Iowa Climate
Top 5 Cities: Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Sioux City, and Iowa City
This month in numbers
March 2026 was exceptionally warm for Iowa, ranking as the 4th warmest March in 77 years of records, with an average temperature of 5.89°C, a significant 4.3°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. Maximum temperatures were even more striking, ranking 3rd highest on record at 13.11°C, a full 6°C above average. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures.
What changed
The trend of warmth extends to the broader January–March 2026 period, which ranked as the 9th warmest such period on record, with an average temperature of -0.43°C, 3.6°C above the baseline. Iowa's March average temperature was 1.14°C warmer than its Upper Midwest group average, making it the warmest in the region for the month. Precipitation for March was slightly below average at 50.04 mm, a deficit of 5.5 mm. The three-month precipitation for January–March was 27.09 mm, 6.2 mm below average, ranking 57th driest. Iowa is currently experiencing two drought events and one flood event, representing 100% of the past 12 months' totals for each type, an unusual concentration for the region.
What’s driving change?
The significant warmth experienced in Iowa this past month and season aligns with broader patterns of land warming faster than ocean. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with a +0.11°C anomaly for February–April 2026. However, forecasts indicate a strong likelihood of an El Niño developing in the coming months, with a 61% chance for May–July and 79% for June–August ENSO tracker. This could bring warmer and drier conditions to the region. Iowa also experienced a significant winter storm with blizzard conditions and strong winds from March 15-16, which closed major interstates and led to widespread snow and reduced visibility. Additionally, a series of severe storm systems, including damaging winds, straight-line winds, tornadoes, heavy rains, and flash flooding, affected five Iowa counties on April 13, 2026, leading to a Proclamation of Disaster Emergency.
Looking ahead
The National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center's outlook for April indicates a trend toward a wetter and milder month, with likely above-normal precipitation and warmer-than-normal temperatures statewide.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Iowa
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Iowa changing?
Iowa is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Iowa come from?
Climate data for Iowa comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Iowa climate data cover?
The Iowa climate profile covers Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Sioux City and surrounding areas. Iowa climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance
How often is the Iowa climate update refreshed?
The Iowa climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.