Iowa City weather in December: Iowa City, Iowa: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
Iowa City in December has a normal high of 36°F and a normal low of 20°F, a daily mean of 28°F, falling from 42°F on the 1st to 32°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 8 days in a normal December, 1.45 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 2°C and low of −7°C, 37 mm of precipitation in December.
- NOAA stationIowa City Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00014937
- Location41.63°N 91.54°W
- Elevation650 ft (198 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population76,710
- Jan 31° 15°
- Feb 36° 19°
- Mar 50° 30°
- Apr 63° 40°
- May 73° 52°
- Jun 83° 62°
- Jul 86° 66°
- Aug 84° 63°
- Sep 78° 54°
- Oct 64° 42°
- Nov 49° 30°
- Dec 36° 20°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Iowa City in December?
The normal high is 36°F and the normal low 20°F, for a daily mean of 28.2°F. December is 11.6°F cooler than November and 5.4°F warmer than January. December is the 10th warmest month of the year in Iowa City and the 10th wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 10°F, from 42°F on December 1 to 32°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 5.2°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Decembers in three average between 23°F and 33°F.
Bars above: each day's normal high to low. Columns below: the chance of 0.01 inch or more of precipitation that day, on a scale of 0 to 100% (highest 27%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 42°F | 25°F | 27% | 12% |
| December 8 | 39°F | 22°F | 27% | 11% |
| December 15 | 36°F | 20°F | 27% | 11% |
| December 22 | 34°F | 18°F | 26% | 10% |
| December 31 | 32°F | 16°F | 24% | 9% |
Every day of December: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon December 1, coldest night December 31)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 42°F | 25°F | 27% | 12% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 2 | 42°F | 24°F | 27% | 12% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 3 | 41°F | 24°F | 27% | 12% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 4 | 41°F | 24°F | 27% | 12% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 5 | 40°F | 23°F | 27% | 12% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 6 | 40°F | 23°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 7 | 39°F | 23°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 8 | 39°F | 22°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 9 | 39°F | 22°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 10 | 38°F | 22°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 11 | 38°F | 21°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 12 | 37°F | 21°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 13 | 37°F | 21°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 14 | 37°F | 21°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 15 | 36°F | 20°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 16 | 36°F | 20°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 17 | 36°F | 20°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 18 | 35°F | 19°F | 26% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 19 | 35°F | 19°F | 26% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 20 | 35°F | 19°F | 26% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 21 | 34°F | 19°F | 26% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 22 | 34°F | 18°F | 26% | 10% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 23 | 34°F | 18°F | 26% | 10% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 24 | 34°F | 18°F | 26% | 10% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 25 | 33°F | 18°F | 25% | 10% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 26 | 33°F | 17°F | 25% | 10% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 27 | 33°F | 17°F | 25% | 10% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 28 | 33°F | 17°F | 25% | 10% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 29 | 32°F | 17°F | 25% | 10% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 30 | 32°F | 17°F | 25% | 10% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 31 | 32°F | 16°F | 24% | 9% | 9 h 10 min |
- Normal high
- 36°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 20°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 1.45 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 80.01 inch or more
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 28
- Daylight
- 9 h 20 min to 9 h 10 minDecember 1 to December 31
- Sunshine
- 63%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00014937; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Iowa City in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 26% on average, highest around December 1 (27%). In all, 1.45 in falls on 8 days of a normal December.
In a normal December in Iowa City, 28 nights fall to freezing and 12 days stay below freezing all day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00014937.
What are the records for December in Iowa City?
The warmest December temperature on this station's record (since 1948) is 75°F, on December 15, 2021; the coldest is −19°F, on December 15, 1951. The wettest December brought 3.47 in (2015); the snowiest, 43.2 inches (2000).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 28.2°F: 2021 34.1°F (+5.9), 2022 25.7°F (−2.5), 2023 36.3°F (+8.1), 2024 31.3°F (+3.1), 2025 24.4°F (−3.8). 3 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 34.1°F | +5.9°F | 1.16 in |
| 2022 | 25.7°F | −2.5°F | 1.33 in |
| 2023 | 36.3°F | +8.1°F | 2.01 in |
| 2024 | 31.3°F | +3.1°F | 1.84 in |
| 2025 | 24.4°F | −3.8°F | 1.13 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00014937; recent months: ACIS, station USW00014937. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in Iowa City compare across Iowa?
Across the 132 places PlainClimate covers in Iowa, December normal highs run from 27°F in Northwood to 38°F in Keokuk; Iowa City's is 36°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.