Climate averages 1991–2020
Rapid City weather
in March.
A cool, moderately wet month: the 8th warmest and the 5th driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
March is a cool month in Rapid City: daytime highs average 8.5°C and nights cool to about -3.5°C. By daytime temperature it is the 8th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 40 mm of rain on roughly 8 days, which makes March a moderately wet month (the 5th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 11 h 53 min on an average March day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Bismarck (358 km away). In March its highs average 3.8°C, 4.7°C cooler than Rapid City, with 26 mm of rain.
Among the 498 cities listed in the United States, Rapid City ranks 400th of 498 for the warmest March highs and joint 55th of 498 for the driest March (rainfall, lowest first). The mean March high of those 498 cities is 14.9°C; Rapid City is 6.5°C cooler than that mean.
From March to April, average highs rise by 4.3°C to 12.8°C, and monthly rainfall rises from 40 mm to 80 mm.
The annual picture
March in context
Monthly rainfall
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Rapid City climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.5°C-8.1°C | -8.1°C | 13 | 3.9 | 9.39 h |
| February | 3.5°C-7.6°C | -7.6°C | 20 | 5.1 | 10.410 h |
| March, selected | 8.5°C-3.5°C | -3.5°C | 40 | 7.6 | 11.912 h |
| April | 12.8°C1.1°C | 1.1°C | 80 | 11.8 | 13.413 h |
| May | 18.4°C7.2°C | 7.2°C | 112 | 14.1 | 14.715 h |
| June | 24.4°C12.9°C | 12.9°C | 97 | 14.5 | 15.415 h |
| July | 28.9°C16.9°C | 16.9°C | 78 | 13.4 | 15.115 h |
| August | 28.2°C16.1°C | 16.1°C | 60 | 10.8 | 14.014 h |
| September | 23.3°C11.2°C | 11.2°C | 42 | 6.7 | 12.613 h |
| October | 14.9°C3.9°C | 3.9°C | 50 | 7.3 | 11.011 h |
| November | 7.9°C-2.5°C | -2.5°C | 20 | 4.4 | 9.710 h |
| December | 2.8°C-6.9°C | -6.9°C | 15 | 3.6 | 9.09 h |
Rainfall is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A rain day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
March in nearby cities
- Bismarck in MarchUnited States · 358 kmHigh 3.8°C · Low -6.6°C · 26 mm rain
- Fort Collins in MarchUnited States · 417 kmHigh 10.7°C · Low -4.1°C · 38 mm rain
- Greeley in MarchUnited States · 424 kmHigh 12.9°C · Low -2.3°C · 29 mm rain
- Loveland in MarchUnited States · 437 kmHigh 10.9°C · Low -4.4°C · 38 mm rain
- Billings in MarchUnited States · 456 kmHigh 9.4°C · Low -3.2°C · 31 mm rain
- Longmont in MarchUnited States · 462 kmHigh 11.0°C · Low -3.9°C · 42 mm rain
- Boulder in MarchUnited States · 482 kmHigh 10.0°C · Low -4.5°C · 50 mm rain
- Thornton in MarchUnited States · 490 kmHigh 10.7°C · Low -4.9°C · 47 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Rapid City) is explained once on the Rapid City year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.