PlainClimate

Rapid City weather in January: Rapid City, South Dakota: normal highs, lows, rain and records for January

Rapid City in January has a normal high of 36°F and a normal low of 13°F, a daily mean of 24°F, holding near 36°F all month. Measurable precipitation falls on 6 days in a normal January, 0.31 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)

In metric: a normal high of 2°C and low of −11°C, 8 mm of precipitation and 13 cm of snow in January.

  • NOAA stationRapid City Regional Airport
  • Station IDUSW00024090
  • Location44.04°N 103.05°W
  • Elevation3,160 ft (963 m)
  • Population79,894
  1. Jan 36° 13°
  2. Feb 38° 14°
  3. Mar 48° 23°
  4. Apr 57° 31°
  5. May 67° 42°
  6. Jun 78° 52°
  7. Jul 86° 59°
  8. Aug 85° 56°
  9. Sep 76° 46°
  10. Oct 60° 34°
  11. Nov 47° 22°
  12. 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 January?

The normal high is 36°F and the normal low 13°F, for a daily mean of 24.3°F. January is 1.3°F cooler than December and 1.8°F cooler than February. January is the 12th warmest month of the year in Rapid City and the 12th wettest. From one year to the next January's mean temperature typically moves about 4.7°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Januarys in three average between 20°F and 29°F.

Rapid City in January, day by day: normal high and low

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 21%).

Normal high and low on five days of January, with the chance of precipitation
DayHighLowChance of 0.01 inChance of 0.10 in
January 136°F13°F17%4%
January 836°F13°F18%4%
January 1536°F13°F19%4%
January 2236°F13°F20%4%
January 3136°F13°F21%4%
Every day of January: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon January 14, coldest night January 1)
Rapid City: NOAA 1991-2020 daily normals for each day of January
DayHighLowChance of 0.01 inChance of 0.10 inDaylight
January 136°F13°F17%4%9 h
January 236°F13°F17%4%9 h
January 336°F13°F17%4%9 h
January 436°F13°F17%4%9 h
January 536°F13°F17%4%9 h
January 636°F13°F18%4%9 h
January 736°F13°F18%4%9 h
January 836°F13°F18%4%9 h
January 936°F13°F18%4%9 h
January 1036°F13°F18%4%9 h 10 min
January 1136°F13°F18%4%9 h 10 min
January 1236°F13°F18%4%9 h 10 min
January 1336°F13°F19%4%9 h 10 min
January 1436°F13°F19%4%9 h 10 min
January 1536°F13°F19%4%9 h 10 min
January 1636°F13°F19%4%9 h 20 min
January 1736°F13°F19%4%9 h 20 min
January 1836°F13°F19%4%9 h 20 min
January 1936°F13°F19%4%9 h 20 min
January 2036°F13°F20%4%9 h 20 min
January 2136°F13°F20%4%9 h 20 min
January 2236°F13°F20%4%9 h 30 min
January 2336°F13°F20%4%9 h 30 min
January 2436°F13°F20%4%9 h 30 min
January 2536°F13°F20%4%9 h 30 min
January 2636°F13°F20%4%9 h 40 min
January 2736°F13°F21%4%9 h 40 min
January 2836°F13°F21%4%9 h 40 min
January 2936°F13°F21%4%9 h 40 min
January 3036°F13°F21%4%9 h 40 min
January 3136°F13°F21%4%9 h 50 min
Normal high
36°FJanuary average
Normal low
13°FJanuary average
Precipitation
0.31 inmonth total
Days with precipitation
60.01 inch or more
Snowfall
5.3 inmonth total
Nights at 32°F or colder
30
Daylight
9 h to 9 h 50 minJanuary 1 to January 31
Sunshine
75%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 January?

On a given January day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 19% on average, highest around January 31 (21%). In all, 0.31 in falls on 6 days of a normal January.

In a normal January in Rapid City, 30 nights fall to freezing, 11 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 5.3 inches.

Snow falls on 6 days in a normal January, and an inch or more covers the ground on 11 days.

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00024090.

How humid and windy is Rapid City in January?

At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 35°F with 48% relative humidity and a dew point of 17°F; at 6 a.m. it is 21°F with 72% humidity. The wind averages 10.3 mph, most often from the north in the afternoon. A dew point under 50°F feels dry.

A normal January day at the station, hour by hour (local standard time)
TimeTemperatureDew pointHumidityWindClear or few clouds
6 a.m.21°F13°F72%8.7 mph64%
9 a.m.26°F16°F65%9.5 mph62%
noon34°F17°F51%13.8 mph61%
3 p.m.35°F17°F48%14.6 mph65%
6 p.m.27°F16°F64%10.1 mph61%
9 p.m.24°F15°F68%8.6 mph63%

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 January in Rapid City?

The warmest January temperature on Rapid City's official record (since 1942) is 76°F, on January 12, 1987; the coldest is −27°F, on January 18, 1943. The wettest January brought 1.77 in (1944); the snowiest, 24.0 inches (1949).

The January mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 24.3°F: 2021 29.6°F (+5.3), 2022 26.8°F (+2.5), 2023 26.5°F (+2.2), 2024 22.7°F (−1.6), 2025 20.9°F (−3.4), 2026 28.6°F (+4.3). 4 of 6 ran warmer than normal.

Rapid City: January in recent years against the 1991-2020 normal
JanuaryMeanAgainst normalPrecip.
202129.6°F+5.3°F0.04 in
202226.8°F+2.5°F0.13 in
202326.5°F+2.2°F0.73 in
202422.7°F−1.6°F0.05 in
202520.9°F−3.4°F0.27 in
202628.6°F+4.3°F0.16 in

Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record RAPthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00024090. Records and recent months use complete months only.

How does January in Rapid City compare across South Dakota?

Across the 100 places PlainClimate covers in South Dakota, January normal highs run from 20°F in Astoria to 41°F in Hill City; Rapid City's is 36°F.

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.

Other months and places