2025 Compare Climate & Weather:
Rapid City, SD vs Santa Fe, NM

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Highlights

On average, there are 283 sunny days per year in Santa Fe. Rapid City averages 226 sunny days per year. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Santa Fe, New Mexico gets 15.1 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.

Santa Fe averages 26.2 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

Santa Fe, New Mexico
Summer High: the July high is around 86.1 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 18.1
Rain: averages 15.1 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 26.2 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

Santa Fe

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Santa Fe is 7.5 (10=best), which means it is less comfortable than most places in New Mexico.

7.5 / 10

September, August and June are the most pleasant months in Santa Fe, while December and January are the least comfortable months.

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.

Today's Weather - Rapid City, SD

12 AM PST

Sunny

77°F

DAY	DESCRIPTION	HIGH / LOW	WIND
This Afternoon	Sunny	81° / 51°	S 23 mph
Monday	Mostly Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms	77° / 44°	S 9 to 16 mph
Tuesday	Chance Rain Showers	56° / 43°	N 15 mph
Wednesday	Partly Sunny then Slight Chance Rain Showers	65° / 47°	E 3 to 12 mph
Thursday	Sunny	76° / 51°	S 8 to 15 mph
Friday	Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms	75° / 49°	N 8 to 14 mph
Saturday	Sunny	79° / 54°	S 5 to 14 mph

Today's Weather - Santa Fe, NM

12 AM PST

Showers And Thunderstorms

62°F

DAY	DESCRIPTION	HIGH / LOW	WIND
This Afternoon	Showers And Thunderstorms	63° / 41°	SE 15 to 20 mph
Monday	Chance Rain Showers	58° / 38°	S 15 to 20 mph
Tuesday	Chance Rain And Snow Showers then Showers And Thunderstorms	56° / 39°	NW 5 to 10 mph
Wednesday	Rain Showers Likely	59° / 41°	SE 5 to 10 mph
Thursday	Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms	66° / 44°	NW 5 to 10 mph
Friday	Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms	72° / 46°	N 5 to 10 mph
Saturday	Mostly Sunny then Rain Showers Likely	70° / 47°	SE 5 to 10 mph

Average Monthly High / Low (°F)

Month	Rapid City, SD	Santa Fe, NM
January	38° / 14°	44° / 18°
February	39° / 16°	49° / 22°
March	47° / 23°	56° / 27°
April	57° / 32°	65° / 33°
May	67° / 43°	74° / 42°
June	76° / 52°	84° / 50°
July	85° / 59°	86° / 55°
August	85° / 58°	83° / 54°
September	74° / 47°	78° / 47°
October	60° / 35°	67° / 36°
November	47° / 24°	54° / 26°
December	37° / 15°	44° / 18°

Hot, Freezing, Rainy, Snowy Days: Rapid City / Santa Fe

Month	Hot Days	Freezing Days	Rainy Days	Snowy Days
January	0 / 0	29 / 30	4 / 4	5 / 2
February	0 / 0	26 / 27	5 / 4	5 / 2
March	0 / 0	25 / 24	6 / 5	4 / 1
April	0 / 0	15 / 14	9 / 4	3 / 1
May	0 / 1	3 / 2	11 / 5	0 / 0
June	2 / 5	0 / 0	12 / 6	0 / 0
July	9 / 8	0 / 0	9 / 10	0 / 0
August	8 / 4	0 / 0	8 / 10	0 / 0
September	2 / 0	1 / 0	6 / 6	0 / 0
October	0 / 0	10 / 8	7 / 5	1 / 0
November	0 / 0	23 / 24	4 / 4	3 / 1
December	0 / 0	29 / 30	4 / 4	4 / 2

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.

July is the hottest month for Santa Fe with an average high temperature of 86.1°, which ranks it as cooler than most places in New Mexico. In Santa Fe, there are 4 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Santa Fe are September, May and August.

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.

January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Santa Fe with an average of 18.1°. This is about average compared to other places in New Mexico.

