Waterloo in Summer

In summer (June, July and August), Waterloo sees average daytime highs around 80°F and overnight lows near 62°F, with 13.2 in of rain over about 32 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 80°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels humid.

Summer is Waterloo's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Waterloo's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
80°F
warmest season of the year
Avg overnight low
62°F
Rainfall
13.2 in
32 wet days
Avg wind
8 mph
Travel score
6.5
best season of the year
Months
Jun · Jul · Aug

Temperature in Waterloo in Summer

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 80°F.

A typical summer day in Waterloo reaches about 80°F and drops to 62°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is July, the coolest June.

40°60°80°JunJulAug

How summer really feels in Waterloo

Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Waterloo weather by month

How the three summer months (June, July and August) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 11°1.46.85.69.20.0
Feb31° / 15°1.46.54.810.30.0
Mar45° / 27°2.593.411.61.1
Apr59° / 39°4.311.21.113.14.3
May70° / 51°5.0130.114.46.0
Jun79° / 61°5.112.4015.16.3
Jul82° / 64°4.210.3014.86.5
Aug80° / 61°3.99.5013.76.8
Sep73° / 53°3.78.6012.37.1
Oct60° / 41°2.88.30.410.85.2
Nov45° / 29°2.17.22.19.61.2
Dec32° / 18°1.76.95.18.90.0

Cloud cover in Summer

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time across summer.

0%25%50%75%100%JunJulAug

Chance of precipitation in Summer

Any precipitation

Waterloo gets around 13.2 in of rain over 32 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%JunJulAug

Humidity in Summer

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%JunJulAug

Wind in Summer

Winds average 8 mph across summer.

051015JunJulAug

Sunrise & sunset in Summer

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 54 min in early June to 13 h 06 min by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJunJulAug

Solar energy in Summer

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 6.1 kWh/m².

0246JunJulAug
Planning a trip in summer

Is summer a good time to visit Waterloo?

Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

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

summer is a reasonable time to visit Waterloo for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Waterloo in Summer

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

In summer, Waterloo sees daytime highs around 80°F and nights near 62°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 32 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Waterloo in Summer

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Waterloo peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 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 18UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Waterloo in Summer

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Waterloo 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 1916 µg/m³Oct 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr11Good
May12Good
Jun13Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Waterloo?

Waterloo sits at 42.5°N, 92.3°W, 856 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Cedar Falls, 5.6 mi away.

Topography around Waterloo

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Waterloo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 151 ft around an average of 873 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 243 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 620 ft.

The land around Waterloo is covered by trees (39%) and artificial surfaces (39%) within 2 miles, cropland (64%) within 10 miles, and cropland (81%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
151 ft
10 miles
243 ft
50 miles
620 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Summer weather nearby: Cedar Falls 5.6 mi · Marshalltown 42 mi · Cedar Rapids 49 mi · Marion 50 mi · Mason City 63 mi · North Liberty 64 mi · Newton 66 mi · Coralville 68 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 Waterloo (42.4928°, -92.343°, elevation 856 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.