Cedar Rapids, Iowa climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Cedar Rapids's normal year runs from 11°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons, with 35.9 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.0°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 28°C, 912 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationCedar Rapids Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00014990
- Location41.88°N 91.72°W
- Elevation868 ft (265 m)
- From the center6 miles
- Population137,904
On October 22, the normal high in Cedar Rapids is 59°F and the normal low 38°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 29%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Cedar Rapids.
- Jan 28° 11°
- Feb 33° 16°
- Mar 46° 27°
- Apr 60° 38°
- May 71° 50°
- Jun 80° 60°
- Jul 83° 63°
- Aug 81° 60°
- Sep 75° 52°
- Oct 62° 40°
- Nov 46° 28°
- Dec 33° 17°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Cedar Rapids each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 11°F. The most precipitation falls in June (5.56 in), the least in January (0.95 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28°F | 11°F | 19.6°F | 0.95 | 7 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 33°F | 16°F | 24.1°F | 1.22 | 7 | <1 | 26 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 46°F | 27°F | 36.5°F | 1.99 | 9 | <1 | 23 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 60°F | 38°F | 48.9°F | 3.56 | 12 | <1 | 8 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 71°F | 50°F | 60.3°F | 4.25 | 13 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 80°F | 60°F | 69.9°F | 5.56 | 12 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 83°F | 63°F | 72.8°F | 4.41 | 10 | 5 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 81°F | 60°F | 70.8°F | 4.07 | 10 | 3 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 75°F | 52°F | 63.3°F | 3.40 | 9 | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 62°F | 40°F | 50.7°F | 2.91 | 9 | <1 | 7 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 46°F | 28°F | 37.0°F | 2.00 | 8 | <1 | 21 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 33°F | 17°F | 25.2°F | 1.59 | 8 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 58°F | 38°F | 48.2°F | 35.91 | 113 | 12 | 144 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2°C | −11°C | −6.9°C | 24 mm |
| February | 0°C | −9°C | −4.4°C | 31 mm |
| March | 8°C | −3°C | 2.5°C | 51 mm |
| April | 16°C | 3°C | 9.4°C | 90 mm |
| May | 22°C | 10°C | 15.7°C | 108 mm |
| June | 27°C | 15°C | 21.1°C | 141 mm |
| July | 28°C | 17°C | 22.7°C | 112 mm |
| August | 27°C | 16°C | 21.6°C | 103 mm |
| September | 24°C | 11°C | 17.4°C | 86 mm |
| October | 16°C | 4°C | 10.4°C | 74 mm |
| November | 8°C | −2°C | 2.8°C | 51 mm |
| December | 1°C | −8°C | −3.8°C | 40 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Marion (13 miles away), gets 34 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014990; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Cedar Rapids?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (9).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014990.
When is the last frost in Cedar Rapids?
In Cedar Rapids, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 27 in half of years and after May 11 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 11 in half of years and before September 25 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- April 271 year in 10 after May 11; 9 in 10 after April 13
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 111 year in 10 before September 25; 9 in 10 before October 23
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 165 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 186 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 16 in half of springs and before October 21 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Cedar Rapids in zones 5a to 5b across its 6 ZIP code areas (5a in 52404, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Cedar Rapids's NOAA station is in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −17°F (30 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Iowa · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00014990; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
What hardiness zone is each Cedar Rapids ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Cedar Rapids's 6 ZIP code areas run from zone 5a to 5b: 3 in 5a and 3 in 5b. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Cedar Rapids?