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 Santa Fe, there are 17.1 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is cooler than most places in New Mexico.

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 Santa Fe, there are 159.1 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is colder than most places in New Mexico.

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 Santa Fe, there are 1.3 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is colder than most places in New Mexico.

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.

August is the wettest month in Santa Fe with 2.5 inches of rain, and the driest month is February with 0.6 inches. The wettest season is Autumn with 42% of yearly precipitation and 14% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 15.1 inches in Santa Fe means that it is wetter than most places in New Mexico.

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.

August is the rainiest month in Santa Fe with 10.4 days of rain, and January is the driest month with only 3.6 rainy days. There are 65.7 rainy days annually in Santa Fe, which is rainier than most places in New Mexico. The rainiest season is Autumn when it rains 40% of the time and the driest is Spring with only a 18% 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.

An annual snowfall of 26.2 inches in Santa Fe means that it is snowier than most places in New Mexico.

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

December is the snowiest month in Santa Fe with 7.3 inches of snow, and 7 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 Rapid City 2 Reviews

Jill · Sherman Oaks, CA

re:

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

NC For Me · Apex, NC

re:

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

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Reviews for Santa Fe 2 Reviews

Jill · Sherman Oaks, CA

re:

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

NC For Me · Apex, NC

re:

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

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2025 Compare Climate & Weather:
Rapid City, SD vs Santa Fe, NM

Highlights

Weather Highlights

BestPlaces Comfort Index

Today's Weather - Rapid City, SD

Today's Weather - Santa Fe, NM

Average Monthly High / Low (°F)

Hot, Freezing, Rainy, Snowy Days: Rapid City / Santa Fe

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.

January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Santa Fe with an average of 18.1°. This is about average compared to other places in New Mexico.

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 Santa Fe, there are 17.1 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is cooler than most places in New Mexico.

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 Santa Fe, there are 159.1 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is colder than most places in New Mexico.

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 Santa Fe, there are 1.3 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is colder than most places in New Mexico.

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

An annual snowfall of 26.2 inches in Santa Fe means that it is snowier than most places in New Mexico.

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

December is the snowiest month in Santa Fe with 7.3 inches of snow, and 7 months of the year have significant snowfall.

DID YOU KNOW?

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Reviews for Santa Fe 2 Reviews

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2025 Compare Climate & Weather:Rapid City, SD vs Santa Fe, NM

Highlights

Weather Highlights

BestPlaces Comfort Index

Today's Weather - Rapid City, SD

Today's Weather - Santa Fe, NM

Average Monthly High / Low (°F)

Hot, Freezing, Rainy, Snowy Days: Rapid City / Santa Fe

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.January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Santa Fe with an average of 18.1°. This is about average compared to other places in New Mexico.

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 Santa Fe, there are 17.1 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is cooler than most places in New Mexico.

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 Santa Fe, there are 159.1 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is colder than most places in New Mexico.

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 Santa Fe, there are 1.3 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is colder than most places in New Mexico.

An annual snowfall of 38.0 inches in Rapid City means that it is about average compared to other places in South Dakota.An annual snowfall of 26.2 inches in Santa Fe means that it is snowier than most places in New Mexico.

March is the snowiest month in Rapid City with 8.6 inches of snow, and 8 months of the year have significant snowfall.December is the snowiest month in Santa Fe with 7.3 inches of snow, and 7 months of the year have significant snowfall.

DID YOU KNOW?

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2025 Compare Climate & Weather:
Rapid City, SD vs Santa Fe, NM

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.

January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Santa Fe with an average of 18.1°. This is about average compared to other places in New Mexico.

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 Santa Fe, there are 17.1 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is cooler than most places in New Mexico.

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 Santa Fe, there are 1.3 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is colder than most places in New Mexico.

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

An annual snowfall of 26.2 inches in Santa Fe means that it is snowier than most places in New Mexico.

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

December is the snowiest month in Santa Fe with 7.3 inches of snow, and 7 months of the year have significant snowfall.