Iowa Climate Data
Climate normals for 143 cities from 259 NOAA weather stations.
Data updated July 2026
Avg Temperature
48°F (9°C)
Avg Precipitation
35.9"
Avg Snowfall
32.2"
Cities / Stations
143 / 259
Iowa's climate in one line
Iowa averages 48°F a year - cooler than 72% of U.S. states, spanning Northwood at 43°F to FT Madison at 52°F.
- 48°F
- statewide average · 28th percentile of states
- 36"
- average annual precipitation
- 68/100
- most comfortable: Allerton
- 143
- cities · 259 NOAA stations
Statewide figures are simple averages across 259 stations, local conditions vary widely by elevation and coast distance.
How Iowa ranks among all 50 states
Iowa's average temperature vs. all U.S. states
Statewide annual mean temperature, NOAA 1991–2020 normals
48 Top 72% higher than 28% of 50 US states
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals (statewide aggregate) · 1991–2020
Iowa Climate in Context
U.S. land-mean temperature anomaly (NOAA NCEI) tracked against global anomaly (NASA GISTEMP). Paris Agreement 1.5°C and 2.0°C thresholds shown as reference lines. Iowa sits within this national warming envelope; individual cities below show local readings against this trend.
- United States (incl. Iowa) +0.11 °C/decade
- Global (NASA GISTEMP) +0.11 °C/decade
- Paris Agreement thresholds 1.5°C / 2.0°C
Cities in Iowa
143 cities with climate data
| City | Avg Temp | High | Low | Precip | Snow | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albia | 50°F | 60°F | 40°F | 36.5" | 30.0" | 59/100 |
| Algona | 46°F | 57°F | 35°F | 34.1" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Allerton | 50°F | 60°F | 40°F | 40.4" | N/A | 68/100 |
| Allison | 47°F | 57°F | 37°F | 35.4" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Ames | 48°F | 59°F | 37°F | 38.1" | 27.3" | 59/100 |
| Ames Muni | 49°F | 59°F | 38°F | 35.9" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Anamosa | 47°F | 58°F | 36°F | 40.1" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Ankeny | 50°F | 60°F | 39°F | 37.0" | 24.7" | 59/100 |
| Atlantic | 49°F | 61°F | 37°F | 37.1" | 27.3" | 59/100 |
| Audubon | 47°F | 58°F | 36°F | 35.0" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Battle Creek | 47°F | 58°F | 36°F | 32.1" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Beaconsfield | 49°F | 59°F | 39°F | 38.0" | 26.5" | 59/100 |
| Bedford | 50°F | 61°F | 40°F | 38.4" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Belle Plaine | 48°F | 59°F | 38°F | 36.0" | 27.9" | 59/100 |
| Bellevue L&d | 49°F | 59°F | 39°F | 37.8" | 31.9" | 59/100 |
| Bloomfield | 51°F | 61°F | 42°F | 39.1" | 24.2" | 63/100 |
| Boone | 48°F | 59°F | 37°F | 39.1" | 35.9" | 59/100 |
| Britt | 46°F | 56°F | 36°F | 34.3" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Burlington | 51°F | 61°F | 41°F | 41.0" | 21.8" | 63/100 |
| Burlington Muni | 52°F | 61°F | 43°F | 37.9" | N/A | 68/100 |
| Carroll | 48°F | 59°F | 38°F | 33.7" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Cascade | 48°F | 58°F | 38°F | 39.3" | 31.1" | 59/100 |
| Castana Exp Farm | 48°F | 59°F | 38°F | 32.1" | 28.6" | 59/100 |
| Cedar Rapids | 50°F | 61°F | 39°F | 38.8" | 34.3" | 59/100 |
| Cedar Rapids Muni | 48°F | 58°F | 38°F | 35.9" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Centerville | 50°F | 61°F | 39°F | 36.0" | 21.5" | 59/100 |
| Chariton | 48°F | 60°F | 37°F | 37.3" | 24.1" | 59/100 |
