West Des Moines weather in August

In August, West Des Moines sees average daytime highs of 82°F and overnight lows near 64°F, with 3.7 in of rain across 9.3 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 82°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in August, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 18 min at the start of August to 13 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is West Des Moines's 2nd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see West Des Moines's year-round climate.

Daytime high
82°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
64°
11th coldest
Rainfall
3.7 in
9.3 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
5:28 AM – 7:10 PM
Cloud cover
48%
2nd clearest
Wind
7 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

West Des Moines is city in Polk, Dallas, Warren, and Madison counties, Iowa, United States.

Density
520/km²
people per km²
Founded
1893

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 82°F through the month.

A typical August day in West Des Moines reaches about 82°F in the afternoon and slips back to 64°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 75°F and 90°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 2°F cooler than July and about 7°F warmer than September.

50°60°70°80°90°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18365
28365
38365
48365
58365
68365
78365
88364
98364
108364
118264
128264
138264
148264
158264
168264
178264
188264
198263
208263
218263
228263
238263
248263
258263
268263
278262
288262
298262
308162
318161

How August really feels in West Des Moines

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.

West Des Moines weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 15°1.26.24.69.30.0
Feb35° / 18°1.56.34.810.30.0
Mar48° / 29°2.68.82.511.71.9
Apr61° / 41°4.211.1113.14.8
May71° / 53°5.413.90.114.36.0
Jun81° / 63°5.011.80156.1
Jul84° / 66°3.69.6014.75.6
Aug82° / 64°3.79.3013.76.5
Sep76° / 55°3.48.1012.37.2
Oct63° / 43°2.87.80.410.95.8
Nov48° / 31°2.06.51.39.72.0
Dec35° / 20°1.65.93.990.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 37%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26436
36436
46436
56337
66337
76337
86238
96139
106139
116139
126139
136040
146040
156139
166139
176238
186238
196238
206238
216238
226337
236337
246337
256436
266535
276535
286535
296535
306535
316634

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

West Des Moines gets around 3.7 in of rain over 9.3 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 30% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
328
428
529
629
730
830
931
1031
1131
1232
1332
1432
1532
1632
1731
1831
1931
2031
2131
2230
2330
2429
2528
2628
2727
2827
2926
3026
3126

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the muggy band about 30% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 44% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
16183027172
27182927172
37182927172
47182928162
58182828162
68182828162
79182729162
89182729161
910182629151
1010182629151
1110182630151
1211182530141
1311182530141
1411182531141
1512182531131
1612182532131
1712182532121
1812182533121
1912182533111
2012182533111
2112182534111
2212192534110
2312192533100
2412192533100
2513202532100
2613202532100
271421253190
281521243090
291622242990
301822242880
312022242680

Wind in August

Winds average 7 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.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247light breeze
257light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 18 min at the start of August to 13 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 78 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:13 AM to 5:44 AM, and sunset from 7:29 PM to 6:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.35:137:29
214.25:147:28
314.25:157:27
414.25:167:25
514.15:177:24
614.15:187:23
714.05:197:22
814.05:207:21
914.05:217:19
1013.95:227:18
1113.95:237:17
1213.95:247:15
1313.85:257:14
1413.85:267:12
1513.75:277:11
1613.75:287:10
1713.65:297:08
1813.65:307:07
1913.65:327:05
2013.55:337:04
2113.55:347:02
2213.45:357:00
2313.45:366:59
2413.35:376:57
2513.35:386:56
2613.35:396:54
2713.25:406:52
2813.25:416:51
2913.15:426:49
3013.15:436:47
3113.05:446:46

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.68 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.82 kWh/m² to a high of 6.48 kWh/m² in July across the year — August's 5.68 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.0Intense
56.0Intense
66.0Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit West Des Moines?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.1
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for West Des Moines in August

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

In August, West Des Moines sees daytime highs around 82°F and nights near 64°F. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in West Des Moines 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 West Des Moines 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 West Des Moines in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in West Des Moines is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1915 µg/m³Oct 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr10Good
May11Good
Jun12Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is West Des Moines?

West Des Moines sits at 41.6°N, 93.7°W, 827 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Clive, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around West Des Moines

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around West Des Moines has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 220 ft around an average of 876 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 315 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 827 ft.

The land around West Des Moines is covered by trees (55%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 2 miles, trees (34%) and grassland (25%) within 10 miles, and cropland (62%) and grassland (21%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
220 ft
10 miles
315 ft
50 miles
827 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: Clive 1.9 mi · Urbandale 3.7 mi · Des Moines 5.6 mi · Johnston 6.8 mi · Waukee 9.3 mi · Ankeny 12 mi · Altoona 14 mi · Indianola 17 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 West Des Moines (41.5772°, -93.7113°, elevation 827 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).