Des Moines, IA Weather
Today's Forecast
Mostly clear, with a low around 60. North northwest wind around 3 mph.
7-Day Outlook
Create Your Own Forecast
Draw custom regions on a map, add daily breakdowns with timing and prediction data, and share professional forecasts with your audience.
Data from the National Weather Service
Last updated Sun, Aug 23, 3:11 AM UTC
Winter in Des Moines
Des Moines averages 37 inches of snow a year, according to NOAA’s 1991–2020 climate normals — a regular snow place. Snow several times a winter, well-practised response. Closures happen but need a real storm.
That is why local snowfall thresholds differ so much from one town to the next: a district that plans for 37 inches a year is equipped differently from one that never sees any. Here, roughly 6 inches in a single storm is where a normal school day comes under threat.
Upper air over Des Moines
The nearest radiosonde launch is Omaha, about 143 miles away. A weather balloon goes up twice a day and measures temperature, humidity and wind all the way through the atmosphere — which is what forecasters actually read to judge whether storms will fire, and how a surface forecast was arrived at.