Iowa City, Iowa Weather
Thunder stills across the plains. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Iowa City weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 1:50 AM CDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Rain later27%0.24″60°56°—
- TuesdaySep 22Overcast33%0.06″61°50°+1°
- WednesdaySep 23Overcast——69°47°+8°
- ThursdaySep 24Drizzle—0.02″65°52°-4°
- FridaySep 25Light Rain—0.36″61°58°-4°
- SaturdaySep 26Rain15%0.79″58°53°-3°
- SundaySep 27Overcast18%—66°53°+8°
Air quality now AQI 28 · Good
AQI 28 (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.
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
- 4:44 PM
- Moonset
- 1:21 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder stills across the plains
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Iowa City at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 58°F (high 60°F, low 56°F), 5°F below the 63°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: April 21 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 3 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
15-Day Forecast — Iowa City
- Mon60°56°27%
- Tue61°50°33%
- Wed69°47°0%
- Thu65°52°4%
- Fri61°58°6%
- Sat58°53°15%
- Sun66°53°18%
- Mon72°53°24%
- Tue73°58°38%
- Wed68°49°22%
- Thu68°49°18%
- Fri67°55°14%
- Sat73°59°13%
- Sun87°56°20%
- Mon69°54°23%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Iowa City
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Iowa City — 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 18) 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.
Sun & seasons in Iowa City
Iowa City sits in Johnson County, where the year’s longest day runs 15h 12m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 9m — a swing of +6h 3m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Des Moines, the state’s largest city, lies about 108 miles to the W. The nearest town Iowa City tracks is Cedar Rapids, roughly 23 miles to the NNW.
Air quality in Iowa City
Air quality in Iowa City’s county has trended cleaner since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2025 (median AQI 37). See the full air-quality history for Iowa City.
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 | lettuce, peas, tomatoes, peppers, 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
Iowa City peaks at about 76°F in July and bottoms near 23°F in January; June brings the heaviest rain (5.3 inches) and January the least (1.0 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23° | 1.0″ | 6 |
| February | 27° | 1.2″ | 8 |
| March | 40° | 2.2″ | 9 |
| April | 51° | 3.8″ | 11 |
| May | 63° | 4.5″ | 13 |
| June | 72° | 5.3″ | 12 |
| July | 76° | 3.9″ | 9 |
| August | 74° | 3.9″ | 10 |
| September | 66° | 3.2″ | 10 |
| October | 53° | 3.0″ | 10 |
| November | 40° | 2.2″ | 8 |
| December | 28° | 1.4″ | 8 |
Regional context
Similar climates University Heights, IA, Coralville, IA, Hills, IA
By the nearest station's NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals, Iowa City sees 23°F Januarys and 76°F Julys, a 53°F range, plus around 35.7 inches of precipitation across 115 days.
Precipitation in Iowa City runs summer-dominant: June averages 5.3 inches across 12.2 days of warm-season storms, while January drops to 1.0 inches over 6.4 rainy days of drier cool air. That puts Iowa City in a summer-convective cohort with places like University Heights, IA, Coralville, IA and Hills, IA.
By April 21 the frosts ease in Iowa City, opening the season for kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips. Warm-soil crops in Iowa City wait about two weeks past Iowa City's last frost, once the soil warms. Iowa City's window closes around October 18 as Iowa City's overnight lows return below freezing. In about half of years, Iowa City's last freeze comes after April 21.
Similar climates: University Heights, IA, Coralville, IA, Hills, IA, North Liberty, IA, Tiffin, IA.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Iowa City?
- Frost typically leaves Iowa City by April 21 and returns to Iowa City near October 18.
- What is the rainy season in Iowa City?
- June is the wettest month in Iowa City, about 5.3 inches on average; the year totals roughly 36 inches.
- What is the warmest month in Iowa City?
- On average July tops the year in Iowa City at about 76°F.
- What is the coldest month in Iowa City?
- The coldest stretch in Iowa City falls in January, around 23°F on average.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Iowa City?
- Hardy spring crops go in near April 21 in Iowa City; tender peppers and squash wait 10–14 days.
- How many rainy days does Iowa City get?
- Iowa City records around 115 days of measurable precipitation annually.
- What hardiness zone is Iowa City?
- With January around 23°F, Iowa City's zone reflects that minimum — the USDA ZIP map confirms Iowa City's band.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Iowa City?
- Iowa City'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 Iowa City?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Iowa City in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Iowa City?
- Current conditions for Iowa City and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Iowa City forecast updated?
- The Iowa City forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Iowa City?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Iowa City 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 Iowa City?
- The next few days in Iowa City's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Iowa City sits at 41.7°N; its climate zone is warm-summer humid continental (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Iowa City
- 52240
- 52242
- 52243
- 52244
- 52245
- 52246