Des Moines Wsfo-johnston, IA Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Annual temperature and rainfall from NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 normals →; comfort score computed by PlainClimate
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Des Moines Wsfo-johnston's primary NOAA station, DES MOINES WSFO-JOHNSTON.
The climate verdict for Des Moines Wsfo-johnston
Des Moines Wsfo-johnston, Iowa has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 50°F. Its climate comfort score of 63/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 46% of station-mapped location scores.
- 50°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 63/100
- comfort score, above 46% of station-mapped location scores
- 36.2"
- annual precipitation · 38" snow
- 182 days
- frost-free growing season
Des Moines Wsfo-johnston: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00132209 · Des Moines Wsfo-johnston, IA 50°F mean · 36.2" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 50°F
- RANK-MID #2,813
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Howells
- PRCP-MID 36.2"
- SWING-WIDE 54°F
- COMF-MID 63/100
- LOAD-HEAT 6,317 HDD
- STN-1 USC00132209
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Howells, NE (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every IA station list.
- Des Moines Wsfo… (this station) 50°F
- Cold Raymond, NE 50°F
- Hot Howells, NE 50°F
- Near Blair, NE 50°F
- Near Galesburg, IL 50°F
Climate Living Index · Des Moines Wsfo-johnston
Des Moines Wsfo-johnston: 55/100 · grade C
Des Moines Wsfo-johnston publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Des Moines Wsfo-johnston, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 63/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 36.2 in · 1.2 from 35 in | 94/100 · A |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 135 calendar days | 56/100 · C |
| Frost-free season | 182 days/year | 51/100 · D |
| Annual temperature balance | 50.3°F · 17.2° from 67.5°F | 42/100 · D |
| Snowfall burden | 38.0 inches/year | 30/100 · F |
Des Moines Wsfo-johnston · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Des Moines Wsfo-johnston is a continental Köppen climate: Dfa
Coldest-month mean 21.5°F and warmest-month mean 75.2°F place this station in continental, no dry season, hot summer climates (Dfa). Class Dfa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, hot summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfa
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 75.2°F
- Coldest month
- 21.5°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Des Moines Wsfo-johnston sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Des Moines Wsfo-johnston's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 41st percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- 50th percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 90%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Des Moines Wsfo-johnston is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Des Moines Wsfo-johnston compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Des Moines Wsfo-johnston's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
63 46th percentile score exceeds 46% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). This entry sits in this band.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30°F (-1°C) | 13°F (-10°C) | 22°F (-6°C) | 1.0" | 9.7" | 29.8 | 0.0 |
| February | 35°F (2°C) | 17°F (-8°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 1.3" | 10.5" | 25.4 | 0.0 |
| March | 49°F (9°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 2.1" | 5.0" | 21.4 | 0.0 |
| April | 62°F (16°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 51°F (10°C) | 4.0" | 1.6" | 6.9 | 0.0 |
| May | 72°F (22°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 4.8" | 0.2" | 0.4 | 0.6 |
| June | 81°F (27°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 5.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 3.3 |
| July | 85°F (29°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 75°F (24°C) | 4.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 7.8 |
| August | 83°F (28°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 4.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 4.3 |
| September | 76°F (25°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 3.4" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 1.9 |
| October | 63°F (17°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 2.5" | 0.5" | 5.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 48°F (9°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 1.9" | 2.2" | 17.8 | 0.0 |
| December | 35°F (2°C) | 19°F (-7°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 1.5" | 8.3" | 28.0 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 85°F around July 17, short of 90°F on every date, while 135 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 13°F near January 18.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 24, then returns to freezing around November 11, covering 135 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is May 26, when 43% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is December 17 at 24%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 112 wet dates a year.
The widest day
September 27 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 22°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Des Moines Wsfo-johnston.
Where Des Moines Wsfo-johnston Stands Nationally
Days and nights track unusually close together; the widest normal swing, about 22°F, is narrower than most stations record.
Des Moines Wsfo-johnston earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 9.7"
7.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 10.5"
7.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.0"
9.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.6"
10.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.2"
13.3 days with precipitation
11.7 days with precipitation
8.8 days with precipitation
10.1 days with precipitation
8.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.5"
9.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.2"
7.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 8.3"
7.5 days with precipitation
Des Moines Wsfo-johnston runs a summer-peaked wet season
38% of Des Moines Wsfo-johnston's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is June at 5.3", on a wide 53.7°F gap between its warmest and coldest month. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: June, May, July, taking 40% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: January at 1.0".
- Winter share: 10% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
How Des Moines Wsfo-johnston's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 112 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 36.2" between them, or roughly 0.32 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Des Moines Wsfo-johnston
Des Moines Wsfo-johnston averages 38.0 inches of snowfall a year, with February the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 26 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 38.0 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 26 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 11% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 18
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 19
50% probability date
Growing Season
182 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
6,317
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
988
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside IA closest to Des Moines Wsfo-johnston on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (50°F here).
- Boulder, UT 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Central City, NE 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Chatham, MA 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Doyle, CA 50°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (36.2" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Beulah, MI 36.2" · 0.0" off
- Hico, TX 36.2" · 0.0" off
- Lapeer, MI 36.1" · 0.0" off
- Wellington, KS 36.1" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Des Moines Wsfo-johnston
heating led · moderate · mid swing
Des Moines Wsfo-johnston's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 6,317 annual heating degree days against 988 for cooling. Its 53.7°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Des Moines Wsfo-johnston's frost-free season lasts about 182 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Des Moines Wsfo-johnston coldest normal
January
Averaging 22°F (-6°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Des Moines Wsfo-johnston typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Des Moines Wsfo-johnston snow peak
February
Des Moines Wsfo-johnston averages 38.0 inches of snow a year, with February the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Des Moines Wsfo-johnston's climate
How much snow does Des Moines Wsfo-johnston get? ▼
How cold does Des Moines Wsfo-johnston get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Des Moines Wsfo-johnston? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Des Moines Wsfo-johnston's primary station: DES MOINES WSFO-JOHNSTON (USC00132209). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for Des Moines Wsfo-johnston; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Des Moines Wsfo-johnston comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.