How extreme does Ottumwa's weather get?

The hottest, coldest, wettest and snowiest days Ottumwa has recorded — the outer limits of what its weather can do, and how far they sit beyond a normal day.

Based on 50+ years of daily weather observations (1971–present), from the Ottumwa Ind Ap station 9 km away. Updated through May 2026 — an all-time extreme only changes when a more extreme day actually occurs, so some dates are old. That is normal, not stale data.

The four kinds of extreme

The hottest, coldest, wettest and snowiest single days Ottumwa has recorded — each shown against what a normal day that time of year looks like.

🔥 Hottest day

106°F Jul 23, 2012

That is about 20°F hotter than a normal July afternoon in Ottumwa (typical high near 86°F).

The three most extreme on record

1 106°F Jul 23, 2012

2 105°F Jul 22, 1983

3 105°F Jul 28, 1983

❄️ Coldest night

-27°F Feb 3, 1996

About 45°F colder than a normal February night in Ottumwa (typical low near 18°F).

The three most extreme on record

1 -27°F Feb 3, 1996

2 -26°F Feb 2, 1996

3 -23°F Jan 10, 1982

🌧️ Most rain in one day

5.32 in Sep 14, 1992

More rain in a single day than Ottumwa usually gets in the whole month of September (typical September total about 3.5 in).

The three most extreme on record

1 5.32 in Sep 14, 1992

2 4.88 in Apr 17, 2013

3 4.54 in Aug 20, 2010

⛄ Most snow in one day

15.0 in Feb 13, 1978

Close to a whole typical February's snow in one day (Ottumwa averages about 6 in across the month).

The three most extreme on record

1 15.0 in Feb 13, 1978

2 12.0 in Dec 5, 1977

3 11.0 in Jan 3, 1971

How hot and cold it gets, month by month

The shaded band is the normal range of daily temperatures for each month. The dots show the most extreme it has ever been — so you can see how far beyond a normal day the records really sit.

normal range of daily temperatureshottest ever recordedcoldest ever recorded

Ottumwa's record heat sits well above even a hot day for the season — July's 106°F is about 20°F beyond a normal hot afternoon. Its record cold is just as far below a normal winter night — the dots mark how rare each extreme really is.

In plain terms

In a normal year, Ottumwa's warmest days reach the mid-80s°F and its coldest nights drop to the mid-10s°F. But across the record it has gone as high as 106°F and as low as −27°F. A single day has delivered over 5 inches of rain or close to 15 inches of snow. Those are the outer edges worth knowing if you are moving here, planning a trip, or thinking about a house.

Methodology & sources

Temperature & precipitation — the official 1991–2020 climate normals from NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals, measured at Ottumwa Ind AP (NOAA GHCN station USW00014950), about 9 km from the city centre.

How we build these numbers →

← Ottumwa city detail