Rapid City, SD: May

31 May 2026: May 2026 averaged 57.2°F in Rapid City, SD, the warmest May since 2025, 20th warmest of 84.

May 2026

Mean temperature: 57.2°F; Warmest since 2025; 20th warmest of 84
Precipitation: 3.85 in; Wettest since 2023; 20th wettest of 84

A normal May in Rapid City, SD (1991 to 2020): a mean temperature of 54.7°F, between 51°F and 57.7°F in eight years of ten and 2.51 in of precipitation, between 1.30 in and 6.90 in in eight years of ten.

The mean temperature of every May in Rapid City, SD since 1943: 57.2°F in 2026; the highest is 61.8°F, in 1985 and 1958.

Normal range, 51 to 57.7°F

Every year, ranked, as a table

Every May in Rapid City, SD from 1943 to 2026, ranked: the mean temperature, the mean high and the mean low from the warmest, the precipitation from the wettest; a year missing more than a tenth of its days is not ranked.

Year	Mean, °F	Rank	High, °F	Rank	Low, °F	Rank	Precipitation, in	Rank
2026	57.2	20	73	8	41.4	53	3.85	20
2025	57.4	15	70.1	20	44.6	17	2.08	54
2024	55.6	34	68.4	36	42.8	32	1.68	60
2023	59.1	9	73.2	6	44.9	16	5.66	11
2022	52.9	65	66.6	51	39.3	75	2.58	35
2021	52.8	66	65.6	61	40	67	2.48	40
2020	53.1	63	65.8	58	40.3	63	2.26	47
2019	47.4	84	58.2	84	36.6	84	7.80	2
2018	59	10	71.5	14	46.5	6	4.04	18
2017	55.4	37	69.3	27	41.5	49	1.16	79
2016	53.9	53	68.1	39	39.7	71	0.84	83
2015	51.9	71	62.2	77	41.6	47	6.86	8
2014	54.4	48	66.4	55	42.5	38	1.54	68
2013	55.2	40	68.9	31	41.5	49	3.16	29
2012	55.9	32	70.3	18	41.5	49	2.12	52
2011	50.6	79	61	80	40.1	66	5.88	10
2010	51.5	75	62.9	74	40.2	65	5.19	14
2009	54.1	50	68.9	31	39.3	75	0.94	82
2008	51	77	62.2	77	39.9	68	7.24	4
2007	59.3	7	73.1	7	45.5	13	2.93	31
2006	57.6	14	71.6	12	43.6	26	1.82	57
2005	53.6	57	65.5	63	41.7	46	5.30	13
2004	55.6	34	69.1	29	42	44	2.55	36
2003	55	42	67.7	42	42.3	41	1.32	72
2002	51.8	72	64.9	66	38.6	82	1.61	65
2001	56.1	27	69.5	25	42.8	32	1.73	58
2000	56	30	68.9	31	43.1	30	2.40	44
1999	53	64	65	65	40.9	58	4.49	16
1998	56.2	26	69.6	23	42.7	35	2.34	46
1997	52.8	66	65.1	64	40.5	62	5.35	12
1996	50.5	80	60.1	83	41	56	8.18	1
1995	51.8	72	62.1	79	41.4	53	4.03	19
1994	60.2	3	73.9	4	46.4	8	1.47	69
1993	56.1	27	68.5	34	43.7	25	2.16	51
1992	57.4	15	72.2	11	42.6	36	2.47	41
1991	56.6	24	67.1	47	46	9	4.40	17
1990	53.2	62	65.6	61	40.8	59	4.87	15
1989	55.3	38	69.4	26	41.3	55	1.40	71
1988	59.9	5	74	3	45.9	10	3.25	26
1987	59.4	6	71.5	14	47.4	3	3.39	24
1986	54.9	44	67.7	42	42.1	43	1.43	70
1985	61.8	1	76.3	1	47.2	4	1.24	75
1984	53.6	57	67.4	45	39.8	70	1.57	67
1983	52	70	64.2	69	39.7	71	2.18	50
1982	53.3	61	63.5	71	43.1	30	6.50	9
1981	54.9	44	66.4	55	43.4	27	2.81	32
1980	57.4	15	70.3	18	44.5	19	1.58	66
1979	53.6	57	66.5	52	40.6	61	1.17	78
1978	55	42	66.3	57	43.8	24	3.12	30
1977	60.2	3	73.8	5	46.7	5	2.49	39
1976	55.3	38	68.5	34	42.2	42	2.74	33
1975	54	51	66.9	49	41	56	1.23	76
1974	53.8	54	68.1	39	39.5	73	1.32	72
1973	53.7	55	67.9	41	39.5	73	2.37	45
1972	55.1	41	67	48	43.3	28	3.28	25
1971	53.6	57	65.7	59	41.5	49	3.70	22
1970	55.6	34	69.3	27	41.9	45	2.41	43
1969	57.4	15	72.5	10	42.4	40	2.20	49
1968	50.8	78	62.7	75	38.9	79	1.68	60
1967	49.8	83	60.5	82	39.1	77	3.20	28
1966	56	30	71.6	12	40.3	63	0.33	84
1965	54.7	47	66.5	52	42.8	32	6.97	6
1964	58.5	11	70.4	17	46.5	6	2.52	37
1963	57	21	69.8	22	44.1	23	1.18	77
1962	58.3	12	69	30	47.5	2	6.90	7
1961	55.7	33	67.2	46	44.3	21	1.29	74
1960	56.9	22	71.2	16	42.6	36	2.23	48
1959	53.7	55	64.9	66	42.5	38	3.25	26
1958	61.8	1	75.9	2	47.6	1	1.04	81
1957	54	51	63.3	73	44.6	17	7.05	5
1956	56.7	23	68.3	38	45.2	14	2.09	53
1955	59.2	8	72.7	9	45.7	11	1.70	59
1954	54.2	49	66.7	50	41.6	47	2.68	34
1953	52.5	69	64.2	69	40.8	59	1.68	60
1952	56.1	27	67.7	42	44.5	19	3.75	21
1951	56.3	25	68.4	36	44.2	22	1.87	56
1950	50.4	81	62.3	76	38.6	82	2.43	42
1949	57.3	19	69.6	23	45.1	15	1.63	64
1948	54.9	44	66.5	52	43.2	29	1.67	63
1947	52.8	66	65.7	59	39.9	68	1.14	80
1946	50	82	60.9	81	39.1	77	7.35	3
1945	51.2	76	63.5	71	38.9	79	2.52	37
1944	57.9	13	70.1	20	45.6	12	3.53	23
1943	51.7	74	64.6	68	38.9	79	1.89	55

