Johnston in Spring

In spring (March, April and May), Johnston sees average daytime highs around 60°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 12.4 in of precipitation over about 34 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.

Over the season highs climb from about 40°F in early March to 75°F by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

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

Avg daytime high
60°F
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
40°F
Precipitation
12.4 in
34 wet days
Avg wind
10 mph
Travel score
4.1
3rd-best season
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in Johnston in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 40°F in early March to 75°F by late May.

A typical spring day in Johnston reaches about 60°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 Johnston

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
6 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Johnston 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
Jan29° / 13°1.26.24.99.30.0
Feb34° / 17°1.46.54.810.30.0
Mar48° / 29°2.68.82.811.71.7
Apr61° / 40°4.311.1113.14.7
May71° / 52°5.513.70.114.36.0
Jun80° / 62°5.012.10156.1
Jul84° / 66°3.79.5014.75.8
Aug82° / 63°3.99.2013.76.6
Sep75° / 55°3.48.6012.37.2
Oct62° / 42°2.980.410.95.7
Nov47° / 30°2.16.51.39.61.8
Dec35° / 19°1.664.190.0

Cloud cover in Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time across spring.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitationSnow

Johnston gets around 12.4 in of rain and snow over 34 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%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 10 mph across spring.

051015MarAprMay

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min in early March to 14 h 48 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 Johnston?

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.

4.1
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
1.6
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

spring is a reasonable time to visit Johnston for sightseeing.

What to pack for Johnston in Spring

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

In spring, Johnston sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 40°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat, rain gear and sun protection. About 34 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gearsun protection

UV index in Johnston 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 Johnston 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 Johnston 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 Johnston 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).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 2016 µg/m³Oct 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun12Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct7Good
Nov9Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Johnston?

Johnston sits at 41.7°N, 93.7°W, 830 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Urbandale, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around Johnston

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Johnston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 217 ft around an average of 846 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 305 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 787 ft.

The land around Johnston is covered by trees (40%) and grassland (26%) within 2 miles, trees (29%), cropland (25%) and grassland (22%) within 10 miles, and cropland (65%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
217 ft
10 miles
305 ft
50 miles
787 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Spring weather nearby: Urbandale 3.1 mi · Clive 5.0 mi · Ankeny 6.2 mi · West Des Moines 6.8 mi · Des Moines 6.8 mi · Waukee 11 mi · Altoona 12 mi · Indianola 23 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 Johnston (41.673°, -93.6977°, elevation 830 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.