Rapid City, South Dakota Weather
Rapid City, South Dakota — live current conditions, hourly and 7-day forecasts, NWS alerts, radar and satellite imagery for Rapid City, Pennington County.
Full aviation weather for Rapid City is published on the Ellsworth Air Force Base (KRCA) page, 12 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. 4 airfields within reach of Rapid City 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 Rapid City: Rapid City Regional Airport (KRAP) 14 km · Sturgis Municipal Airport (K49B) 39 km · Custer County Airport (KCUT) 50 km
Conditions reported at KRCA describe the airfield itself. Weather 12 km away can differ, particularly in terrain or near the coast. For conditions at Rapid City specifically, see the current conditions and forecast above.
About Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City unfolds at the edge of the Black Hills, a landscape where prairie grasses surrender to rising, ancient rock formations. It lies 113.5 miles east of Gillette, WY (from Gillette, WY: bearing 97°T), and is situated 8.4 miles west-south-west of Box Elder. The sky here seems to possess an unusual breadth, a vast canvas where clouds drift with a deliberate, unhurried grace, often painted in hues of rose and lavender as the sun dips below the horizon. The air, especially after a rain, carries a clean, earthy scent, a testament to the surrounding pine forests and the fertile soil that defines the region’s character. Streets wind with a gentle, almost organic flow, following the contours of the land rather than imposing a rigid grid, giving the city a welcoming, accessible feel that hints at the open spaces just beyond its periphery. The history of Rapid City is deeply entwined with the gold rushes and westward expansion, a legacy that still echoes in the spirit of enterprise that fuels its local economy. It has long served as a vital gateway to the monumental sculptures and natural wonders of the Black Hills, drawing visitors who come to marvel at Mount Rushmore and the Badlands. This constant influx of travelers has fostered a unique cultural blend, a community that embraces its Wild West heritage while looking forward. The presence of Ellsworth Air Force Base also imbues Rapid City with a distinct sense of purpose and a steady influx of new residents, adding to its dynamic character.
Live animated radar for Rapid City 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 | Rapid City, Pennington County, South Dakota |
| Coordinates | 44.080543°N, 103.231015°W |
| Timezone | Mountain Time (America/Denver) |
| ZIP Code(s) | 57701, 57702, 57703, 57709 |
| Area Code | 605 |
| Page generated | September 2026 |
| Weather data | Open-Meteo (open-source), NOAA National Weather Service |
About This Rapid City, South Dakota Weather Page
This page provides live weather conditions and forecasts for Rapid City, South Dakota, 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 Rapid City includes coordinates 44.080543°N, 103.231015°W, situated in Pennington County. ZIP code 57701, 57702, 57703, 57709. Telephone area code: 605. Timezone: Mountain Time (America/Denver).
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.
