Dubuque in Spring

In spring (March, April and May), Dubuque sees average daytime highs around 57°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 11.1 in of precipitation over about 33 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.

Over the season highs climb from about 38°F in early March to 74°F by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

Spring is Dubuque's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Dubuque's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
57°F
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
40°F
Precipitation
11.1 in
33 wet days
Avg wind
8 mph
Travel score
3.7
3rd-best season
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in Dubuque in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 38°F in early March to 74°F by late May.

A typical spring day in Dubuque reaches about 57°F and drops to 40°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.

20°40°60°80°MarAprMay

How spring really feels in Dubuque

Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 42 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
42
5 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Dubuque weather by month

How the three spring months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 13°1.57.469.20.0
Feb32° / 17°1.76.6510.30.0
Mar45° / 29°2.593.411.61.1
Apr58° / 40°4.211.71.113.14.0
May69° / 51°4.412.7014.45.9
Jun78° / 61°4.712015.16.4
Jul82° / 65°3.89.9014.86.5
Aug80° / 63°3.89.7013.76.8
Sep73° / 55°3.68.3012.37.1
Oct60° / 42°2.78.60.410.84.9
Nov45° / 31°2.37.529.61.1
Dec33° / 20°1.97.75.48.90.0

Cloud cover in Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time across spring.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitationSnow

Dubuque gets around 11.1 in of rain and snow over 33 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%MarAprMay

Humidity in Spring

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Wind in Spring

Winds average 8 mph across spring.

051015MarAprMay

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min in early March to 14 h 54 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMMarAprMay

Solar energy in Spring

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 4.9 kWh/m².

0246MarAprMay
Planning a trip in spring

Is spring a good time to visit Dubuque?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
1.3
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

spring is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dubuque.

What to pack for Dubuque in Spring

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

In spring, Dubuque sees daytime highs around 57°F and nights near 40°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 33 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gearsun protection

UV index in Dubuque in Spring

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dubuque 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Dubuque in Spring

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Dubuque 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).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1915 µg/m³Oct 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May12Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Dubuque?

Dubuque sits at 42.5°N, 90.7°W, 620 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Clinton, 52 mi away.

Topography around Dubuque

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Dubuque has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 328 ft around an average of 715 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 633 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 896 ft.

The land around Dubuque is covered by artificial surfaces (36%) and trees (34%) within 2 miles, cropland (35%), trees (34%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and cropland (57%) and trees (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
328 ft
10 miles
633 ft
50 miles
896 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Spring weather nearby: Clinton 52 mi · Freeport 55 mi · Marion 58 mi · Cedar Rapids 60 mi · Davenport 68 mi · Bettendorf 68 mi · Fitchburg 68 mi · Rock Island 68 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 Dubuque (42.5006°, -90.6646°, elevation 620 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.