Des Moines, Iowa Weather
Thunder stills across the plains. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Des Moines weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 12:30 AM CDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Light Rain later36%0.18″61°56°—
- TuesdaySep 22Overcast19%—59°50°-2°
- WednesdaySep 23Overcast——68°47°+9°
- ThursdaySep 24Drizzle38%0.07″67°55°-1°
- FridaySep 25Rain27%0.94″62°59°-5°
- SaturdaySep 26Light Drizzle43%0.02″73°57°+11°
- SundaySep 27Overcast25%—72°53°-1°
Air quality now AQI 26 · Good
AQI 26 (Good), driven by Ozone. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points).
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
PM × Wind × Precip
PM scrubbed by 2 hours of recent rain — PM2.5 down to 4.6 µg/m³, PM10 to 4.9 µg/m³.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.94
- Wind
- breezy
- Recent rain
- 2h in last 6h
- Pattern
- washed out
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 4:52 PM
- Moonset
- 1:30 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder stills across the plains
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Des Moines at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 59°F (high 61°F, low 56°F), 6°F below the 65°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: April 18 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 6 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
15-Day Forecast — Des Moines
- Mon62°56°36%
- Tue59°50°19%
- Wed68°47°0%
- Thu67°55°38%
- Fri62°59°27%
- Sat73°57°43%
- Sun72°53°25%
- Mon76°55°34%
- Tue76°58°38%
- Wed70°52°17%
- Thu73°51°26%
- Fri73°62°29%
- Sat78°60°23%
- Sun88°60°23%
- Mon71°55°26%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Des Moines
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Des Moines — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Fall planting + final harvests
As of September 21, the season's first frost (typically October 20) is approaching. Pick what frost-tender plants still carry before the next cold front. This city's planting calendar for September: plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Des Moines
SPC includes Des Moines in the general thunderstorm area today — no severe risk, but storms are possible.
- TODAYTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- DAY 3NONENo severe risk
Thunderstorms possible. Not severe, but capable of producing lightning and brief heavy rain.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.
Sun & seasons in Des Moines
Des Moines sits in Polk County, where the year’s longest day runs 15h 12m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 10m — a swing of +6h 2m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Des Moines is the state’s largest city. The nearest town Des Moines tracks is Cedar Rapids, roughly 103 miles to the ENE.
Air quality in Des Moines
Air quality in Des Moines’s county has trended dirtier since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2022 (median AQI 41). See the full air-quality history for Des Moines.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | radishes |
| May | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | beans, summer squash, garlic |
| August | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| September | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| November | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
In Des Moines, July runs warmest near 77°F and January coldest around 21°F, while May is the wettest month (5.4 inches) and January the driest (1.1 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip |
|---|---|---|
| January | 21° | 1.1″ |
| February | 25° | 1.4″ |
| March | 37° | 3.1″ |
| April | 51° | 3.6″ |
| May | 61° | 5.4″ |
| June | 71° | 4.6″ |
| July | 77° | 3.7″ |
| August | 76° | 3.0″ |
| September | 68° | 3.9″ |
| October | 55° | 2.6″ |
| November | 38° | 2.5″ |
| December | 25° | 1.7″ |
Regional context
Similar climates Windsor Heights, IA, Pleasant Hill, IA, Norwalk, IA
By modelled 1991-2020 normals (EC_Earth3P_HR model via Open-Meteo), Des Moines sees 21°F Januarys and 77°F Julys, a 56°F range, plus around 36.7 inches of precipitation.
Precipitation in Des Moines runs summer-dominant: May averages 5.4 inches from warm-season storms, while January drops to 1.1 inches under drier cool air. Des Moines shares that warm-season-wet pattern with places like Windsor Heights, IA, Pleasant Hill, IA and Norwalk, IA.
By April 18 the frosts ease in Des Moines, opening the season for kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips. Warm-soil crops in Des Moines wait about two weeks past Des Moines's last frost, once the soil warms. Around October 20, freezing nights resume in Des Moines and tender crops must come in. Sheltered Des Moines yards can escape a light frost.
Similar climates: Windsor Heights, IA, Pleasant Hill, IA, Norwalk, IA, Carlisle, IA, Saylorville, IA.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Des Moines?
- Des Moines's last spring frost lands near April 18, and in Des Moines the first fall frost follows around October 20.
- What is the rainy season in Des Moines?
- May is the wettest month in Des Moines, about 5.4 inches on average; the year totals roughly 37 inches.
- What is the warmest month in Des Moines?
- On average July tops the year in Des Moines at about 77°F.
- What is the coldest month in Des Moines?
- The coldest stretch in Des Moines falls in January, around 21°F on average.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Des Moines?
- Hardy spring crops go in near April 18 in Des Moines; tender peppers and squash wait 10–14 days.
- What hardiness zone is Des Moines?
- With January around 21°F, Des Moines's zone reflects that minimum — the USDA ZIP map confirms Des Moines's band.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Des Moines?
- Des Moines's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Des Moines?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Des Moines in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Des Moines?
- Current conditions for Des Moines and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Des Moines forecast updated?
- The Des Moines forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Des Moines?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Des Moines are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Des Moines?
- The next few days in Des Moines's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Des Moines sits at 41.6°N; its climate zone is warm-summer humid continental (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Des Moines
- 50301
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