Fort Dodge in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Fort Dodge sees average daytime highs around 30°F and overnight lows near 15°F, with 3.8 in of precipitation over about 18 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 30°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Fort Dodge's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Fort Dodge's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 30°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 15°F
- Precipitation
- 3.8 in
- 18 wet days
- Avg wind
- 10 mph
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Fort Dodge in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 30°F.
A typical winter day in Fort Dodge reaches about 30°F and drops to 15°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Fort Dodge
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.
Fort Dodge 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 | 27° / 11° | 1.1 | 5.7 | 5.3 | 9.2 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 32° / 15° | 1.3 | 6.1 | 5 | 10.3 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 46° / 27° | 2.4 | 8.2 | 3.4 | 11.6 | 1.3 |
| Apr | 59° / 39° | 4.4 | 11.3 | 1.5 | 13.1 | 4.4 |
| May | 70° / 51° | 5.4 | 13.3 | 0.1 | 14.4 | 6.0 |
| Jun | 79° / 61° | 5.5 | 12.6 | 0 | 15.1 | 6.2 |
| Jul | 82° / 65° | 3.7 | 10.1 | 0 | 14.8 | 6.2 |
| Aug | 80° / 62° | 4.2 | 9.6 | 0 | 13.7 | 6.8 |
| Sep | 74° / 53° | 3.4 | 8.3 | 0 | 12.3 | 7.2 |
| Oct | 61° / 41° | 2.6 | 7.8 | 0.5 | 10.8 | 5.4 |
| Nov | 46° / 28° | 1.9 | 6.3 | 2.6 | 9.6 | 1.3 |
| Dec | 32° / 17° | 1.5 | 6 | 4.7 | 8.9 | 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
Fort Dodge gets around 3.8 in of rain and snow over 18 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 10 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 06 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 2.3 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Fort Dodge
None of Fort Dodge's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Fort Dodge's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Fort Dodge?
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 Fort Dodge.
What to pack for Fort Dodge in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Fort Dodge sees daytime highs around 30°F and nights near 15°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 18 days see rain.
UV index in Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge peaks around June 19 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 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 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 | 2 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 8 | Very high |
| Aug | 7 | Very high |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 4 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Low |
Where is Fort Dodge?
Fort Dodge sits at 42.5°N, 94.2°W, 1,115 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ames, 42 mi away.
Topography around Fort Dodge
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Fort Dodge.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Fort Dodge has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 226 ft around an average of 1,099 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 617 ft.
The land around Fort Dodge is covered by trees (37%), artificial surfaces (28%) and grassland (21%) within 2 miles, cropland (77%) within 10 miles, and cropland (90%) 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 Fort Dodge (42.4975°, -94.168°, elevation 1,115 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.