Des Moines in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Des Moines sees average daytime highs around 34°F and overnight lows near 18°F, with 4.4 in of precipitation over about 19 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 34°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Des Moines's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Des Moines's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 34°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 18°F
- Precipitation
- 4.4 in
- 19 wet days
- Avg wind
- 9 mph
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Des Moines in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 34°F.
A typical winter day in Des Moines reaches about 34°F and drops to 18°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Des Moines
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 90 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Des Moines weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30° / 14° | 1.2 | 6.3 | 4.6 | 9.3 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 35° / 18° | 1.5 | 6.3 | 4.7 | 10.3 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 48° / 30° | 2.6 | 8.8 | 2.5 | 11.7 | 1.9 |
| Apr | 61° / 41° | 4.2 | 11.2 | 0.9 | 13.1 | 4.8 |
| May | 71° / 53° | 5.3 | 13.6 | 0.1 | 14.3 | 6.1 |
| Jun | 81° / 63° | 4.9 | 11.6 | 0 | 15 | 6.1 |
| Jul | 84° / 67° | 3.6 | 9.4 | 0 | 14.7 | 5.7 |
| Aug | 82° / 64° | 3.7 | 9.5 | 0 | 13.7 | 6.4 |
| Sep | 76° / 55° | 3.5 | 8 | 0 | 12.3 | 7.2 |
| Oct | 63° / 43° | 2.8 | 7.8 | 0.3 | 10.9 | 5.8 |
| Nov | 48° / 31° | 2.0 | 6.8 | 1.3 | 9.7 | 2.0 |
| Dec | 35° / 20° | 1.6 | 5.9 | 3.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Des Moines gets around 4.4 in of rain and snow over 19 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 9 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min in early December to 10 h 54 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.4 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Des Moines?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Des Moines.
What to pack for Des Moines in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Des Moines sees daytime highs around 34°F and nights near 18°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 19 days see rain.
UV index in Des Moines in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Low |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 7 | Very high |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 4 | Moderate |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Low |
Air quality in Des Moines in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 12 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 10 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Moderate |
| Feb | 14 | Moderate |
| Mar | 13 | Moderate |
| Apr | 10 | Good |
| May | 11 | Good |
| Jun | 12 | Moderate |
| Jul | 16 | Moderate |
| Aug | 14 | Moderate |
| Sep | 12 | Good |
| Oct | 7 | Good |
| Nov | 8 | Good |
| Dec | 10 | Good |
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.
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
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.