Dakota City, Iowa climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Dakota City's normal year runs from 8°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons, with 35.8 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.2°C, January lows of −13°C, July highs of 29°C, 910 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationDakota City
- Station IDUSC00132041
- Location42.73°N 94.20°W
- Elevation1,110 ft (338 m)
- From the centerunder 1 mile
- Population764
On October 23, the normal high in Dakota City is 58°F and the normal low 35°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Dakota City.
- Jan 26° 8°
- Feb 30° 12°
- Mar 43° 24°
- Apr 59° 35°
- May 70° 48°
- Jun 80° 59°
- Jul 83° 62°
- Aug 81° 60°
- Sep 76° 51°
- Oct 62° 38°
- Nov 45° 26°
- Dec 31° 15°
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 Dakota City each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 8°F. The most precipitation falls in June (5.41 in), the least in January (0.89 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26°F | 8°F | 16.9°F | 0.89 | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 30°F | 12°F | 21.0°F | 1.37 | – | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 43°F | 24°F | 33.6°F | 2.02 | – | <1 | 24 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 59°F | 35°F | 47.0°F | 3.71 | – | <1 | 11 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 70°F | 48°F | 59.0°F | 5.12 | – | 1 | 1 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 80°F | 59°F | 69.3°F | 5.41 | – | 4 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 83°F | 62°F | 72.8°F | 4.01 | – | 7 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 81°F | 60°F | 70.5°F | 4.49 | – | 4 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 76°F | 51°F | 63.4°F | 3.24 | – | 2 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 62°F | 38°F | 50.1°F | 2.59 | – | <1 | 9 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 45°F | 26°F | 35.5°F | 1.61 | – | <1 | 22 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 31°F | 15°F | 22.9°F | 1.37 | – | <1 | 30 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 57°F | 37°F | 46.8°F | 35.83 | – | 17 | 155 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −3°C | −13°C | −8.4°C | 23 mm |
| February | −1°C | −11°C | −6.1°C | 35 mm |
| March | 6°C | −4°C | 0.9°C | 51 mm |
| April | 15°C | 2°C | 8.3°C | 94 mm |
| May | 21°C | 9°C | 15.0°C | 130 mm |
| June | 27°C | 15°C | 20.7°C | 137 mm |
| July | 29°C | 17°C | 22.7°C | 102 mm |
| August | 27°C | 15°C | 21.4°C | 114 mm |
| September | 24°C | 11°C | 17.4°C | 82 mm |
| October | 17°C | 3°C | 10.1°C | 66 mm |
| November | 7°C | −4°C | 1.9°C | 41 mm |
| December | −1°C | −10°C | −5.1°C | 35 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Fort Dodge (10 miles away), gets 39 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00132041; 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 Dakota City?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September.
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 USC00132041.
When is the last frost in Dakota City?
In Dakota City, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 26 in half of years and after May 7 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 12 in half of years and before September 29 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 261 year in 10 after May 7; 9 in 10 after April 11
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 121 year in 10 before September 29; 9 in 10 before October 25
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 169 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 190 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 16 in half of springs and before October 23 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Dakota City in zone 5a in ZIP code 50529.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Iowa · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00132041; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Dakota City?
In a normal year in Dakota City, 17 days a year reach 90°F and 155 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 17a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 155a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 68high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00132041.
How sunny is Dakota City?
Over a year 75% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Dakota City, 4.1 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (82%) and December the cloudiest (68%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 71% | 2.0 |
| February | 75% | 3.0 |
| March | 70% | 3.8 |
| April | 70% | 4.8 |
| May | 71% | 5.6 |
| June | 76% | 6.3 |
| July | 82% | 6.5 |
| August | 80% | 5.5 |
| September | 79% | 4.4 |
| October | 73% | 3.1 |
| November | 72% | 2.1 |
| December | 68% | 1.6 |
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 Dakota City need?
A normal year in Dakota City brings 7,304 heating degree days, 36% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 719 cooling degree days, 21% 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 2,871 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,491 | 0 |
| February | 1,233 | 0 |
| March | 974 | 0 |
| April | 544 | 3 |
| May | 228 | 41 |
| June | 27 | 156 |
| July | 6 | 249 |
| August | 19 | 188 |
| September | 124 | 76 |
| October | 467 | 6 |
| November | 887 | 0 |
| December | 1,307 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,304 | 719 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00132041. 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 Dakota City been warmer than normal lately?
2022 averaged 45.6°F, 1.2°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 46.8°F. 1 of the 2 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48.6°F | +1.8°F | 30.76 |
| 2022 | 45.6°F | −1.2°F | 21.63 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00132041. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Dakota City's climate compare?
Dakota City is warmer than 38 of the other 131 places with their own NOAA record in Iowa, and wetter than 48. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 46.8°F is warmer than 27%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Dakota City 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 Dakota City share this climate record?
4 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.
- Livermore, IA382 people · 10 mi N
- Renwick, IA228 people · 13 mi NE
- Thor, IA182 people · 8 mi E
- Hardy, IA55 people · 9 mi NE
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 Dakota City's climate
What is the coldest month in Dakota City?
January, with a normal high of 26°F and a normal low of 8°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 62°F at night).
Does it snow in Dakota City?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Dakota City's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Fort Dodge (10 miles away), records 39 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Dakota City?
June, with 5.41 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.89 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Dakota City in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Dakota City in zone 5a in ZIP code 50529.
How late can frost come in Dakota City?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 26; in one year in ten it comes after May 7. Waiting until May 7 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Iowa climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Humboldt, IA1 miles from this station, 46.2°F a year
- Fort Dodge, IA10 miles from this station, 46.5°F a year
- Clarion, IA24 miles from this station, 47.0°F a year
- Algona, IA24 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