In a normal year in Cedar Rapids, 12 days a year reach 90°F, 144 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 113 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 12a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 144a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 55high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 113a normal year
The highest temperature in Cedar Rapids's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1893) is 110°F, on July 6, 1911; the lowest is −30°F, on January 31, 2019.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1993, with 60.46 in; the snowiest season is 1950–51, with 59.9 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014990; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record CIDthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Cedar Rapids, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 63°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 64°F; the driest air comes in January (16°F). March is the windiest month (11.9 mph on average), and August has the most clear or nearly clear hours (74%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16°F | 79% | 70% | 11.0 mph | 55% | 32% |
| February | 21°F | 75% | 62% | 11.6 mph | 54% | 34% |
| March | 32°F | 66% | 47% | 11.9 mph | 55% | 30% |
| April | 42°F | 65% | 48% | 11.3 mph | 56% | 28% |
| May | 55°F | 69% | 52% | 9.4 mph | 61% | 20% |
| June | 63°F | 75% | 57% | 7.9 mph | 72% | 10% |
| July | 64°F | 78% | 59% | 6.8 mph | 73% | 9% |
| August | 61°F | 77% | 56% | 7.3 mph | 74% | 10% |
| September | 48°F | 71% | 48% | 9.0 mph | 72% | 17% |
| October | 35°F | 72% | 54% | 10.5 mph | 60% | 30% |
| November | 25°F | 78% | 65% | 10.9 mph | 56% | 34% |
| December | 17°F | 81% | 72% | 11.0 mph | 54% | 35% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014990. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Cedar Rapids?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Cedar Rapids, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (81%) and December the cloudiest (63%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 330th (with 21 others) in sunshine.
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 65% | 1.9 |
| February | 71% | 2.9 |
| March | 69% | 3.8 |
| April | 70% | 4.8 |
| May | 72% | 5.6 |
| June | 77% | 6.2 |
| July | 81% | 6.3 |
| August | 80% | 5.5 |
| September | 81% | 4.6 |
| October | 72% | 3.0 |
| November | 70% | 2.1 |
| December | 63% | 1.5 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Cedar Rapids need?
A normal year in Cedar Rapids brings 6,824 heating degree days, 27% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 755 cooling degree days, 17% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,962 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,407 | 0 |
| February | 1,147 | 0 |
| March | 883 | 1 |
| April | 490 | 5 |
| May | 197 | 52 |
| June | 26 | 173 |
| July | 5 | 245 |
| August | 13 | 193 |
| September | 128 | 77 |
| October | 453 | 10 |
| November | 842 | 0 |
| December | 1,234 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,824 | 755 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014990. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Has Cedar Rapids been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 52.2°F, 4.0°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 48.2°F. 3 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 49.2°F | +1.0°F | 23.69 |
| 2022 | 47.3°F | −0.9°F | 28.36 |
| 2023 | 51.4°F | +3.2°F | 20.47 |
| 2024 | 52.2°F | +4.0°F | 37.60 |
Over 70 complete years from 1954 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 5.3°F per century (+0.29°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00014990; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Cedar Rapids's climate compare?
Cedar Rapids is warmer than 68 of the other 131 places with their own NOAA record in Iowa, and wetter than 49. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 48.2°F is warmer than 33%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Cedar Rapids is Dfa: continental, no dry season, hot summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Cedar Rapids share this climate record?
10 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Fairfax, IA2,937 people · 4 mi NW
- Ely, IA2,371 people · 7 mi E
- Atkins, IA2,168 people · 11 mi NW
- Walford, IA1,357 people · 6 mi W
- Swisher, IA909 people · 3 mi SE
- Shueyville, IA725 people · 4 mi SE
- Amana, IA650 people · 10 mi SW
- Norway, IA463 people · 11 mi W
- East Amana, IA53 people · 9 mi SW
- Watkins, IA47 people · 14 mi W
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Cedar Rapids's climate
What is the coldest month in Cedar Rapids?
January, with a normal high of 28°F and a normal low of 11°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 63°F at night).
Does it snow in Cedar Rapids?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Cedar Rapids's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Marion (13 miles away), records 34 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Cedar Rapids?
June, with 5.56 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.95 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Cedar Rapids in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Cedar Rapids in zones 5a to 5b across its 6 ZIP code areas (5a in 52404, the largest). By the same method at Cedar Rapids's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −17°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 5a.
How late can frost come in Cedar Rapids?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 27; in one year in ten it comes after May 11. Waiting until May 11 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Cedar Rapids in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Iowa climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Marion, IA13 miles from this station, 49.9°F a year
- Iowa City, IA19 miles from this station, 51.0°F a year
- Williamsburg, IA21 miles from this station, 48.2°F a year
- Vinton, IA25 miles from this station, 46.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made