Warmest, coldest, wettest and driest

Warmest
Year	Mean, °F
1985	61.8
1958	61.8
1994	60.2
1977	60.2
1988	59.9
1987	59.4
2007	59.3
1955	59.2
2023	59.1
2018	59

Coldest
Year	Mean, °F
2019	47.4
1967	49.8
1946	50
1950	50.4
1996	50.5
2011	50.6
1968	50.8
2008	51
1945	51.2
2010	51.5

Wettest
Year	Precipitation, in
1996	8.18
2019	7.80
1946	7.35
2008	7.24
1957	7.05
1965	6.97
1962	6.90
2015	6.86
1982	6.50
2011	5.88

Driest
Year	Precipitation, in
1966	0.33
2016	0.84
2009	0.94
1958	1.04
1947	1.14
2017	1.16
1979	1.17
1963	1.18
1975	1.23
1985	1.24

The hottest, coldest and wettest days

Hottest day: 93°F; 13 May 2026
Coldest night: 23°F; 6 May 2026
Wettest day: 1.84 in; 21 May 2026

Every month, season and year

Months

Seasons

Years

Rapid City, SD the day's answers

All-time records

Every answer in words

May 2026 brought 3.85 in of precipitation in Rapid City, SD, the wettest May since 2023, 20th wettest of 84.
The hottest day of May 2026 in Rapid City, SD: 93°F on Wednesday 13 May 2026.
The coldest night of May 2026 in Rapid City, SD: a low of 23°F on Wednesday 6 May 2026.
The wettest day of May 2026 in Rapid City, SD: 1.84 in on Thursday 21 May 2026.