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Rapid City air right now

GoodAQI 33

Rapid City’s five-day smoke forecast shows the current index and the clearest time ahead.

33
AQI now
5.9
PM2.5 · µg/m³
Look farther for cleaner air

Where are you?

Search covers Canada and the United States.

The better move within a 3-hour drive

Dates

Dates follow you into hotel searches. Live inventory is confirmed by the provider.

You may already have the cleanest nearby air.No meaningfully cleaner place has a verified road route within 3 hours. Widen the range or show worse air for context.

Every town is also available in the ranked list.
Rapid City Clean · PM2.5 0–5 Good · 5–9 Elevated · 9–15 Polluted · 15–35 Unhealthy · 35–55 Severe · 55+
Top pick
Spearfish
Cel-shaded illustration of Spearfish
AQI 19
#1Spearfish~50 min drive

South Dakota· Good

Northern Black Hills town at the mouth of a forested canyon, higher and cooler than the plains, with hotels and rentals.

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 3.5 µg/m³ here vs 5.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 3.5/22 × 7 = 1.1 here; 5.9/22 × 7 = 1.9 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

2.4 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Rapid City right now

41% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Aug 23, 6:12 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 is estimated for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Deadwood
Cel-shaded illustration of Deadwood
AQI 21
#2Deadwood~45 min drive

South Dakota· Good

Historic Black Hills mining town tucked in a forested gulch, higher and cooler than the surrounding plains, with historic hotels.

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 3.8 µg/m³ here vs 5.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 3.8/22 × 7 = 1.2 here; 5.9/22 × 7 = 1.9 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

2.1 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Rapid City right now

36% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Aug 23, 6:12 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 is estimated for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Custer
Cel-shaded illustration of Custer
AQI 34
#3Custer~1 h drive

South Dakota· Good

Black Hills town near 5,300 feet amid granite spires and pine forest, cooler and clearer than the plains, with cabins and lodges.

Worse air than home. Don't bother.

PM2.5 is 6.1 µg/m³ here vs 5.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 6.1/22 × 7 = 1.9 here; 5.9/22 × 7 = 1.9 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
3% worse airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Aug 23, 5:00 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 from the WIND CAVE monitor.

Directions
Still smoky
Box Elder
Cel-shaded illustration of Box Elder
AQI unavailable
#4Box ElderChecking road route

South Dakota

South Dakota community with a separate live air reading for regional smoke comparisons.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Ellsworth Air Force Base
Cel-shaded illustration of Ellsworth Air Force Base
AQI unavailable
#5Ellsworth Air Force BaseChecking road route

South Dakota

South Dakota community with a cached air reading available when it appears in a nearby escape search.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Summerset
Cel-shaded illustration of Summerset
AQI unavailable
#6SummersetChecking road route

South Dakota

South Dakota community with a separate live air reading for regional smoke comparisons.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Sturgis
Cel-shaded illustration of Sturgis
AQI unavailable
#7SturgisChecking road route

South Dakota

South Dakota community with a separate live air reading for regional smoke comparisons.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Lead
Cel-shaded illustration of Lead
AQI unavailable
#8LeadChecking road route

South Dakota

South Dakota community with a cached air reading available when it appears in a nearby escape search.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
North Spearfish
Cel-shaded illustration of North Spearfish
AQI unavailable
#9North SpearfishChecking road route

South Dakota

South Dakota community with a cached air reading available when it appears in a nearby escape search.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Hot Springs
Cel-shaded illustration of Hot Springs
AQI unavailable
#10Hot SpringsChecking road route

South Dakota

South Dakota community with a separate live air reading for regional smoke comparisons.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Newcastle
Cel-shaded illustration of Newcastle
AQI unavailable
#11NewcastleChecking road route

Wyoming

Wyoming community with a separate live air reading for regional smoke comparisons.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Belle Fourche
Cel-shaded illustration of Belle Fourche
AQI unavailable
#12Belle FourcheChecking road route

South Dakota

South Dakota community with a separate live air reading for regional smoke comparisons.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Chadron
Cel-shaded illustration of Chadron
AQI unavailable
#13ChadronChecking road route

Nebraska

Nebraska community with a cached air reading available when it appears in a nearby escape search.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Gillette
Cel-shaded illustration of Gillette
AQI unavailable
#14GilletteChecking road route

Wyoming

Wyoming community with a cached air reading available when it appears in a nearby escape search.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Wright
Cel-shaded illustration of Wright
AQI unavailable
#15WrightChecking road route

Wyoming

Wyoming community with a cached air reading available when it appears in a nearby escape search.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
North Eagle Butte
Cel-shaded illustration of North Eagle Butte
AQI unavailable
#16North Eagle ButteChecking road route

South Dakota

South Dakota community with a cached air reading available when it appears in a nearby escape search.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Pinedale
Cel-shaded illustration of Pinedale
AQI 3
#17PinedaleChecking road route

Wyoming· Good

Wind River Range gateway near 7,200 feet, a wilderness-trailhead base with cool high-country air.

90% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 0.6 µg/m³ here vs 5.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 0.6/22 × 7 = 0.2 here; 5.9/22 × 7 = 1.9 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

5.3 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Rapid City right now

90% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Aug 23, 4:00 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 from the Pinedale Gaseous monitor.

Directions
Saratoga
Cel-shaded illustration of Saratoga
AQI 7
#18SaratogaChecking road route

Wyoming· Good

North Platte River hot-springs town in the Snowy Range foothills, a remote high-plains lodge base.

80% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 1.2 µg/m³ here vs 5.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 1.2/22 × 7 = 0.4 here; 5.9/22 × 7 = 1.9 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

4.7 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Rapid City right now

80% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Aug 23, 6:27 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 is estimated for this town.

Directions
Georgetown
Cel-shaded illustration of Georgetown
AQI 7
#19GeorgetownChecking road route

Colorado· Good

Historic mining town near 8,500 feet on I-70 in Clear Creek Canyon, with cool mountain-valley air.

78% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 1.3 µg/m³ here vs 5.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 1.3/22 × 7 = 0.4 here; 5.9/22 × 7 = 1.9 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

4.6 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Rapid City right now

78% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Aug 23, 6:27 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 is estimated for this town.

Directions
Leadville
Cel-shaded illustration of Leadville
AQI 7
#20LeadvilleChecking road route

Colorado· Good

North America's highest incorporated city at 10,150 feet, with thin alpine air and historic hotels.

78% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 1.3 µg/m³ here vs 5.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 1.3/22 × 7 = 0.4 here; 5.9/22 × 7 = 1.9 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

4.6 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Rapid City right now

78% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Aug 23, 6:27 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 is estimated for this town.

Directions
Bad week ahead? Check the 7-day outlook — if it won’t clear, book the trip

7-day outlook

Plan the next seven days

Pick a day, or compare the whole week. Weather is forecast; air quality is the latest available reading.

Loading the week…

Finding the nicest days and reachable cities.

Observed Aug 23, 5:00 p.m. EDTLast scan Aug 23, 6:27 p.m. EDT · 49 min ago

Why live rankings? Smoke plumes are patchy and shift with the wind, so no direction is reliably cleaner. This list is recalculated from live PM2.5 every hour — and if everything nearby is smoky, it says so.

How we work this out →

Browse all 200 cities by province & state →

More air-quality pages in South Dakota →
Sioux Falls air quality
Air quality in nearby cities →
Fort Collins air qualityBillings air qualityBoulder air qualityAurora air qualityDenver air qualityFargo air qualityColorado Springs air qualityBozeman air qualityOmaha air qualityRegina air qualityOgden air qualityWinnipeg air quality

What this means · Rapid City

Good

AQI 33

AQI = Air Quality Index

Typical person. Air quality is satisfactory for most outdoor plans.

Kids, seniors, heart or lung conditions. Unusually sensitive people can still enjoy the outdoors.

The AQI on this page follows fine particles (PM2.5). Particles here are 5.9 µg/m³ (Good), so the headline and the particle scale below tell the same story.

Act two · Fine particles only

Where PM2.5 lands

This bar is smoke and fine particles (PM2.5) only. Left is cleaner air; right is heavier particle pollution. Today's particles sit in Good.

5.9 µg/m³
Clean · 0Smoky · 40Severe · 80+

Act three · Particle ladder

What each PM2.5 rung feels like

  • 0–3µg/m³Natural. About as clean as outdoor air realistically gets.
  • 3–5µg/m³Clean. Crisp, destination-worthy air.
  • 5–9µg/m³Good. Clean city air; most people will not notice anything today.
  • 9–15µg/m³Elevated. Usually no big deal today; sensitive lungs may notice hard exercise.
  • 15–35µg/m³Polluted. Smoke or traffic pollution is now worth acting on.
  • 35–55µg/m³Unhealthy. Symptoms become more likely, especially with asthma or heart disease.
  • 55+µg/m³Severe. Everyone should reduce exposure and clean the indoor air.

Act four · Felt number

Cigarettes a week

A secondary feel for the particle load only — not a medical claim, and not a substitute for AQI.

1.9/wk

What is PM2.5?

Fine particles about 30× thinner than a human hair — small enough to slip through your lungs and into your bloodstream. We measure them inµg/m³: micrograms of particle mass in a cubic metre of air.

The math

PM2.5 here is 5.9 µg/m³.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at this level: 5.9/22 × 7 = 1.9 cigarettes.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
See the full method →