Rapid City weather in April: Rapid City, South Dakota: normal highs, lows, rain and records for April
Rapid City in April has a normal high of 57°F and a normal low of 31°F, a daily mean of 44°F, rising from 53°F on the 1st to 61°F by the 30th. Measurable precipitation falls on 11 days in a normal April, 2.08 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 14°C and low of 0°C, 53 mm of precipitation and 26 cm of snow in April.
- NOAA stationRapid City Regional Airport
- Station IDUSW00024090
- Location44.04°N 103.05°W
- Elevation3,160 ft (963 m)
- Population79,894
- Jan 36° 13°
- Feb 38° 14°
- Mar 48° 23°
- Apr 57° 31°
- May 67° 42°
- Jun 78° 52°
- Jul 86° 59°
- Aug 85° 56°
- Sep 76° 46°
- Oct 60° 34°
- Nov 47° 22°
- Dec 37° 14°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Rapid City in April?
The normal high is 57°F and the normal low 31°F, for a daily mean of 43.9°F. April is 8.5°F warmer than March and 10.2°F cooler than May. April is the 7th warmest month of the year in Rapid City and the 4th wettest, and the snowiest. Across the month the normal high rises 8°F, from 53°F on April 1 to 61°F on April 30. From one year to the next April's mean temperature typically moves about 3.3°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Aprils in three average between 41°F and 47°F.
Bars above: each day's normal high to low. Columns below: the chance of 0.01 inch or more of precipitation that day, on a scale of 0 to 100% (highest 37%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 1 | 53°F | 28°F | 30% | 13% |
| April 8 | 55°F | 29°F | 32% | 15% |
| April 15 | 56°F | 31°F | 34% | 16% |
| April 22 | 58°F | 33°F | 36% | 18% |
| April 30 | 61°F | 35°F | 37% | 19% |
Every day of April: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon April 30, coldest night April 1)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 1 | 53°F | 28°F | 30% | 13% | 12 h 40 min |
| April 2 | 54°F | 28°F | 30% | 13% | 12 h 50 min |
| April 3 | 54°F | 28°F | 30% | 13% | 12 h 50 min |
| April 4 | 54°F | 28°F | 31% | 14% | 12 h 50 min |
| April 5 | 54°F | 29°F | 31% | 14% | 12 h 50 min |
| April 6 | 54°F | 29°F | 32% | 14% | 13 h |
| April 7 | 55°F | 29°F | 32% | 14% | 13 h |
| April 8 | 55°F | 29°F | 32% | 15% | 13 h |
| April 9 | 55°F | 30°F | 33% | 15% | 13 h 10 min |
| April 10 | 55°F | 30°F | 33% | 15% | 13 h 10 min |
| April 11 | 55°F | 30°F | 33% | 16% | 13 h 10 min |
| April 12 | 56°F | 30°F | 34% | 16% | 13 h 20 min |
| April 13 | 56°F | 30°F | 34% | 16% | 13 h 20 min |
| April 14 | 56°F | 31°F | 34% | 16% | 13 h 20 min |
| April 15 | 56°F | 31°F | 34% | 16% | 13 h 20 min |
| April 16 | 57°F | 31°F | 35% | 17% | 13 h 30 min |
| April 17 | 57°F | 31°F | 35% | 17% | 13 h 30 min |
| April 18 | 57°F | 32°F | 35% | 17% | 13 h 30 min |
| April 19 | 57°F | 32°F | 35% | 17% | 13 h 40 min |
| April 20 | 58°F | 32°F | 35% | 18% | 13 h 40 min |
| April 21 | 58°F | 33°F | 36% | 18% | 13 h 40 min |
| April 22 | 58°F | 33°F | 36% | 18% | 13 h 40 min |
| April 23 | 58°F | 33°F | 36% | 18% | 13 h 50 min |
| April 24 | 59°F | 33°F | 36% | 18% | 13 h 50 min |
| April 25 | 59°F | 34°F | 36% | 18% | 13 h 50 min |
| April 26 | 59°F | 34°F | 36% | 18% | 14 h |
| April 27 | 60°F | 34°F | 37% | 19% | 14 h |
| April 28 | 60°F | 35°F | 37% | 19% | 14 h |
| April 29 | 60°F | 35°F | 37% | 19% | 14 h |
| April 30 | 61°F | 35°F | 37% | 19% | 14 h 10 min |
- Normal high
- 57°FApril average
- Normal low
- 31°FApril average
- Precipitation
- 2.08 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 110.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 10.1 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 16
- Daylight
- 12 h 40 min to 14 h 10 minApril 1 to April 30
- Days at 70°F or more
- 6
- Days at 80°F or more
- 2
- Sunshine
- 71%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00024090; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Rapid City in April?
On a given April day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 34% on average, highest around April 30 (37%). In all, 2.08 in falls on 11 days of a normal April.
In a normal April in Rapid City, 16 nights fall to freezing, 1 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 10.1 inches.
Snow falls on 4 days in a normal April, and an inch or more covers the ground on 4 days.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00024090.
How humid and windy is Rapid City in April?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 59°F with 40% relative humidity and a dew point of 35°F; at 6 a.m. it is 42°F with 73% humidity. The wind averages 12.2 mph, most often from the north in the afternoon. A dew point under 50°F feels dry.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 42°F | 34°F | 73% | 9.2 mph | 63% |
| 9 a.m. | 53°F | 35°F | 51% | 14.1 mph | 63% |
| noon | 58°F | 35°F | 42% | 15.7 mph | 53% |
| 3 p.m. | 59°F | 35°F | 40% | 16.0 mph | 54% |
| 6 p.m. | 55°F | 36°F | 49% | 13.6 mph | 59% |
| 9 p.m. | 46°F | 35°F | 66% | 10.0 mph | 61% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00024090. Hourly normals exist only for NOAA's first-order stations; a dash where NOAA publishes no value for that hour (the sky at some hours).
What are the records for April in Rapid City?
The warmest April temperature on Rapid City's official record (since 1942) is 93°F, on April 22, 1989; the coldest is −1°F, on April 3, 2020. The wettest April brought 5.16 in (1967); the snowiest, 43.4 inches (2013).
The April mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 43.9°F: 2021 43.2°F (−0.7), 2022 39.7°F (−4.2), 2023 41.6°F (−2.3), 2024 47.3°F (+3.4), 2025 46.6°F (+2.8), 2026 44.9°F (+1.0). 3 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| April | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 43.2°F | −0.7°F | 0.96 in |
| 2022 | 39.7°F | −4.2°F | 1.58 in |
| 2023 | 41.6°F | −2.3°F | 0.75 in |
| 2024 | 47.3°F | +3.4°F | 4.59 in |
| 2025 | 46.6°F | +2.8°F | 2.95 in |
| 2026 | 44.9°F | +1.0°F | 1.13 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record RAPthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00024090. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does April in Rapid City compare across South Dakota?
Across the 100 places PlainClimate covers in South Dakota, April normal highs run from 50°F in Custer to 62°F in Armour; Rapid City's is 57°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.