Mason City in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Mason City sees average daytime highs around 27°F and overnight lows near 13°F, with 3.9 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 27°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Mason City's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Mason City's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 27°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 13°F
- Precipitation
- 3.9 in
- 19 wet days
- Avg wind
- 11 mph
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Mason City in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°F.
A typical winter day in Mason City reaches about 27°F and drops to 13°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Mason City
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.
Mason City 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 | 24° / 9° | 1.1 | 6.1 | 5.7 | 9.2 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 28° / 13° | 1.2 | 5.9 | 5.3 | 10.2 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 42° / 25° | 2.4 | 8.5 | 3.9 | 11.6 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 57° / 37° | 4.0 | 11.5 | 1.9 | 13.1 | 3.8 |
| May | 69° / 49° | 5.1 | 13.6 | 0.1 | 14.4 | 5.8 |
| Jun | 78° / 60° | 5.4 | 12.6 | 0 | 15.1 | 6.3 |
| Jul | 80° / 63° | 4.0 | 9.7 | 0 | 14.9 | 6.7 |
| Aug | 78° / 60° | 4.0 | 10.2 | 0 | 13.8 | 6.9 |
| Sep | 72° / 52° | 3.5 | 9.3 | 0 | 12.3 | 6.9 |
| Oct | 59° / 40° | 2.7 | 8.2 | 0.5 | 10.8 | 4.8 |
| Nov | 43° / 27° | 1.9 | 6.5 | 2.8 | 9.5 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 30° / 15° | 1.5 | 6.7 | 5.9 | 8.9 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Mason City gets around 3.9 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 11 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 hours in early December to 10 h 48 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 Mason City
None of Mason City's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Mason City's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Mason City?
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 Mason City.
What to pack for Mason City in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Mason City sees daytime highs around 27°F and nights near 13°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 19 days see rain.
UV index in Mason City 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 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very 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 | Very high |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 7 | Very high |
| Aug | 7 | Very high |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 4 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Low |
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.
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 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.