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Iowa City, Iowa climate
Dfa Hot-summer humid continental
Iowa City has a strongly seasonal cool-temperate climate (Hot-summer humid continental, Köppen Dfa). The hottest month is July with an average daily high near 83°F, while the coldest is January averaging around 11°F at night. Precipitation totals about 36 inches a year and is strongly seasonal — June alone averages 5.6 inches while January barely receives 0.95 inches.
Temperature & precipitation
Daily high–low temperature range with the monthly average, plus monthly precipitation · 1991–2020 normals · hover a month for the exact figuresHours of sunshine per day
Estimated sunny hours each month — daylight length × clear-sky fraction · 1991–2020 monthly cloud cover (NASA POWER)Iowa City climate normals (1991–2020)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 28 | 33 | 46 | 60 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 46 | 33 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 20 | 24 | 37 | 49 | 60 | 70 | 73 | 71 | 63 | 51 | 37 | 25 |
| Avg low (°F) | 11 | 16 | 27 | 38 | 50 | 60 | 63 | 60 | 52 | 40 | 28 | 17 |
| Precipitation (in) | 1.0 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 5.6 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 2.0 | 1.6 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 28 | 33 | 46 | 60 | 71 | 80 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 20 | 24 | 37 | 49 | 60 | 70 |
| Avg low (°F) | 11 | 16 | 27 | 38 | 50 | 60 |
| Precipitation (in) | 1.0 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 5.6 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 83 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 46 | 33 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 73 | 71 | 63 | 51 | 37 | 25 |
| Avg low (°F) | 63 | 60 | 52 | 40 | 28 | 17 |
| Precipitation (in) | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 2.0 | 1.6 |
How often — frequency of weather events
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 7 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
| Days with high ≥ 90°F (days) | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0.1 | — | — |
| Days with low ≤ 32°F (days) | 30 | 26 | 23 | 8 | 0.4 | — | — | — | 0.3 | 7 | 21 | 28 |
| Days with snowfall ≥ 1 in (days) | 2 | 1 | 0.7 | 0.3 | — | — | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 7 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 12 |
| Days with high ≥ 90°F (days) | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.5 | 3 |
| Days with low ≤ 32°F (days) | 30 | 26 | 23 | 8 | 0.4 | — |
| Days with snowfall ≥ 1 in (days) | 2 | 1 | 0.7 | 0.3 | — | — |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
| Days with high ≥ 90°F (days) | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0.1 | — | — |
| Days with low ≤ 32°F (days) | — | — | 0.3 | 7 | 21 | 28 |
| Days with snowfall ≥ 1 in (days) | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1 |
Sky & atmosphere
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 65 | 66 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 58 | 50 | 50 | 47 | 58 | 63 | 66 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 87 | 83 | 78 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 75 | 73 | 71 | 74 | 80 | 87 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 8.5 | 8.6 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 7.3 | 6.0 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 6.0 | 7.1 | 7.6 | 7.7 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 65 | 66 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 58 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 87 | 83 | 78 | 74 | 75 | 76 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 8.5 | 8.6 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 7.3 | 6.0 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 50 | 50 | 47 | 58 | 63 | 66 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 75 | 73 | 71 | 74 | 80 | 87 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 5.2 | 5.1 | 6.0 | 7.1 | 7.6 | 7.7 |
Methodology & sources
Temperature & precipitation — the official 1991–2020 climate normals from NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals, measured at Cedar Rapids Muni AP (NOAA GHCN station USW00014990), about 29 km from the city centre.
Cloud, humidity, wind & sunshine — modelled estimates from NASA POWER, NASA's satellite-and-reanalysis climatology. This is the standard global source for atmospheric variables, which are not measured at most weather stations.