Des Moines weather in July

In July, Des Moines sees average daytime highs of 84°F and overnight lows near 67°F, with 3.6 in of rain across 9.4 wet days and about 14.7 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 84°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in July, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 15 hours at the start of July to 14 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, July is Des Moines's 3rd-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Des Moines's year-round climate.

Daytime high
84°
1st warmest
Overnight low
67°
12th coldest
Rainfall
3.6 in
9.4 wet days
Daylight
14 h 42 min
4:58 AM – 7:42 PM
Cloud cover
49%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 mph
11th windiest
Solar energy
6.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Des Moines is capital city of the U.S. state of Iowa and seat of Polk County.

Density
911/km²
people per km²
Founded
1843

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in July

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 84°F through the month.

A typical July day in Des Moines reaches about 84°F in the afternoon and slips back to 67°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 77°F and 92°F. Set against its neighbours, July runs about 3°F warmer than June and about 2°F warmer than August.

50°60°70°80°90°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18366
28366
38366
48466
58466
68466
78466
88467
98467
108467
118567
128567
138567
148567
158567
168567
178567
188567
198567
208567
218567
228567
238567
248467
258467
268466
278466
288466
298466
308466
318466

How July really feels in Des Moines

Once humidity and wind are folded in, July averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

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

July sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Des Moines weather by month

How July compares with the rest of the year at a glance. July is the 1st-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 14°1.26.34.69.30.0
Feb35° / 18°1.56.34.710.30.0
Mar48° / 30°2.68.82.511.71.9
Apr61° / 41°4.211.20.913.14.8
May71° / 53°5.313.60.114.36.1
Jun81° / 63°4.911.60156.1
Jul84° / 67°3.69.4014.75.7
Aug82° / 64°3.79.5013.76.4
Sep76° / 55°3.58012.37.2
Oct63° / 43°2.87.80.310.95.8
Nov48° / 31°2.06.81.39.72.0
Dec35° / 20°1.65.93.990.0

Cloud cover in July

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in July.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of July, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 40%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25743
35743
45743
55842
65842
75842
85842
95941
105941
116040
126040
136040
146139
156139
166139
176139
186139
196238
206238
216238
226238
236238
246139
256238
266238
276139
286238
296238
306238
316139

Chance of precipitation in July

Any precipitation

Des Moines gets around 3.6 in of rain over 9.4 wet days in July. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 31% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
233
332
432
532
632
732
831
931
1031
1131
1231
1332
1432
1532
1631
1731
1831
1931
2031
2130
2230
2330
2430
2529
2629
2729
2828
2928
3028
3128

Humidity in July

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, July lands in the muggy band about 31% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 56% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
18192332180
28192332190
37182332200
47182332200
56182332210
66172332211
76162333211
85162334221
95152334221
105142335231
114132335232
124132335242
134122335242
144122334252
154122334253
164122333253
174122432253
184122432263
194122431263
204122431263
214132530263
224132529263
234142628252
244152628252
254162727242
264162826232
274172826222
285172926222
295182926212
305182926202
316183026192

Wind in July

Winds average 7 mph in July.

Across July, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
77light breeze
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in July

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 hours at the start of July to 14 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 42 minutes over July. Sunrise moves from 4:48 AM to 5:12 AM, and sunset from 7:47 PM to 7:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.04:487:47
215.04:497:47
315.04:497:47
414.94:507:47
514.94:507:47
614.94:517:46
714.94:527:46
814.94:527:46
914.94:537:45
1014.94:547:45
1114.84:547:45
1214.84:557:44
1314.84:567:44
1414.84:567:43
1514.84:577:43
1614.74:587:42
1714.74:597:42
1814.75:007:41
1914.75:007:40
2014.65:017:39
2114.65:027:39
2214.65:037:38
2314.65:047:37
2414.55:057:36
2514.55:067:35
2614.55:077:35
2714.45:087:34
2814.45:097:33
2914.45:107:32
3014.35:117:31
3114.35:127:30

Solar energy in July

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in July, about 6.46 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.81 kWh/m² to a high of 6.46 kWh/m² in July across the year — July's 6.46 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.6Intense
26.6Intense
36.6Intense
46.6Intense
56.6Intense
66.6Intense
76.6Intense
86.6Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.5Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.5Intense
186.5Intense
196.4Intense
206.4Intense
216.4Intense
226.4Intense
236.4Intense
246.3Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in July

Is July a good time to visit Des Moines?

Our two travel scores rate July for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.7
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
7.2
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

July is a reasonable time to visit Des Moines for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Des Moines in July

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

In July, Des Moines sees daytime highs around 84°F and nights near 67°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Des Moines in July

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in July peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Des Moines 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 Des Moines in July

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Des Moines is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1915 µg/m³Oct 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr10Good
May11Good
Jun12Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Des Moines?

Des Moines sits at 41.6°N, 93.6°W, 873 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is West Des Moines, 5.6 mi away.

Topography around Des Moines

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Des Moines has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 200 ft around an average of 840 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 276 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 758 ft.

The land around Des Moines is covered by artificial surfaces (51%) and trees (30%) within 2 miles, trees (33%), grassland (23%) and cropland (21%) within 10 miles, and cropland (62%) and grassland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
200 ft
10 miles
276 ft
50 miles
758 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
July weather nearby: West Des Moines 5.6 mi · Urbandale 5.6 mi · Clive 6.2 mi · Johnston 6.8 mi · Altoona 8.1 mi · Ankeny 8.7 mi · Waukee 14 mi · Indianola 17 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 Des Moines (41.6005°, -93.6091°, elevation 873 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).