Iowa snow day predictor
Off season - the 10 towns ranked by how much snow they get · Waterloo averages 39 in a year, Ankeny 25 in
Iowa towns, ranked
- Waterlooaverages 39 inches a year · regular snow
- Des Moinesaverages 37 inches a year · regular snow
- West Des Moinesaverages 37 inches a year · regular snow
- Davenportaverages 36 inches a year · regular snow
- Sioux Cityaverages 36 inches a year · regular snow
- Cedar Rapidsaverages 34 inches a year · moderate snow
- Iowa Cityaverages 28 inches a year · moderate snow
- Amesaverages 27 inches a year · moderate snow
- Council Bluffsaverages 27 inches a year · moderate snow
- Ankenyaverages 25 inches a year · moderate snow
How snow days work in Iowa
There is no single Iowa snow day threshold, which is why this page scores each town separately. Waterloo averages 39 inches of snow a year against Ankeny’s 25, and a district that plans for the first amount does not close for weather that would shut the second one down.
Each score compares what the National Weather Service is forecasting against that town’s own NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, then adds weight for ice, wind and dangerous cold. Every number on this page links through to the full factor breakdown, because the reasoning is the part worth checking.
Sources: National Weather Service forecasts, one per town. Snowfall normals from NOAA’s 1991-2020 US Climate Normals. County lines from the US Census Bureau.