Climate averages 1991–2020
Des Moines weather
in December.
A cold month with moderate precipitation: the 10th warmest and the 3rd driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
December is a cold month in Des Moines: daytime highs average 1.5°C and nights cool to about -6.5°C. By daytime temperature it is the 10th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 41 mm of precipitation on roughly 6 days, which makes December a month with moderate precipitation (the 3rd driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 9 h 14 min on an average December day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Cedar Rapids (169 km away). In December its highs average 0.7°C, 0.8°C cooler than Des Moines, with 46 mm of precipitation.
Among the 498 cities listed in the United States, Des Moines ranks joint 475th of 498 for the warmest December highs and joint 82nd of 498 for the driest December (precipitation, lowest first). The mean December high of those 498 cities is 10.5°C; Des Moines is 9.0°C cooler than that mean.
From December to January, average highs fall by 2.8°C to -1.3°C, and monthly precipitation falls from 41 mm to 31 mm.
The annual picture
December in context
Monthly precipitation
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Des Moines climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Precipitation mm/month | Wet days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -1.3°C-10.1°C | -10.1°C | 31 | 6.3 | 9.510 h |
| February | 1.4°C-8.1°C | -8.1°C | 40 | 6.5 | 10.611 h |
| March | 8.9°C-1.6°C | -1.6°C | 67 | 8.8 | 11.912 h |
| April | 15.6°C5.1°C | 5.1°C | 107 | 11.2 | 13.313 h |
| May | 21.3°C11.7°C | 11.7°C | 135 | 13.6 | 14.515 h |
| June | 26.5°C17.2°C | 17.2°C | 126 | 11.5 | 15.115 h |
| July | 28.7°C19.7°C | 19.7°C | 91 | 9.4 | 14.915 h |
| August | 27.8°C18.6°C | 18.6°C | 94 | 9.5 | 13.814 h |
| September | 23.9°C14.3°C | 14.3°C | 90 | 8.0 | 12.513 h |
| October | 16.6°C7.5°C | 7.5°C | 71 | 7.8 | 11.111 h |
| November | 8.6°C0.1°C | 0.1°C | 52 | 6.8 | 9.910 h |
| December, selected | 1.5°C-6.5°C | -6.5°C | 41 | 5.9 | 9.29 h |
Precipitation (rain or snow, as water) is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A wet day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
December in nearby cities
- Cedar Rapids in DecemberUnited States · 169 kmHigh 0.7°C · Low -7.1°C · 46 mm precipitation
- Iowa City in DecemberUnited States · 173 kmHigh 1.4°C · Low -6.3°C · 49 mm precipitation
- Omaha in DecemberUnited States · 198 kmHigh 2.2°C · Low -6.3°C · 36 mm rain
- Saint Joseph in DecemberUnited States · 229 kmHigh 4.4°C · Low -4.0°C · 45 mm rain
- Sioux City in DecemberUnited States · 251 kmHigh 0.3°C · Low -8.0°C · 30 mm precipitation
- Davenport in DecemberUnited States · 252 kmHigh 1.9°C · Low -5.4°C · 53 mm precipitation
- Lincoln in DecemberUnited States · 271 kmHigh 3.1°C · Low -5.5°C · 34 mm rain
- Rochester (Minnesota), United States in DecemberUnited States · 285 kmHigh -1.9°C · Low -9.2°C · 37 mm precipitation
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Des Moines) is explained once on the Des Moines year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.