| Charles City | 47°F | 56°F | 37°F | 37.7" | 37.5" | 59/100 |
| Cherokee | 47°F | 58°F | 35°F | 31.2" | 37.8" | 59/100 |
| Clarinda | 50°F | 62°F | 39°F | 36.6" | 22.8" | 59/100 |
| Clarion | 47°F | 58°F | 36°F | 34.3" | 31.1" | 59/100 |
| Clinton | 50°F | 60°F | 41°F | 36.5" | 31.9" | 59/100 |
| Coggon | 47°F | 57°F | 36°F | 39.1" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Colo | 48°F | 58°F | 38°F | 36.5" | 30.6" | 59/100 |
| Columbus Junction | 49°F | 60°F | 38°F | 38.8" | 31.3" | 59/100 |
| Corning | 49°F | 60°F | 38°F | 35.3" | 27.8" | 59/100 |
| Cresco | 45°F | 56°F | 34°F | 38.0" | 40.3" | 59/100 |
| Creston | 49°F | 60°F | 38°F | 37.9" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Dakota City | 47°F | 57°F | 37°F | 35.8" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Davenport | 50°F | 60°F | 40°F | 36.2" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Decorah | 49°F | 59°F | 38°F | 37.6" | 37.5" | 59/100 |
| Denison | 48°F | 58°F | 37°F | 33.6" | 34.5" | 59/100 |
| Des Moines | 51°F | 61°F | 41°F | 36.5" | 36.5" | 63/100 |
| Des Moines Wsfo-johnston | 50°F | 60°F | 41°F | 36.2" | 38.0" | 63/100 |
| Donnellson | 52°F | 62°F | 41°F | 39.2" | 26.6" | 63/100 |
| Dubuque L&d | 48°F | 58°F | 39°F | 38.8" | 36.1" | 63/100 |
| Dubuque Rgnl | 47°F | 56°F | 38°F | 38.2" | 42.5" | 59/100 |
| Eldora | 47°F | 57°F | 37°F | 37.9" | 33.2" | 59/100 |
| Elkader | 46°F | 57°F | 35°F | 38.8" | 35.6" | 59/100 |
| Emmetsburg | 47°F | 58°F | 37°F | 33.6" | 37.1" | 59/100 |
| Estherville | 45°F | 56°F | 34°F | 31.7" | N/A | 54/100 |
| Estherville Muni | 45°F | 55°F | 35°F | 29.3" | N/A | 54/100 |
| Fairfield | 50°F | 60°F | 40°F | 38.4" | 21.7" | 59/100 |
| Fayette | 45°F | 56°F | 34°F | 39.5" | 41.1" | 59/100 |
| Forest City | 45°F | 55°F | 35°F | 35.9" | N/A | 54/100 |
| FT Dodge | 47°F | 57°F | 36°F | 35.1" | 39.0" | 59/100 |
| FT Madison | 52°F | 61°F | 43°F | 39.4" | 18.1" | 68/100 |
| Glenwood | 51°F | 63°F | 39°F | 34.8" | 23.7" | 59/100 |
| Greenfield | 49°F | 59°F | 39°F | 36.5" | 25.5" | 59/100 |
| Grinnell | 48°F | 58°F | 37°F | 38.2" | 31.0" | 59/100 |
| Grundy Ctr | 47°F | 57°F | 37°F | 36.8" | 32.3" | 59/100 |
| Guthrie Ctr | 48°F | 60°F | 37°F | 37.1" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Guttenberg L&d | 49°F | 58°F | 39°F | 37.3" | 34.4" | 59/100 |
| Hampton | 47°F | 57°F | 36°F | 38.1" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Harlan | 50°F | 61°F | 38°F | 34.3" | 30.5" | 59/100 |
| Hawarden | 47°F | 58°F | 35°F | 29.9" | 30.6" | 59/100 |
| Holstein | 47°F | 57°F | 37°F | 33.2" | 35.3" | 59/100 |
| Humboldt Wtp | 46°F | 55°F | 37°F | 35.0" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Ida Grove | 48°F | 58°F | 37°F | N/A | N/A | 49/100 |
| Independence | 47°F | 58°F | 36°F | 37.4" | 33.9" | 59/100 |
| Indianola | 50°F | 61°F | 39°F | 37.8" | 30.8" | 59/100 |
| Iowa City | 49°F | 60°F | 38°F | 38.5" | 27.5" | 59/100 |
| Iowa City Muni | 51°F | 61°F | 41°F | 35.7" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Iowa Falls | 47°F | 57°F | 36°F | 38.1" | 27.7" | 59/100 |
| Jefferson | 48°F | 58°F | 37°F | 35.3" | 31.7" | 59/100 |
| Keokuk Lock Dam | 52°F | 62°F | 43°F | 39.8" | N/A | 68/100 |
| Keosauqua | 51°F | 61°F | 40°F | 39.7" | 23.0" | 59/100 |
| Knoxville | 50°F | 60°F | 40°F | 37.5" | N/A | 68/100 |
| Lake Park | 46°F | 57°F | 36°F | 31.4" | 41.0" | 59/100 |
| Lamoni | 51°F | 61°F | 41°F | N/A | N/A | 53/100 |
