Mason City weather in August

In August, Mason City sees average daytime highs of 78°F and overnight lows near 60°F, with 4.0 in of rain across 10.2 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 78°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in August, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 24 min at the start of August to 13 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Mason City's 3rd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mason City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
78°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
60°
11th coldest
Rainfall
4.0 in
10.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:23 AM – 7:10 PM
Cloud cover
51%
3rd clearest
Wind
8 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

Mason City is city and the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States.

Density
376/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 78°F through the month.

A typical August day in Mason City reaches about 78°F in the afternoon and slips back to 60°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 71°F and 86°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 2°F cooler than July and about 6°F warmer than September.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18062
28062
37962
47962
57962
67962
77961
87961
97961
107961
117861
127861
137861
147861
157860
167860
177860
187860
197860
207860
217860
227860
237860
247860
257860
267860
277859
287859
297759
307758
317758

How August really feels in Mason City

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

August sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Mason City weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 1.16.15.79.20.0
Feb28° / 13°1.25.95.310.20.0
Mar42° / 25°2.48.53.911.60.7
Apr57° / 37°4.011.51.913.13.8
May69° / 49°5.113.60.114.45.8
Jun78° / 60°5.412.6015.16.3
Jul80° / 63°4.09.7014.96.7
Aug78° / 60°4.010.2013.86.9
Sep72° / 52°3.59.3012.36.9
Oct59° / 40°2.78.20.510.84.8
Nov43° / 27°1.96.52.89.50.9
Dec30° / 15°1.56.75.98.90.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16238
26238
36238
46238
56139
66139
76139
86040
95941
105941
115941
125941
135941
145941
155941
166040
176040
186040
196040
206040
216040
226139
236139
246139
256238
266238
276238
286337
296337
306337
316436

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Mason City gets around 4.0 in of rain over 10.2 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 33% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
231
331
432
532
633
734
834
935
1035
1136
1236
1336
1436
1536
1635
1735
1835
1934
2034
2133
2233
2332
2432
2531
2630
2729
2829
2928
3028
3128

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the humid band about 27% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 32% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
110233223112
210233223102
310243223101
41024322391
51124322391
61124322381
71225312481
81225312471
91225312471
101325302471
111326302461
121426292461
131426292560
141426282560
151526282560
161526272660
171526272650
181526262750
191526262750
201626252850
211626252850
221627242850
231727242850
241727232750
251827232750
261927222650
272127222650
282227212550
292427212450
302627212340
312826202140

Wind in August

Winds average 8 mph in August, the calmest month.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17light breeze
27light breeze
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107light breeze
117light breeze
127light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 24 min at the start of August to 13 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 78 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:07 AM to 5:40 AM, and sunset from 7:31 PM to 6:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.45:077:31
214.45:087:30
314.35:097:28
414.35:107:27
514.25:117:26
614.25:127:25
714.25:137:23
814.15:147:22
914.15:167:21
1014.05:177:19
1114.05:187:18
1214.05:197:16
1313.95:207:15
1413.95:217:13
1513.85:227:12
1613.85:237:10
1713.75:257:09
1813.75:267:07
1913.65:277:06
2013.65:287:04
2113.65:297:02
2213.55:307:01
2313.55:316:59
2413.45:326:57
2513.45:346:56
2613.35:356:54
2713.35:366:52
2813.25:376:51
2913.25:386:49
3013.15:396:47
3113.15:406:45

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.56 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.64 kWh/m² to a high of 6.38 kWh/m² in July across the year — August's 5.56 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.0Intense
36.0Bright
46.0Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Mason City

In seasonPeak

In August, Mason City sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Mason City's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is August a good time to visit Mason City?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.5
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Mason City for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Mason City in August

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

In August, Mason City sees daytime highs around 78°F and nights near 60°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Mason City in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mason City peaks around June 16 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 16UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Mason City?

Mason City sits at 43.2°N, 93.2°W, 1,129 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Albert Lea, 35 mi away.

Topography around Mason City

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Mason City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 ft around an average of 1,129 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 285 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 577 ft.

The land around Mason City is covered by trees (38%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 2 miles, cropland (77%) within 10 miles, and cropland (89%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
135 ft
10 miles
285 ft
50 miles
577 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: Albert Lea 35 mi · Austin 37 mi · Cedar Falls 58 mi · Waterloo 63 mi · Owatonna 64 mi · Fort Dodge 66 mi · Rochester 70 mi · Marshalltown 78 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 Mason City (43.1536°, -93.201°, elevation 1,129 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).