Cedar Falls in Fall

In fall (September, October and November), Cedar Falls sees average daytime highs around 60°F and overnight lows near 41°F, with 8.5 in of precipitation over about 24 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.

Over the season highs ease from about 78°F in early September to 39°F by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.

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

Avg daytime high
60°F
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
41°F
Precipitation
8.5 in
24 wet days
Avg wind
10 mph
Travel score
4.5
2nd-best season
Months
Sep · Oct · Nov

Temperature in Cedar Falls in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 78°F in early September to 39°F by late November.

A typical fall day in Cedar Falls reaches about 60°F and drops to 41°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.

20°40°60°80°SepOctNov

How fall really feels in Cedar Falls

Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 39 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
39
3 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Cedar Falls 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
Jan27° / 11°1.46.75.59.20.0
Feb31° / 15°1.46.34.610.30.0
Mar45° / 27°2.593.211.61.2
Apr59° / 39°4.3111.113.14.3
May70° / 51°5.013.20.114.46.0
Jun79° / 61°5.112.4015.16.3
Jul82° / 64°4.110.1014.86.5
Aug80° / 61°4.09.7013.76.8
Sep73° / 53°3.68.5012.37.1
Oct61° / 41°2.88.20.410.85.2
Nov45° / 29°2.16.929.61.3
Dec32° / 18°1.66.958.90.0

Cloud cover in Fall

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time across fall.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Chance of precipitation in Fall

Any precipitationSnow

Cedar Falls gets around 8.5 in of rain and snow over 24 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 10 mph across fall.

051015SepOctNov

Sunrise & sunset in Fall

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 hours in early September to 9 h 06 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 3.2 kWh/m².

0246SepOctNov
Planning a trip in fall

Is fall a good time to visit Cedar Falls?

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.

4.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
2.2
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

fall is a reasonable time to visit Cedar Falls for sightseeing.

What to pack for Cedar Falls in Fall

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

In fall, Cedar Falls sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 41°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 24 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Cedar Falls 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 Cedar Falls peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 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 18UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Cedar Falls 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 Cedar Falls 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 1916 µg/m³Oct 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr11Good
May12Good
Jun13Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Cedar Falls?

Cedar Falls sits at 42.5°N, 92.4°W, 879 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Waterloo, 5.6 mi away.

Topography around Cedar Falls

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Cedar Falls has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 164 ft around an average of 902 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 230 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 604 ft.

The land around Cedar Falls is covered by trees (47%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 2 miles, cropland (62%) within 10 miles, and cropland (83%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
164 ft
10 miles
230 ft
50 miles
604 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Fall weather nearby: Waterloo 5.6 mi · Marshalltown 40 mi · Cedar Rapids 55 mi · Marion 55 mi · Mason City 58 mi · Newton 65 mi · Ames 69 mi · North Liberty 69 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 Cedar Falls (42.5278°, -92.4455°, elevation 879 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.