Ankeny in Fall

In fall (September, October and November), Ankeny sees average daytime highs around 62°F and overnight lows near 42°F, with 8.6 in of precipitation over about 23 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.

Over the season highs ease from about 80°F in early September to 41°F by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.

Fall is Ankeny's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Ankeny's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
62°F
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
42°F
Precipitation
8.6 in
23 wet days
Avg wind
9 mph
Travel score
4.9
2nd-best season
Months
Sep · Oct · Nov

Temperature in Ankeny in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 80°F in early September to 41°F by late November.

A typical fall day in Ankeny reaches about 62°F and drops to 42°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.

20°40°60°80°SepOctNov

How fall really feels in Ankeny

Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 36 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
36
wind chill below the day's low

The story in fall is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Ankeny weather by month

How the three fall months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 13°1.26.34.99.30.0
Feb34° / 17°1.56.54.710.30.0
Mar47° / 29°2.68.82.811.71.7
Apr61° / 40°4.411.20.913.14.7
May71° / 52°5.513.70.114.36.0
Jun80° / 62°5.011.90156.2
Jul84° / 66°3.89.5014.75.8
Aug82° / 63°4.09.5013.76.6
Sep75° / 55°3.68.3012.37.2
Oct62° / 42°2.98.10.410.95.6
Nov47° / 30°2.16.71.39.61.8
Dec34° / 19°1.65.94.190.0

Cloud cover in Fall

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time across fall.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Chance of precipitation in Fall

Any precipitationSnow

Ankeny gets around 8.6 in of rain and snow over 23 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%SepOctNov

Humidity in Fall

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Wind in Fall

Winds average 9 mph across fall.

051015SepOctNov

Sunrise & sunset in Fall

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 hours in early September to 9 h 12 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMSepOctNov

Solar energy in Fall

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 3.3 kWh/m².

0246SepOctNov
Planning a trip in fall

Is fall a good time to visit Ankeny?

Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

4.9
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
2.5
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

fall is a reasonable time to visit Ankeny for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ankeny in Fall

From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In fall, Ankeny sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 42°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 23 days see rain.

a warm layerlight clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Ankeny in Fall

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ankeny peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 20UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Ankeny in Fall

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where fall falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Ankeny is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 2016 µg/m³Oct 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun12Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct7Good
Nov9Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ankeny?

Ankeny sits at 41.7°N, 93.6°W, 991 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Johnston, 6.2 mi away.

Topography around Ankeny

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Ankeny.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Ankeny has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 ft around an average of 955 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 719 ft.

The land around Ankeny is covered by artificial surfaces (41%), grassland (28%) and trees (24%) within 2 miles, cropland (44%) and trees (21%) within 10 miles, and cropland (67%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
135 ft
10 miles
272 ft
50 miles
719 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Fall weather nearby: Johnston 6.2 mi · Des Moines 8.7 mi · Urbandale 8.7 mi · Altoona 9.3 mi · Clive 11 mi · West Des Moines 12 mi · Waukee 17 mi · Ames 21 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Ankeny (41.7297°, -93.6058°, elevation 991 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.