| Lamoni Muni | 52°F | 61°F | 42°F | 37.4" | N/A | 68/100 |
| LE Claire L&d | 51°F | 60°F | 41°F | 37.1" | N/A | 68/100 |
| LE Mars | 47°F | 58°F | 35°F | 30.0" | 30.9" | 59/100 |
| Leon | 50°F | 61°F | 38°F | 39.3" | 28.5" | 59/100 |
| Little Sioux | 48°F | 60°F | 36°F | 39.8" | 45.6" | 59/100 |
| Logan | 49°F | 61°F | 38°F | 34.4" | 28.7" | 59/100 |
| Lowden | 49°F | 60°F | 38°F | 39.6" | 39.8" | 59/100 |
| Manchester | 46°F | 57°F | 36°F | 38.6" | 34.7" | 59/100 |
| Mapleton | 47°F | 58°F | 36°F | 32.2" | 31.1" | 59/100 |
| Maquoketa | 48°F | 57°F | 38°F | 36.7" | 30.3" | 59/100 |
| Marshalltown | 48°F | 58°F | 37°F | 37.9" | 25.3" | 59/100 |
| Marshalltown Muni | 48°F | 58°F | 37°F | 32.8" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Mason City | 46°F | 56°F | 36°F | 36.3" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Mason City Muni | 46°F | 56°F | 35°F | 36.3" | 44.4" | 59/100 |
| Milford | 46°F | 56°F | 36°F | 29.5" | 38.0" | 59/100 |
| MT Ayr | 50°F | 60°F | 39°F | 37.0" | 20.5" | 59/100 |
| MT Pleasant | 50°F | 61°F | 39°F | 38.5" | 24.8" | 59/100 |
| Muscatine | 51°F | 61°F | 40°F | 40.0" | 23.5" | 59/100 |
| New Hampton | 45°F | 55°F | 35°F | 40.6" | 38.5" | 49/100 |
| Newton | 49°F | 59°F | 38°F | 35.1" | 28.7" | 59/100 |
| Northwood | 43°F | 53°F | 33°F | 35.5" | 40.2" | 49/100 |
| Oakland | 49°F | 60°F | 39°F | 36.4" | 28.0" | 59/100 |
| Oelwein | 48°F | 58°F | 37°F | 35.4" | 39.3" | 59/100 |
| Onawa | 49°F | 61°F | 36°F | 29.9" | 31.0" | 59/100 |
| Osage | 45°F | 55°F | 36°F | 37.6" | 39.6" | 59/100 |
| Osceola | 50°F | 61°F | 38°F | 38.7" | 28.1" | 59/100 |
| Oskaloosa | 50°F | 61°F | 39°F | 38.7" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Ottumwa Industrial | 51°F | 61°F | 40°F | 37.0" | 23.6" | 59/100 |
| Perry | 49°F | 60°F | 38°F | 36.1" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Pocahontas | 47°F | 58°F | 36°F | 32.8" | 38.8" | 59/100 |
| Postville | 46°F | 57°F | 35°F | 38.9" | 39.8" | 59/100 |
| Primghar | 48°F | 58°F | 38°F | 31.4" | 34.8" | 59/100 |
| Rathbun Dam | 50°F | 61°F | 40°F | 38.6" | N/A | 68/100 |
| Red Oak | 51°F | 62°F | 40°F | 37.2" | 27.4" | 59/100 |
| Rock Rapids | 46°F | 57°F | 35°F | 29.3" | 34.9" | 59/100 |
| Rockwell City | 47°F | 58°F | 37°F | 33.8" | 32.1" | 59/100 |
| Sac City | 47°F | 57°F | 36°F | 33.0" | 30.9" | 59/100 |
| Sanborn | 45°F | 56°F | 35°F | 32.1" | 41.4" | 59/100 |
| Sheldon | 45°F | 56°F | 34°F | 31.1" | 40.8" | 49/100 |
| Shenandoah | 52°F | 63°F | 41°F | 36.4" | 26.4" | 59/100 |
| Sibley | 45°F | 55°F | 34°F | 30.2" | 41.5" | 49/100 |
| Sidney | 51°F | 62°F | 40°F | 33.3" | 20.6" | 63/100 |
| Sigourney | 49°F | 60°F | 38°F | 37.4" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Sioux City Ang | 48°F | 60°F | 36°F | 30.3" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Sioux City Gateway | 49°F | 60°F | 37°F | 29.3" | 36.0" | 59/100 |
| Sioux Ctr | 48°F | 59°F | 37°F | 29.9" | 34.8" | 59/100 |
| Sioux Rapids | 46°F | 56°F | 37°F | 32.0" | 35.2" | 59/100 |
| Spencer | 46°F | 57°F | 36°F | 31.0" | 43.3" | 59/100 |
| Spencer Muni | 47°F | 57°F | 36°F | 26.8" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Spirit Lake | 46°F | 55°F | 36°F | 29.1" | 41.5" | 59/100 |
| Stanley | 45°F | 56°F | 35°F | 38.6" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Storm Lake | 47°F | 57°F | 38°F | 33.8" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Swea City | 44°F | 54°F | 34°F | 32.9" | 39.7" | 49/100 |
