2025 Compare Climate & Weather:
Rapid City, SD vs Salt Lake City, UT

Highlights

On average, there are 222 sunny days per year in Salt Lake City. Rapid City averages 226 sunny days per year. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Salt Lake City, Utah gets 19.5 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.

Salt Lake City averages 53.6 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

Salt Lake City, Utah
Summer High: the July high is around 91 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 23.3
Rain: averages 19.5 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 53.6 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 Salt Lake City is 7.2 (10=best), which means it is more comfortable than most places in Utah.

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

73°F

Today's Weather - Salt Lake City, UT

71°F

Average Monthly High / Low (°F)

Hot, Freezing, Rainy, Snowy Days: Rapid City / Salt Lake City

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 Salt Lake City with an average high temperature of 91.0°, which ranks it as warmer than most places in Utah. In Salt Lake City, there are 3 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Salt Lake City are September, June and May.

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 Salt Lake City with an average of 23.3°. This is one of the warmest places in Utah.

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 Salt Lake City, there are 41.8 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is hotter than most places in Utah.

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 Salt Lake City, there are 104.8 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is one of the warmest places in Utah.

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 Salt Lake City, there are 0.6 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is warmer than most places in Utah.

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.


April is the wettest month in Salt Lake City with 2.4 inches of rain, and the driest month is July with 0.7 inches. The wettest season is Summer with 36% of yearly precipitation and 14% occurs in Autumn, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 19.5 inches in Salt Lake City means that it is wetter than most places in Utah.

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.

April is the rainiest month in Salt Lake City with 9.7 days of rain, and July is the driest month with only 4.1 rainy days. There are 91.4 rainy days annually in Salt Lake City, which is rainier than most places in Utah. The rainiest season is Spring when it rains 31% of the time and the driest is Autumn with only a 16% 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 53.6 inches in Salt Lake City means that it is snowier than most places in Utah.

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 Salt Lake City with 12.1 inches of snow, and 7 months of the year have significant snowfall.