2025 Compare Climate & Weather:
Columbus, OH vs Rapid City, SD

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Highlights

On average, there are 226 sunny days per year in Rapid City. Columbus averages 178 sunny days per year. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Rapid City, South Dakota gets 18.2 inches of rain, on average, per year. Columbus, Ohio gets 39.7 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38.1 inches of rain per year.

Rapid City averages 38 inches of snow per year. Columbus averages 22.4 inches of snow per year. The US average is 27.8 inches of snow per year.

Weather Highlights

Rapid City, South Dakota
Summer High:
the July high is around 85.3 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 14.2
Rain: averages 18.2 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 38 inches of snow a year

Columbus, Ohio
Summer High:
the July high is around 85.3 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 21
Rain: averages 39.7 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 22.4 inches of snow a year

BestPlaces Comfort Index
Rapid City

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Rapid City is 7.0 (10=best), which means it is one of the most pleasant places in South Dakota.

7 / 10
August, July and June are the most pleasant months in Rapid City, while February and January are the least comfortable months.

Columbus

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Columbus is 7.1 (10=best), which means it is more comfortable than most places in Ohio.

7.1 / 10
September, June and August are the most pleasant months in Columbus, while January and February are the least comfortable months.

Today's Weather - Columbus, OH

2 AM PST

Patchy Frost

38°F

DAYDESCRIPTIONHIGH / LOWWIND
OvernightPatchy Frost38° / 75° 0 mph
Saturday NightMostly Clear50° / 79°W 3 mph
Sunday NightPartly Cloudy55° / 78°E 6 mph
Monday NightChance Showers And Thunderstorms61° / 77°SE 6 to 12 mph
Tuesday NightShowers And Thunderstorms Likely then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms62° / 81°SE 3 to 8 mph
Wednesday NightShowers And Thunderstorms Likely then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms63° / 87°S 6 mph
Thursday NightSlight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms68° / 87°S 8 mph
Today's Weather - Rapid City, SD

2 AM PST

Mostly Clear

62°F

DAYDESCRIPTIONHIGH / LOWWIND
OvernightMostly Clear54° / 87°SW 6 mph
Saturday NightClear60° / 95°S 14 mph
Sunday NightSlight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy64° / 93°SW 10 to 14 mph
Monday NightMostly Clear63° / 83°SW 13 mph
Tuesday NightShowers And Thunderstorms Likely54° / 72°NW 10 to 14 mph
Wednesday NightRain Showers Likely46° / 59°NW 16 to 20 mph
Thursday NightChance Rain Showers43° / 61°NW 14 to 24 mph
Average Monthly High / Low (°F)
MonthColumbus, OHRapid City, SD
January37° / 21°38° / 14°
February41° / 23°39° / 16°
March51° / 31°47° / 23°
April64° / 41°57° / 32°
May74° / 51°67° / 43°
June82° / 60°76° / 52°
July85° / 64°85° / 59°
August84° / 63°85° / 58°
September78° / 55°74° / 47°
October66° / 43°60° / 35°
November53° / 35°47° / 24°
December40° / 25°37° / 15°
Hot, Freezing, Rainy, Snowy Days: Columbus / Rapid City
MonthHot DaysFreezing DaysRainy DaysSnowy Days
January0 / 025 / 2913 / 46 / 5
February0 / 023 / 2610 / 54 / 5
March0 / 017 / 2512 / 63 / 4
April0 / 05 / 1513 / 91 / 3
May0 / 00 / 313 / 110 / 0
June3 / 20 / 011 / 120 / 0
July6 / 90 / 010 / 90 / 0
August5 / 80 / 09 / 80 / 0
September2 / 20 / 18 / 60 / 0
October0 / 03 / 109 / 70 / 1
November0 / 013 / 2311 / 41 / 3
December0 / 023 / 2912 / 44 / 4
July is the hottest month for Columbus with an average high temperature of 85.3°, which ranks it as warmer than most places in Ohio. In Columbus, there are 4 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Columbus are September, June and May.

July is the hottest month for Rapid City with an average high temperature of 85.3°, which ranks it as about average compared to other places in South Dakota. In Rapid City, there are 3 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Rapid City are June, September and August.
January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Columbus with an average of 21.0°. This is warmer than most places in Ohio.

January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Rapid City with an average of 14.2°. This is one of the warmest places in South Dakota.

In Columbus, there are 16.0 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is hotter than most places in Ohio.

In Rapid City, there are 22.5 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is about average compared to other places in South Dakota.

In Columbus, there are 109.3 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is warmer than most places in Ohio.

In Rapid City, there are 159.6 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is warmer than most places in South Dakota.

In Columbus, there are 3.1 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is warmer than most places in Ohio.

In Rapid City, there are 14.9 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is one of the warmest places in South Dakota.

July is the wettest month in Columbus with 4.5 inches of rain, and the driest month is February with 2.2 inches. The wettest season is Autumn with 30% of yearly precipitation and 20% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 39.7 inches in Columbus means that it is about average compared to other places in Ohio.


May is the wettest month in Rapid City with 3.8 inches of rain, and the driest month is January with 0.3 inches. The wettest season is Autumn with 38% of yearly precipitation and 6% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 18.2 inches in Rapid City means that it is drier than most places in South Dakota.

May is the rainiest month in Columbus with 13.2 days of rain, and September is the driest month with only 8.1 rainy days. There are 130.0 rainy days annually in Columbus, which is about average compared to other places in Ohio. The rainiest season is Summer when it rains 29% of the time and the driest is Winter with only a 22% chance of a rainy day.

June is the rainiest month in Rapid City with 11.8 days of rain, and November is the driest month with only 4.0 rainy days. There are 85.4 rainy days annually in Rapid City, which is rainier than most places in South Dakota. The rainiest season is Autumn when it rains 34% of the time and the driest is Spring with only a 15% chance of a rainy day.

An annual snowfall of 22.4 inches in Columbus means that it is about average compared to other places in Ohio.

An annual snowfall of 38.0 inches in Rapid City means that it is about average compared to other places in South Dakota.
January is the snowiest month in Columbus with 8.9 inches of snow, and 6 months of the year have significant snowfall.

March is the snowiest month in Rapid City with 8.6 inches of snow, and 8 months of the year have significant snowfall.

DID YOU KNOW?

Many people confuse Weather and Climate, but they are different. Weather refers to the conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time, while Climate refers to the conditions of the atmosphere over a long period of time.

Weather, more specifically, refers to how the atmosphere behaves and its effects on life and human activities. Most people think of Weather in terms of what can be observed: temperature, humidity, precipitation, and cloudy/sunny conditions. Weather conditions constantly change on a minute-to-minute basis.

Climate is a record of the average weather conditions for a given place over a long period of time, often referred to as Climate Normals. A 30-year period of record is a common requirement to be considered a Climate Normal.

Reviews for Columbus    2 Reviews

Over 16 years ago

Hi. I'd like to know if you still feel the same way about living in Broomfield. I went there this past July to check it out (along with Lafayette, Boulder (can't  More

   |    Reply

Over 16 years ago

Apex is perfect for what you are looking for. It's close enough to Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill to find a job and Cary the next town over, is a little more expensive but  More

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Reviews for Rapid City    2 Reviews

Over 16 years ago

Hi. I'd like to know if you still feel the same way about living in Broomfield. I went there this past July to check it out (along with Lafayette, Boulder (can't  More

   |    Reply

Over 16 years ago

Apex is perfect for what you are looking for. It's close enough to Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill to find a job and Cary the next town over, is a little more expensive but  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Rapid City

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Zips In Columbus, Ohio
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Zips In RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA
57701, 57702
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