 101°F 66°F
4 Jul 26, 1988 – Aug 1, 1988 7 104°F (Jul 30) 101°F 64°F
5 Aug 2, 2001 – Aug 8, 2001 7 104°F (Aug 7) 100°F 66°F
6 Aug 22, 1991 – Aug 28, 1991 7 103°F (Aug 25) 100°F 63°F
7 Jul 24, 2026 – Jul 29, 2026 6 112°F (Jul 25) 103°F 66°F
8 Jul 8, 1954 – Jul 13, 1954 6 109°F (Jul 12) 102°F 68°F
9 Jul 18, 1964 – Jul 23, 1964 6 104°F (Jul 21) 100°F 66°F
10 Jul 29, 1955 – Aug 3, 1955 6 102°F (Aug 1) 99°F 68°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
44.8
Avg / summer
1970–2020
74
Most in a summer
2007

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

7.45"
2026 YTD
Normal: 13.00"
-5.55"
0.00"
August so far
August normal: 1.59"
-1.59"
1.89"
Summer so far
Summer normal: 6.74"
-4.85"
2
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

79.3°F

Average temperature · July 2026

2nd-warmest month on record

2nd-warmest July of 84 on record

+6.6° vs. 72.7° average (1991–2020)
79.7°F
Warmest month ever
July 2007
79.7°F
Warmest July ever
2007
20
Days ≥ 90°F
in July
112°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)

The longest July streak since 2024 (2 years). The July record is 22 days, set in 1974.


Average July Temperature by Year

1943–2026 · 2026 highlighted


Warmest Julys on Record

# Year Avg Temp
1 2007 79.7°F
2 2006 79.3°F
3 2026 79.3°F
4 2012 78.4°F
5 2002 78.3°F
6 1954 77.7°F
7 1974 77.3°F
8 2017 77.1°F
9 2003 77.0°F
10 1989 77.0°F

Warmest Months on Record (Any Month)

# Month Avg Temp
1 July 2007 79.7°F
2 July 2006 79.3°F
3 July 2026 79.3°F
4 July 2012 78.4°F
5 July 2002 78.3°F
6 August 1983 78.0°F
7 July 1954 77.7°F
8 July 1974 77.3°F
9 August 1961 77.2°F
10 July 2017 77.1°F

Nearby Stations — July 2026

How the same month ranked at the closest reporting stations

Station Avg Temp July Rank
Rapid City, SD 79.3°F 2nd of 84
Rapid City Downtown, SD 80.7°F 2nd of 115
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 1008 complete months on record.