Ottumwa weather in February

In February, Ottumwa sees average daytime highs of 36°F and overnight lows near 20°F, with 1.8 in of precipitation across 7 wet days and about 10.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 33°F in the first days to 40°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in February, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 48 min at the start of February to 10 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, February is Ottumwa's 9th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ottumwa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
36°
11th warmest
Overnight low
20°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
1.8 in
7 wet days
Daylight
10 h 24 min
7:13 AM – 5:35 PM
Cloud cover
63%
9th clearest
Wind
9 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
3.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Ottumwa is city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa, United States.

Density
575/km²
people per km²
Founded
1844

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

Temperature in February

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 33°F in the first days to 40°F by the end.

A typical February day in Ottumwa reaches about 36°F in the afternoon and slips back to 20°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°F and 54°F. Set against its neighbours, February runs about 5°F warmer than January and about 13°F cooler than March.

20°40°60°151015202528
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13317
23317
33317
43317
53317
63417
73417
83418
93418
103518
113518
123519
133519
143619
153620
163720
173720
183721
193821
203821
213822
223922
233922
243922
254023
264023
274123
284123

How February really feels in Ottumwa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, February averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 28 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
28
28 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Ottumwa weather by month

How February compares with the rest of the year at a glance. February is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 16°1.46.84.59.40.0
Feb36° / 20°1.874.310.40.0
Mar49° / 31°2.792.511.72.1
Apr62° / 42°4.311.60.813.14.9
May72° / 53°4.812.70.114.36.2
Jun81° / 63°5.011.8014.96.0
Jul85° / 67°3.39.6014.65.4
Aug83° / 64°3.59.4013.66.2
Sep76° / 56°3.68.1012.37.2
Oct64° / 44°2.87.90.210.95.9
Nov49° / 32°2.26.71.29.72.2
Dec37° / 22°1.86.33.59.10.0

Cloud cover in February

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in February.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of February, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
24060
34060
44060
54060
64060
74060
84060
94258
104258
114258
124159
134159
144159
154258
164159
174060
184060
194159
204159
214060
224060
234060
244060
253961
264060
274060
284060

Chance of precipitation in February

Any precipitationSnow

Ottumwa gets around 1.8 in of rain and snow over 7 wet days in February. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 25% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202528
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12114
22114
32215
42215
52215
62216
72316
82316
92316
102416
112416
122416
132416
142516
152516
162516
172616
182616
192616
202716
212715
222715
232715
242715
252714
262714
272714
282714

Humidity in February

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, February lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100

Wind in February

Winds average 9 mph in February.

Across February, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202528
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in February

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min at the start of February to 10 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over February. Sunrise moves from 7:28 AM to 6:55 AM, and sunset from 5:18 PM to 5:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202528
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.87:285:18
29.97:275:19
39.97:265:21
49.97:255:22
510.07:245:23
610.07:235:24
710.17:225:25
810.17:215:27
910.17:205:28
1010.27:195:29
1110.27:185:30
1210.27:175:32
1310.37:165:33
1410.37:145:34
1510.47:135:35
1610.47:125:37
1710.57:115:38
1810.57:095:39
1910.57:085:40
2010.67:075:41
2110.67:055:43
2210.77:045:44
2310.77:035:45
2410.87:015:46
2510.87:005:47
2610.86:585:49
2710.96:575:50
2810.96:555:51

Solar energy in February

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in February, about 3.13 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.82 kWh/m² to a high of 6.44 kWh/m² in July across the year — February's 3.13 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202528
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.6Moderate
22.7Moderate
32.7Moderate
42.8Moderate
52.8Moderate
62.8Moderate
72.9Moderate
82.9Moderate
93.0Moderate
103.0Moderate
113.0Moderate
123.0Moderate
133.1Moderate
143.1Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.2Moderate
173.2Moderate
183.3Moderate
193.3Moderate
203.3Moderate
213.4Moderate
223.4Moderate
233.4Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.6Moderate
283.6Moderate
Planning a trip in February

Is February a good time to visit Ottumwa?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

February is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ottumwa.

What to pack for Ottumwa in February

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

In February, Ottumwa sees daytime highs around 36°F and nights near 20°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Ottumwa in February

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in February peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ottumwa peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 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 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Ottumwa in February

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Ottumwa is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1816 µg/m³Oct 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May12Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ottumwa?

Ottumwa sits at 41.0°N, 92.4°W, 673 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Newton, 57 mi away.

Topography around Ottumwa

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Ottumwa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 249 ft around an average of 715 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 322 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 574 ft.

The land around Ottumwa is covered by trees (45%), artificial surfaces (25%) and grassland (20%) within 2 miles, cropland (40%), trees (33%) and grassland (24%) within 10 miles, and cropland (52%), grassland (25%) and trees (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
249 ft
10 miles
322 ft
50 miles
574 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
February weather nearby: Newton 57 mi · Kirksville 58 mi · Coralville 63 mi · Iowa City 63 mi · Indianola 64 mi · North Liberty 66 mi · Burlington 70 mi · Altoona 70 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 Ottumwa (41.02°, -92.4113°, elevation 673 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).