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South Dakota weather in May

Thinking about venturing to South Dakota this May and curious about the weather conditions to expect? This page holds all the key information you seek, responding to your question:

What is the weather like in South Dakota in May?

South Dakota is a region in the United States of America. May in South Dakota generally has temperatures that range from moderate to warm, with precipitation levels ranging from moderate to high.

During the day temperatures vary from moderate in Custer at 16°C to warm in Vermillion at 23°C. At night it cools down to 9°C in Vermillion and 3°C in Custer.

In May, precipitation varies across different areas. From moderate rainfall in Watertown with an average of 73 mm to high rainfall in Deadwood with 145 mm.

For a closer look at May's conditions in South Dakota, see the map below. For a more detailed look at South Dakota's yearly weather, check out our South Dakota climate page.

Where to go in South Dakota in May

Find the average weather conditions in May for the most popular destinations in South Dakota on the map below. Click on a destination dot for more detailed information.

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Legend perfect weather pleasant tolerable unpleasant poor
Perfect weather is subjective. On this map perfect weather has been defined with temperatures between 20°C and 29°C and not too much precipitation (less than 90 mm a month).

Popular destinations in South Dakota

What is the weather like in May for the 5 most popular destinations in South Dakota?

Average weather in Sioux Falls

In May Sioux Falls generally has pleasant temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 21°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 8°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Sioux Falls
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
14°C 
2°C 
76 mm 
10 days 
21°C 
8°C 
91 mm 
12 days 
June   >> June
>>  
26°C 
14°C 
124 mm 
13 days 
Climate in Sioux Falls

Average weather in Pierre

In May Pierre generally has pleasant temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 21°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 7°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Pierre
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
15°C 
0°C 
49 mm 
10 days 
21°C 
7°C 
79 mm 
12 days 
June   >> June
>>  
27°C 
13°C 
99 mm 
12 days 
Climate in Pierre

Average weather in Rapid City

In May Rapid City generally has pleasant temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 18°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 6°C and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are tolerable that month.

Rapid City
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
13°C 
1°C 
58 mm 
12 days 
18°C 
6°C 
112 mm 
14 days 
June   >> June
>>  
25°C 
12°C 
90 mm 
13 days 
Climate in Rapid City

Average weather in Deadwood

In May Deadwood generally has moderate temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 16°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 4°C and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are unpleasant that month.

Deadwood
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
11°C 
-1°C 
99 mm 
14 days 
16°C 
4°C 
145 mm 
16 days 
June   >> June
>>  
23°C 
10°C 
105 mm 
14 days 
Climate in Deadwood

Average weather in Custer

In May Custer generally has moderate temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 16°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 3°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are tolerable that month.

Custer
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   April April
<<  
11°C 
-2°C 
60 mm 
14 days 
16°C 
3°C 
99 mm 
15 days 
June   >> June
>>  
22°C 
9°C 
79 mm 
14 days 
Climate in Custer

Is your destination not in the list? Have a look at other destinations in South Dakota, in the United States of America.

Is May the best time to visit South Dakota?

We believe that May is one of the best times to visit South Dakota with overall perfect weather in Sioux Falls. It's worth noting that weather conditions might differ depending on the location you visit.

On average, the best time to visit South Dakota is in May, July, August and September with generally perfect weather in Sioux Falls. In contrast, January, February, March and December tend to have poor weather conditions.

Interested in more climate information?

We have much more information about the climate in South Dakota. Interested in the weather conditions in a specific month? Select the month below.

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  • Weather and climate has detailed information for every country in the world. Are you going to the United States of America? Get detailed historical weather averages for many cities in the United States of America.

    Not sure yet where to go? We now have a tool which recommends destinations that suit your ideal climate conditions. Find out where to go with our weather planner.