Iowa City, IA Climate


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Iowa City, IA has a humid continental climate with hot and humid summers and cold winters. The city receives an average of 37 inches of precipitation annually, with the wettest months being April through August. Snowfall is moderate, usually ranging between 20 to 30 inches per year, while temperatures in the summertime can reach highs in the 90s. High winds are common throughout the year making Iowa City especially windy during springtime. The city also experiences frequent thunderstorms and occasional tornadoes in the summer months, so it pays to be prepared for severe weather conditions throughout the year.

Iowa City, Iowa gets 37 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38 inches of rain per year.

Iowa City averages 27 inches of snow per year. The US average is 28 inches of snow per year.

On average, there are 199 sunny days per year in Iowa City. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Iowa City gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 98 days per year. Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground. In order for precipitation to be counted you have to get at least .01 inches on the ground to measure.


Weather Highlights

Summer High: the July high is around 85 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 13
Rain: averages 37 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 27 inches of snow a year


Bestplaces Comfort Index

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Iowa City is 7.0 (10=best), which means it is more comfortable than most places in Iowa.

8.6 Summer - 4.7 Winter
June, September and May are the most pleasant months in Iowa City, while January and December are the least comfortable months.

  ClimateIowa City, IowaUnited States
  36.9 in.38.1 in.
  26.8 in.27.8 in.
  98.0 days106.2 days
  199 days205 days
  85.1°85.8°
  13.3°21.7°
  77
  44.3
  666 ft.2443 ft.
Climate
YOU SHOULD KNOW

Many people confuse weather and climate but they are different. Weather is the conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere is over long periods of time.

Weather is how the atmosphere is behaving and its effects upon life and human activities. Weather can change from minute-to-minute. Most people think of weather in terms of temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, brightness, visibility, wind, and atmospheric pressure.

Climate is the description of the long-term pattern of weather in a place. Climate can mean the average weather for a particular region and time period taken over 30 years. Climate is the average of weather over time.

July is the hottest month for Iowa City with an average high temperature of 85.1°, which ranks it as warmer than most places in Iowa. In Iowa City, there are 4 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Iowa City are September, June and August.
In Iowa City, there are 16.6 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is hotter than most places in Iowa.
January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Iowa City with an average of 13.3°. This is warmer than most places in Iowa.
In Iowa City, there are 133.3 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is warmer than most places in Iowa.
In Iowa City, there are 12.2 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is warmer than most places in Iowa.
The humidity is usually comfortable in Iowa City but some summer months can be unpleasant. July is the most humid month, though humidity is low for most of the year. The most humid months in Iowa City are July, August and June.
July is the wettest month in Iowa City with 4.8 inches of rain, and the driest month is January with 1.0 inches. The wettest season is Autumn with 39% of yearly precipitation and 10% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 36.9 inches in Iowa City means that it is wetter than most places in Iowa.
May is the rainiest month in Iowa City with 11.2 days of rain, and February is the driest month with only 5.5 rainy days. There are 98.0 rainy days annually in Iowa City, which is about average compared to other places in Iowa. The rainiest season is Summer when it rains 29% of the time and the driest is Spring with only a 19% chance of a rainy day.
An annual snowfall of 26.8 inches in Iowa City means that it is less snowy than most places in Iowa. December is the snowiest month in Iowa City with 8.1 inches of snow, and 6 months of the year have significant snowfall.
Reviews for Iowa City
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Over 4 years ago

I was there 5 years. Nothing to do but we’ll go shopping... at Walmart. It lacks so many things. There is no experience here, it jumps on any political band wagon and  More

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Over 4 years ago

Entertainment lacks greatly - especially the Hancher shows. I was hoping after they rebuilt they would be getting better shows there, that didn't happen. One has to  More

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Over 6 years ago

Iowa City is great. It's diverse and never boring. There always a variety of new shops and restaurants to explore and try out. Also watching college kids do stupid  More

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