Des Moines weather in October

In October, Des Moines sees average daytime highs of 63°F and overnight lows near 43°F, with 2.8 in of precipitation across 7.8 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 69°F in the first days to 56°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Des Moines's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Des Moines's year-round climate.

Daytime high
63°
6th warmest
Overnight low
43°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.8 in
7.8 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:34 AM – 5:25 PM
Cloud cover
51%
4th clearest
Wind
10 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
3.23 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 69°F in the first days to 56°F by the end.

A typical October day in Des Moines reaches about 63°F in the afternoon and slips back to 43°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 49°F and 77°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 13°F cooler than September and about 15°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17049
26949
36948
46948
56847
66847
76747
86746
96646
106646
116545
126545
136444
146444
156344
166343
176243
186242
196242
206142
216041
226041
236040
245940
255840
265839
275739
285738
295638
305637
315537

How October really feels in Des Moines

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 4 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
4
wind chill below the day's low

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

Des Moines weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 7th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 45%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26238
36238
46238
56139
66139
76040
85941
95941
105842
115743
125743
135743
145644
155644
165545
175446
185347
195347
205248
215248
225149
235149
245149
254951
265050
275050
285050
295050
305050
315050

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Des Moines gets around 2.8 in of rain and snow over 7.8 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 25% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1250
2250
3250
4250
5250
6250
7250
8250
9250
10250
11250
12250
13250
14240
15241
16251
17251
18251
19251
20251
21251
22252
23252
24252
25252
26252
27252
28253
29253
30243
31243

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 89% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1761464
2781354
3791254
4801253
5821143
6821143
7831043
8831043
986932
1087832
1187832
1289731
1389731
1490631
1590631
1691630
1792530
1892530
1992530
2092530
2192530
2293430
2394420
2494420
2594420
2694420
2794420
2894420
2996310
3096310
3196310

Wind in October

Winds average 10 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 84 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:17 AM to 6:52 AM, and sunset from 5:50 PM to 5:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:175:50
211.56:185:48
311.56:195:47
411.46:205:45
511.46:215:43
611.36:225:42
711.36:235:40
811.26:245:38
911.26:265:37
1011.16:275:35
1111.16:285:33
1211.06:295:32
1311.06:305:30
1411.06:315:28
1510.96:325:27
1610.96:345:25
1710.86:355:24
1810.86:365:22
1910.76:375:21
2010.76:385:19
2110.66:405:18
2210.66:415:16
2310.56:425:15
2410.56:435:13
2510.56:445:12
2610.46:465:11
2710.46:475:09
2810.36:485:08
2910.36:495:07
3010.36:505:06
3110.26:525:04

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.23 kWh/m².

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 — October's 3.23 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Moderate
23.9Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.7Moderate
73.7Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.6Moderate
103.5Moderate
113.5Moderate
123.4Moderate
133.4Moderate
143.3Moderate
153.3Moderate
163.2Moderate
173.2Moderate
183.1Moderate
193.1Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Des Moines?

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

5.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.8
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Des Moines for sightseeing.

What to pack for Des Moines in October

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

In October, Des Moines sees daytime highs around 63°F and nights near 43°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Des Moines in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks 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 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 October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where October 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
October 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).