2025 Compare Climate & Weather:
Rapid City, SD vs San Marcos, CA

Highlights

On average, there are 265 sunny days per year in San Marcos. Rapid City averages 226 sunny days per year. The US average is 205 sunny days.

San Marcos, California gets 13.7 inches of rain, on average, per year. Rapid City, South Dakota gets 18.2 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38.1 inches of rain per year.

San Marcos averages 0 inches of snow per year. Rapid City averages 38 inches of snow per year. The US average is 27.8 inches of snow per year.

Weather Highlights

San Marcos, California
Summer High: the July high is around 80.6 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 45
Rain: averages 13.7 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 0 inches of snow a year

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

BestPlaces Comfort Index

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for San Marcos is 9.1 (10=best), which means it is one of the most pleasant places in California.

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.

Today's Weather - Rapid City, SD

87°F

Today's Weather - San Marcos, CA

90°F

Average Monthly High / Low (°F)

Hot, Freezing, Rainy, Snowy Days: Rapid City / San Marcos

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.

August is the hottest month for San Marcos with an average high temperature of 82.4°, which ranks it as cooler than most places in California. In San Marcos, there are 8 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for San Marcos are October, June and July.

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.

December has the coldest nighttime temperatures for San Marcos with an average of 44.3°. This is warmer than most places in California.

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 San Marcos, there are 20.4 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is cooler than most places in California.

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 San Marcos, there are 1.1 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is warmer than most places in California.

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.

In San Marcos, there are 0.0 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is about average compared to other places in California.

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.


February is the wettest month in San Marcos with 3.1 inches of rain, and the driest month is June with 0.1 inches. The wettest season is Spring with 58% of yearly precipitation and 2% occurs in Autumn, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 13.7 inches in San Marcos means that it is drier than most places in California.

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.

February is the rainiest month in San Marcos with 7.2 days of rain, and August is the driest month with only 0.5 rainy days. There are 41.3 rainy days annually in San Marcos, which is less rainy than most places in California. The rainiest season is Spring when it rains 47% of the time and the driest is Autumn with only a 5% chance of a rainy day.

An annual snowfall of 38.0 inches in Rapid City means that it is about average compared to other places in South Dakota.

There is rarely any recorded snowfall in San Marcos, ranking it as one of the least snowy places in California.

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

Any measurable snowfall is a rare occurance in San Marcos.