Des Moines and Iowa City have remarkably similar climates.
The year at a glance
Averages from 30 years of climate history, 1991-2020
| Des Moines | Metric | Iowa City |
|---|---|---|
| 203 days | Sunny daysclear or partly cloudy skies | 195 days |
| 37 in | Precipitationper year | 39 in |
| 113 days | Wet daysrain or snow per year | 118 days |
| 35 in | Snowfallper year | 28 in |
| 21 days | Hot daysabove 90 °F | 19 days |
| 130 days | Freezing nightsat or below 32 °F | 133 days |
| 70% | Humidityaverage relative | 71% |
| 51 °F | Average temperatureyear round | 51 °F |
Monthly temperatures
Average daily high and low for each month, in °F. The gap between the two lines is what an ordinary day feels like across the year.
Daily highs
Daily lows
View monthly temperatures as a table
| City | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines high | 31 | 36 | 49 | 62 | 72 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 77 | 63 | 48 | 36 |
| Iowa City high | 31 | 35 | 49 | 62 | 73 | 82 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 64 | 49 | 36 |
| Des Moines low | 14 | 18 | 29 | 40 | 52 | 62 | 66 | 64 | 55 | 43 | 30 | 19 |
| Iowa City low | 14 | 18 | 29 | 40 | 51 | 62 | 65 | 63 | 54 | 42 | 30 | 20 |
Monthly precipitation
Total rain plus melted snow for each month, in inches. Taller bars mean wetter months.
View monthly precipitation as a table
| City | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | 1.2 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 1.6 |
| Iowa City | 1.5 | 1.8 | 2.7 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 5.1 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
Monthly sunny days
Days each month with clear or partly cloudy skies, so compare the same month between cities.
View monthly sunny days as a table
| City | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | 14 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 14 |
| Iowa City | 13 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 13 |
Keep comparing
Nearby cities and popular picks for each side of this matchup. Any two cities can be compared from the home page.
Des Moines vs another city
- Des Moines vs Pleasant Hill, IA
- Des Moines vs Windsor Heights, IA
- Des Moines vs Norwalk, IA
- Des Moines vs Altoona, IA
- Des Moines vs West Des Moines, IA
- Des Moines vs Urbandale, IA
- Des Moines vs New York, NY
- Des Moines vs Los Angeles, CA
- Des Moines vs Chicago, IL
- Des Moines vs Houston, TX
- Des Moines vs Phoenix, AZ
- Des Moines vs Philadelphia, PA
Iowa City vs another city
- Iowa City vs Coralville, IA
- Iowa City vs Tiffin, IA
- Iowa City vs North Liberty, IA
- Iowa City vs Cedar Rapids, IA
- Iowa City vs Washington, IA
- Iowa City vs Marion, IA
- Iowa City vs New York, NY
- Iowa City vs Los Angeles, CA
- Iowa City vs Chicago, IL
- Iowa City vs Houston, TX
- Iowa City vs Phoenix, AZ
- Iowa City vs Philadelphia, PA
About this data
Every figure on this page is a 30 year average computed from daily climate history for 1991-2020, using each city's own coordinates. Wet days count days with measurable precipitation, calibrated against the wet day counts in NOAA's published climate normals. Sunny days count clear plus partly cloudy days, defined as average cloud cover of 63 percent or less and calibrated against NOAA's published sky cover tables. Snowfall figures are model estimates anchored to NOAA station measurements near each city.
Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (ERA5, ERA5-Land).