Des Moines weather by month & the best time to visit
🇺🇸 United States · regional city · hot-summer continental climate
The best time to visit Des Moines is September — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 77/100), with July and August close behind. Des Moines averages about 2,394 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 25°C / 77°F and roughly 87 mm of rain in September.
Jump to: month-by-month table · nearby alternatives · embed this data
- Sun hours / year
- 2,394
- Sunniest month
- September
- Peak score
- 77/100
- Rain / year
- 883 mm
- Snow / year
- ≈1.2 m
- Midday UV at peak
- 8 (very high)
- Population
- 381k
- Elevation
- 284 m
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When is the best time to visit Des Moines?
For sunshine, the best time to visit Des Moines is September, then July and August. The dullest month is January (0/100, 23 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is Des Moines?
Des Moines gets a moderate 2,394 hours of sunshine a year. 77 Sunshine Score points separate September (77) from January (0), so the month you pick matters. It ranks #248 of 580 destinations in United States for annual sunshine, above the national median of 2,279 hours. The year's 883 mm of rain spreads fairly evenly across the months, with no pronounced dry season.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | -1° / 30°F | -10° / 14°F | 23 mm | 1 |
| February | 0 | 1° / 34°F | -9° / 16°F | 29 mm | 2 |
| March | 7 | 9° / 48°F | -2° / 28°F | 48 mm | 3 |
| April | 57 | 17° / 63°F | 4° / 39°F | 91 mm | 5 |
| May | 71 | 22° / 72°F | 11° / 52°F | 120 mm | 6 |
| June | 69 | 28° / 82°F | 17° / 63°F | 130 mm | 8 |
| July | 76 | 31° / 88°F | 19° / 66°F | 94 mm | 8 |
| August | 73 | 29° / 84°F | 18° / 64°F | 110 mm | 7 |
| September | 77 | 25° / 77°F | 13° / 55°F | 87 mm | 6 |
| October | 60 | 17° / 63°F | 5° / 41°F | 71 mm | 3 |
| November | 7 | 9° / 48°F | -1° / 30°F | 42 mm | 2 |
| December | 0 | 1° / 34°F | -7° / 19°F | 38 mm | 1 |
See Des Moines on the interactive sunshine globe →
Nearby places for sunshine
- Cedar Rapids United States · 166 km · best in Sep · 2,315 h sun/yr
- Omaha United States · 188 km · best in Jul · 2,482 h sun/yr
- Moline United States · 262 km · best in Sep · 2,290 h sun/yr
- Kansas City United States · 264 km · best in Sep · 2,456 h sun/yr
- Lincoln United States · 271 km · best in Jul · 2,608 h sun/yr
- Rochester (Minnesota) United States · 280 km · best in Jul · 2,340 h sun/yr
Nearest destinations
- Fort Dodge United States · 122 km · 2,443 h sun/yr · best in Sep
- Waterloo (Iowa) United States · 154 km · 2,391 h sun/yr · best in Sep
- Mason City United States · 183 km · 2,397 h sun/yr · best in Sep
- Kirksville United States · 185 km · 2,350 h sun/yr · best in Sep
Head-to-head
How Des Moines compares month by month: Des Moines vs Omaha · Des Moines vs Lincoln · Des Moines vs Cedar Rapids · Des Moines vs Moline · all comparisons
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