Climate averages 1991–2020
Des Moines weather
in January.
A freezing month with light precipitation: the coolest and the driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
January is a freezing month in Des Moines: daytime highs average -1.3°C and nights cool to about -10.1°C. By daytime temperature it is the coolest month of the year.
Expect about 31 mm of precipitation on roughly 6 days, which makes January a month with light precipitation (the driest month of the year). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 9 h 32 min on an average January day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Cedar Rapids (169 km away). In January its highs average -2.3°C, 1.1°C cooler than Des Moines, with 38 mm of precipitation.
Among the 498 cities listed in the United States, Des Moines ranks joint 475th of 498 for the warmest January highs and joint 60th of 498 for the driest January (precipitation, lowest first). The mean January high of those 498 cities is 9.5°C; Des Moines is 10.7°C cooler than that mean.
From January to February, average highs rise by 2.7°C to 1.4°C, and monthly precipitation rises from 31 mm to 40 mm.
The annual picture
January 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, selected | -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 | 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
January in nearby cities
- Cedar Rapids in JanuaryUnited States · 169 kmHigh -2.3°C · Low -11.1°C · 38 mm precipitation
- Iowa City in JanuaryUnited States · 173 kmHigh -1.5°C · Low -10.3°C · 39 mm precipitation
- Omaha in JanuaryUnited States · 198 kmHigh 0.0°C · Low -9.2°C · 26 mm precipitation
- Saint Joseph in JanuaryUnited States · 229 kmHigh 2.1°C · Low -6.8°C · 30 mm rain
- Sioux City in JanuaryUnited States · 251 kmHigh -1.9°C · Low -11.2°C · 23 mm precipitation
- Davenport in JanuaryUnited States · 252 kmHigh -0.9°C · Low -9.3°C · 46 mm precipitation
- Lincoln in JanuaryUnited States · 271 kmHigh 1.2°C · Low -8.2°C · 25 mm precipitation
- Rochester (Minnesota), United States in JanuaryUnited States · 285 kmHigh -4.8°C · Low -13.1°C · 29 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.