| Tipton | 49°F | 59°F | 39°F | 36.5" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Toledo | 47°F | 58°F | 37°F | 35.3" | 32.8" | 59/100 |
| Tripoli | 46°F | 57°F | 36°F | 38.6" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Vinton | 46°F | 56°F | 36°F | 37.9" | 33.6" | 59/100 |
| Washington | 49°F | 60°F | 38°F | 37.9" | 25.2" | 59/100 |
| Waterloo Muni | 49°F | 59°F | 39°F | 36.3" | 39.1" | 59/100 |
| Waukon | 45°F | 55°F | 36°F | 39.2" | N/A | 64/100 |
| Webster City | 46°F | 57°F | 35°F | 37.2" | 32.9" | 59/100 |
| Williamsburg | 48°F | 59°F | 38°F | 37.7" | 28.1" | 59/100 |
| Winterset | 48°F | 59°F | 37°F | 34.8" | 30.7" | 59/100 |
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 · 1991-2020 Statewide aggregates for Iowa computed from 259 reporting stations.
Climate Insight: Iowa
Iowa's climate profile is aggregated from 143 cities and 259 NOAA weather stations reporting under the 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals program. The statewide average annual temperature sits at 48°F, which is the simple average across all measured stations rather than any single city's reading. Because Iowa spans multiple latitudes, elevations, and proximities to large water bodies, local conditions can differ from this headline number by wide margins, coastal, valley, and mountain stations often diverge by ten degrees or more even within a single month.
Precipitation and snowfall averages round out the climatological picture. Across Iowa, annual precipitation averages 35.9 inches, with typical seasonal snowfall near 32.2 inches statewide. These numbers combine rain, sleet, and snow water-equivalent and describe the thirty-year normal rather than any particular recent year. Readers evaluating a specific destination should drill into one of the 143 individual city pages below, each city's climate varies based on local geography, and the statewide figures here are averages that mask meaningful intrastate differences.
For planning purposes, the city table above is sorted to help you compare averages side-by-side: annual mean temperature, average daily high and low, precipitation totals, snowfall, and PlainClimate's composite comfort score. A city's comfort score weighs temperature mildness, humidity, and extreme-weather frequency into a single 0–100 rating, which is especially useful when contrasting locations at different elevations or distances from the coast. Use these rankings as a starting point, then open each city page for monthly breakdowns, degree-day totals, frost dates, and humidity metrics that matter for gardening, energy budgeting, and relocation decisions.
Choosing a place in Iowa?
The statewide 48°F hides big local swings, pick by city, not by state.
- Inside Iowa, annual averages run from Northwood (43°F) to FT Madison (52°F) - a 9°F spread.
- Allerton scores the state's highest comfort rating at 68/100. Allerton climate
- Compare states side by side, or jump straight to national rankings. Rankings
NOAA 1991–2020 normals describe the typical year; treat them as planning baselines, not forecasts.
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). For informational purposes only.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Every figure on PlainClimate is rendered directly from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.