Rock Rapids, Iowa Weather
Rock Rapids, Iowa — live current conditions, hourly and 7-day forecasts, NWS alerts, radar and satellite imagery, soil and crop conditions for Rock Rapids, Lyon County.
Full aviation weather for Rock Rapids is published on the Rock Rapids Municipal Airport (KRRQ) page, 3 km away. It carries the current METAR decoded into plain language — surface wind, visibility, cloud layers and ceiling, temperature and dewpoint, and altimeter setting — alongside the raw observation as transmitted. 6 airfields within reach of Rock Rapids have their own pages, listed below.
The Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) is shown across its full validity period, with each change group broken out so you can see when conditions are expected to shift. Flight category is derived automatically — VFR, MVFR, IFR or LIFR — from reported ceiling and visibility, with runway details and field elevation alongside. Observations update roughly hourly and forecasts several times a day.
Other airports near Rock Rapids: Quentin Aanenson Airfield - Luverne Municipal Airport (KLYV) 21 km · Sibley Municipal Airport (KISB) 34 km · Canton Municipal Airport (K7G9) 35 km · Sheldon Regional Airport (KSHL) 37 km · Sioux Falls Regional Airport (KFSD) 49 km
Conditions reported at KRRQ describe the airfield itself. Weather 3 km away can differ, particularly in terrain or near the coast. For conditions at Rock Rapids specifically, see the current conditions and forecast above.
Soil conditions, frost risk and crop weather for Rock Rapids.
About Rock Rapids, Iowa
Rock Rapids unfolds across a landscape of broad, fertile plains, where the sky feels immense and the earth a deep, rich loam. It lies 27.6 miles east-south-east of Sioux Falls, SD (from Sioux Falls, SD: bearing 108°T), and is situated 15.8 miles south of Luverne. The terrain gently rolls, a subtle undulation that seems to breathe with the turning seasons, and the Big Sioux River, a ribbon of silver, threads its way through the land, its banks fringed with cottonwoods and willows that whisper in the prairie wind. Fields of corn and soybeans stretch to the horizon, their green and gold a reassuring testament to the land's enduring bounty, and the air here carries a clean, crisp scent, especially in the early morning when the dew still clings to the grasses. The character of Rock Rapids is one of quiet resilience, a place where the rhythm of life is set by the sun and the soil, and where a sense of open space imbues everything with a certain unhurried grace. The history of Rock Rapids is deeply entwined with the agricultural heartland it inhabits, a story of pioneers who saw the promise in this fertile ground. The town's economy has long been anchored in farming and the businesses that support it, from grain elevators that punctuate the skyline to implement dealers whose lots hum with purposeful activity. A notable landmark, the Lyon County Courthouse with its distinctive Romanesque Revival architecture, stands as a proud sentinel, a reminder of the community's enduring spirit and civic pride. The presence of the Big Sioux River not only shapes the geography but also hints at a past of transportation and connection, a watery artery that once brought people and goods to this very spot. Today, Rock Rapids continues to honor its agricultural roots while embracing a steady, forward-looking vision, a place where the echoes of past endeavors blend with the quiet hum of daily life.
Live animated radar for Rock Rapids and surroundings — RainViewer.
NOAA GOES-16 GEOCOLOR — live animated loop updated every 10 minutes. Shows cloud cover, storm systems and weather patterns across the continental US.
Source: NOAA/NESDIS GOES-East · Public domain · Auto-updates on page reload
| Location | Rock Rapids, Lyon County, Iowa |
| Coordinates | 43.427194°N, 96.17586°W |
| Timezone | Central Time (America/Chicago) |
| ZIP Code(s) | 51246 |
| Area Code | 563 |
| Page generated | September 2026 |
| Weather data | Open-Meteo (open-source), NOAA National Weather Service |
About This Rock Rapids, Iowa Weather Page
This page provides live weather conditions and forecasts for Rock Rapids, Iowa, including current conditions, a 24-hour hourly forecast, 7-day outlook, NWS extended text forecast, precipitation radar and NOAA GOES-16 satellite imagery. Aviation weather — live METAR observations and TAF forecasts — is published separately on the pages for the nearest reporting airports, linked from the aviation section above. Additional sections may include tide predictions, wave height, wave direction and sea-surface temperature, a barometric pressure trend, and a solunar-based fishing forecast with a fishing-conditions rating for coastal localities, and soil temperature, crop weather and live USGS river gauge data for agricultural areas near a monitored waterway. All data updates automatically on every page visit.
Location data for Rock Rapids includes coordinates 43.427194°N, 96.175860°W, situated in Lyon County. ZIP code 51246. Telephone area code: 563. Timezone: Central Time (America/Chicago).
Weather data is sourced from the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) and the open-source Open-Meteo API. River and stream data is sourced from the USGS National Water Information System. Tide predictions are sourced from NOAA CO-OPS; marine and solunar data are modeled from Open-Meteo and public sunrise/moon calculations and should be treated as a general guide alongside on-the-water conditions. Radar is provided by RainViewer. Satellite imagery is sourced from NOAA/NESDIS GOES-East and is public domain.
