Des Moines, IA weather and climate
Polk County, IA · population 212,464 · about 801 ft elevation
Everything below is a 30 year average for 1991-2020, computed from daily climate history at Des Moines's own coordinates.
The year at a glance
- Sunny days
- 203
- clear or partly cloudy, per year
- Precipitation
- 37 in
- per year
- Wet days
- 113
- rain or snow per year
- Snowfall
- 35 in
- per year
- Hot days
- 21
- above 90 °F
- Freezing nights
- 130
- at or below 32 °F
- Humidity
- 70%
- average relative
- Average temperature
- 51 °F
- year round
Monthly temperatures
Average daily high and low for each month, in °F.
View monthly temperatures as a table
| City | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily high | 31 | 36 | 49 | 62 | 72 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 77 | 63 | 48 | 36 |
| Daily low | 14 | 18 | 29 | 40 | 52 | 62 | 66 | 64 | 55 | 43 | 30 | 19 |
Monthly precipitation
Total rain plus melted snow for each month, in inches.
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 |
Monthly sunny days
Days each month with clear or partly cloudy skies.
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 |
Compare Des Moines with another city
Nearby cities and popular picks. Any two cities can be compared from the home page.
- 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
About this data
Figures are 30 year averages for 1991-2020. 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).