Climate averages 1991–2020
Des Moines weather
in October.
A mild, moderately wet month: the 6th warmest and the 6th driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
October is a mild month in Des Moines: daytime highs average 16.6°C and nights cool to about 7.5°C. By daytime temperature it is the 6th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 71 mm of rain on roughly 8 days, which makes October a moderately wet month (the 6th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 11 h 08 min on an average October day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Cedar Rapids (169 km away). In October its highs average 16.0°C, 0.6°C cooler than Des Moines, with 73 mm of rain.
Among the 498 cities listed in the United States, Des Moines ranks joint 379th of 498 for the warmest October highs and joint 212th of 498 for the driest October (rainfall, lowest first). The mean October high of those 498 cities is 21.4°C; Des Moines is 4.7°C cooler than that mean.
From October to November, average highs fall by 8.0°C to 8.6°C, and monthly rainfall falls from 71 mm to 52 mm.
The annual picture
October 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, selected | 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
October in nearby cities
- Cedar Rapids in OctoberUnited States · 169 kmHigh 16.0°C · Low 7.0°C · 73 mm rain
- Iowa City in OctoberUnited States · 173 kmHigh 16.6°C · Low 7.6°C · 74 mm rain
- Omaha in OctoberUnited States · 198 kmHigh 17.4°C · Low 7.8°C · 68 mm rain
- Saint Joseph in OctoberUnited States · 229 kmHigh 18.3°C · Low 9.1°C · 81 mm rain
- Sioux City in OctoberUnited States · 251 kmHigh 16.1°C · Low 6.5°C · 61 mm rain
- Davenport in OctoberUnited States · 252 kmHigh 16.7°C · Low 8.2°C · 70 mm rain
- Lincoln in OctoberUnited States · 271 kmHigh 18.1°C · Low 8.1°C · 64 mm rain
- Rochester (Minnesota), United States in OctoberUnited States · 285 kmHigh 13.7°C · Low 5.8°C · 68 mm rain
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.