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Rapid Valley, SD Weather
Current conditions
Forecast for this hour (no station report in the last two hours)
Forecast
10-day-
Thursday
Mostly sunny. High near 81, with temperatures falling to around 76 in the afternoon. South wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
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Thursday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. South wind around 7 mph, with gusts as high as 17 mph.
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Friday
Mostly sunny. High near 84, with temperatures falling to around 78 in the afternoon. South wind 6 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
National Weather Service forecast updated 20 hrs ago.
Hourly
Hourly forecast- Now59°
- 10 AM65°
- 11 AM70°
- 12 PM74°
- 1 PM77°
- 2 PM80°
- 3 PM80°
- 4 PM79°
- 5 PM76°
- 6 PM71°
- 7 PM67°
- 8 PM63°
- 9 PM61°
- 10 PM60°
- 11 PM59°
- Fri12 AM58°
- 1 AM57°
- 2 AM57°
- 3 AM56°
- 4 AM56°
- 5 AM56°
- 6 AM55°
- 7 AM56°
- 8 AM58°
10-day forecast
Details- WedOct 21Sunny50°70°
- TodayOct 22Mostly Sunny55°81°
- FriOct 23Mostly Sunny31%43°84°
- SatOct 24Mostly Sunny12%36°55°
- SunOct 25Chance Light Rain44%33°49°
- MonOct 26Slight Chance Rain And Snow22%33°48°
- TueOct 27Mostly Sunny36°60°
- WedOct 28Rain0.05 in31°52°
- ThuOct 29Mostly sunny28°54°
- FriOct 30Sunny32°56°
Days after the National Weather Service's seven are MET Norway's outlook, a computer model with no forecaster's review.
Radar
Full mapWeather news in South Dakota
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Air quality
Air quality is satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk.
Rapid City, SD reporting area · 1 hr ago. Data from AirNow (EPA and its state, local and tribal partners); preliminary and subject to change.
Sun & moon
Almanac
MonthlyRapid City Area, records since 1942. Normals 1991–2020. Data from NOAA's Regional Climate Centers (ACIS).
Nearby
- Rapid City 7 km
- Box Elder 8 km
- Ellsworth Air Force Base 11 km
- Sturgis 48 km
- Lead 59 km
- Blackhawk 16 km
- Colonial Pine Hills 15 km
- Summerset 21 km
Forecasters' discussion
From the National Weather Service office in UNR, issued 21 hrs ago
Key Messages
- Warm and dry weather through much of this week.
Update
Issued at 1058 PM MDT Tue Oct 20 2026
No major changes to the forecast this evening. Surface analysis shows a weak cold front crossing NW SD at this time. Across SW SD, temps are in the mid to upper 50s while over NW SD into portions of NE WY temps are dropping into the upper 40s. NW winds will continue overnight into Wed morning, then return flow sets up as the surface high pushes east of the CWA Wed afternoon. Max temps on Wed will be in the 60s to low 70s...but then a decent overnight LLJ/warm air advection will push highs on Thursday well above average (upper 70s to possibly mid 80s over the western SD plains).
Discussion
(This Evening Through Tuesday) Issued at 1254 PM MDT Tue Oct 20 2026
Current upper level analysis shows broad ridging over the central and western US with deepening trof off the west coast. The CWA sits under upper level southwest flow and clear skies. Sfc stations report light southerly winds across much of western SD with temperatures in the 60s to low 70s.
Weak front will cross the CWA overnight with the only impacts being a slight drop in tomorrow's highs and a brief period of breezy northwest winds overnight. Upper ridge builds over the region Wednesday into Thursday with southerly return flow supporting warming temps over the area.
Southerly winds pick up early Friday morning as upper level trof approaches with attendant sfc low and trailing cold front crossing the Northern Plains. WAA ahead of the front Friday afternoon will support highs in the upper 70s to low 80s over the western SD plains. As the front crosses the area later Friday evening, winds will shift to the northwest but remain breezy through the night, especially over northwestern SD. Much cooler conditions expected over the weekend with low chances for light precip.
Aviation
(For the 18Z TAFS Through 18Z Thursday) Issued At 1124 AM MDT Wed Oct 21 2026
VFR conditions are expected through the forecast period.
Main aviation changes will be centered around winds but overall concerns are low. Increased wind speeds, upwards of 10 to 20 kts, are likely through the tonight for NE WY and NW SD before a lull in speeds Thursday morning. Wind speeds increase again, up to 10 to 15 kts, for most of the area for Thursday afternoon.
Forecasts, observations and alerts in the United States come from the National Weather Service (NOAA); radar from NOAA's Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor system; satellite imagery from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS) and NOAA's GOES satellites; the map from the U.S. Geological Survey's National Map; air quality from AirNow (EPA and its partners); hurricane information from the National Hurricane Center; climate normals and records from NOAA's Regional Climate Centers (ACIS). Forecasts outside the United States and the UV index: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0); observations outside the U.S.: airport reports via NOAA's Aviation Weather Center. Place names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Data are copied on a schedule and may lag the sources; for warnings that affect your safety, follow your local National Weather Service office and emergency officials. Weather news is drawn from the 4Conservative index and reflects what the press published. Terms of use.