Everyone wants a bit of a blissful breeze or a scoop of sunny sanctuary when looking for a place to live in Iowa.
The more sun, the more you can go outside. The more you go outside, the more you’ll feel at peace. The more you’ll feel at peace, the more you’ll enjoy where you live.
So it makes sense to try and find the places with the best weather in Iowa. We used Saturday Night Science to compare the number of sunny days, total precipitation, and the deviation from the ideal 70-degree weather for 39 places in Iowa over 10,000 people.
Grab your shades and put away your raincoat as we look at the cities with the best weather in Iowa.
307.5 sunny days · 61.6 degree average high
Located in
Pottawattamie County, Iowa
Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous Omaha suburb and a principal city in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. It is located on the east bank of the Missouri River, across from Omaha, Nebraska. Council Bluffs was known, until at least 1853, as Kanesville. It was the historic starting point of the Mormon Trail. Kanesville is also the northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trails, since there was a steam powered boat to ferry their wagons, and cattle, across the Missouri River.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
304.4 sunny days · 60.4 degree average high
Located in
Marion County, Iowa
Pella is a city in Marion County, Iowa, United States, with a population of 10,352 at the time of the 2010 U.S. Census. Founded by immigrants from the Netherlands, it is forty miles southeast of Des Moines. Pella is the home of Central College, as well as several manufacturing companies, including Pella Corporation and Vermeer Manufacturing Company.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
299.0 sunny days · 61.7 degree average high
Located in
Wapello County, Iowa
Ottumwa is a city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,023 at the 2010 census. Located in southeastern Iowa, the city is split into northern and southern halves by the Des Moines River.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
310.2 sunny days · 59.8 degree average high
Sioux City is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, which makes it the fourth largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, of which it is the county seat, though a small portion is in Plymouth County. Sioux City is located at the navigational head of the Missouri River. Often the city and surrounding area is referred to as Siouxland, especially by the local media and residents. The city is home to several cultural points of interest including the Sioux City Public Museum, Sioux City Art Center and Sergeant Floyd Monument, which is a National Historical Landmark. The city is also home to Chris Larsen Park, commonly referred to as -the Riverfront,- includes the Anderson Dance Pavilion, Sergeant Floyd Riverboat Museum and Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. Sioux City is the primary city of the five-county Sioux City, IA-NE-SD Metropolitan Statistical Area, with a population of 168,825 in 2010 and a slight increase to an estimated 168,921 in 2012. The Sioux City-Vermillion, IA-NE-SD Combined Statistical Area had a population of 182,675 as of 2010 and has grown to an estimated population of 183,052 as of 2012.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
297.3 sunny days · 62.3 degree average high
Located in
Lee County, Iowa
Keokuk is a city and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States, along with Fort Madison. It is also the most southerly city in Iowa. The population was 10,780 at the 2010 census. The city is named after the Sauk chief Keokuk, who is thought to be buried in Rand Park. It is located in the extreme southeast corner of Iowa where the Des Moines River meets with the Mississippi. It is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 61, 136 and 218. Just across the rivers are the towns of Hamilton and Warsaw, Illinois, and Alexandria, Missouri.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
297.4 sunny days · 61.1 degree average high
Located in
Des Moines County, Iowa
Burlington is a city and the county seat of Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,663 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in the 2000 census. Burlington is the center of a micropolitan area including West Burlington, Iowa, and Middletown, Iowa, and Gulfport, Illinois. Burlington is the home of Snake Alley, once labelled the crookedest alley in the world.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
293.6 sunny days · 61.7 degree average high
Located in
Lee County, Iowa
Fort Madison is a city and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States along with Keokuk. Of Iowa’s 99 counties, Lee County is the only one with two county seats. The population was 11,051 at the 2010 census. Located along the Mississippi River in the state’s southeast corner, it lies between small bluffs along one of the widest portions of the river.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
303.3 sunny days · 59.1 degree average high
Located in
Clinton County, Iowa
Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 26,885 as of 2010. Clinton, along with DeWitt, Iowa, was named in honor of the sixth governor of New York, DeWitt Clinton. Clinton is the principal city of the Clinton Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is coterminous with Clinton County. Clinton was incorporated on January 26, 1857.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
297.4 sunny days · 60.5 degree average high
Located in
Mahaska County, Iowa
Oskaloosa is a city in and the county seat of Mahaska County, Iowa, United States. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, it was a national center of bituminous coal mining. The population was 11,463 in the 2010 census, an increase from 10,938 in the 2000 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
302.1 sunny days · 58.9 degree average high
Located in
Carroll County, Iowa
Carroll is a city in and the county seat of Carroll County, Iowa, United States, located along the Middle Raccoon River. The population was 10,103 in the 2010 census, down from three people in the 10,106 population in the 2000 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Iowa’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Iowa’s best weather is
Saturday Night Science
How We Determined The Cities In Iowa With The Best Weather
To rank the most fair weather cities in Iowa, we used Saturday Night Science and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database, to see which cities in the Hawkeye State get the best weather.
We used the following criteria to find the best weather:
- Number of sunny days
- Highest average low
- Average high deviation from 70 degrees
- Least amount of rain
- Least amount of snow
We ranked each city of over 10,000 people in Iowa from best to worst on each criterion. We then averaged each ranking into a weather quality index. The city with the best index, Council Bluffs, was anointed the city with the best weather in Iowa.
Before we get too far, here are the annual precipitation rates for major cities: Des Moines (35.5 inches), Cedar Rapids (37.6 inches), and Davenport (35.8 inches).
The cities with the best weather in Iowa are Council Bluffs, Pella, Ottumwa, Sioux City, Keokuk, Burlington, Fort Madison, Clinton, Oskaloosa, and Carroll.
There’s a complete chart at the bottom.
The full plate
Detailed List Of Places With The Best Weather In Iowa
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Sunny Days | Avg. High | Precipitation (Inches) | Snow (Inches) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Council Bluffs | 62,309 | 307.5 | 61.6 | 32.2 | 26.2 |
| 2 | Pella | 10,316 | 304.4 | 60.4 | 36.4 | 27.8 |
| 3 | Ottumwa | 24,758 | 299.0 | 61.7 | 38.4 | 24.2 |
| 4 | Sioux City | 82,792 | 310.2 | 59.8 | 28.4 | 33.1 |
| 5 | Keokuk | 10,705 | 297.3 | 62.3 | 39.1 | 21.3 |
| 6 | Burlington | 25,537 | 297.4 | 61.1 | 38.0 | 22.4 |
| 7 | Fort Madison | 10,832 | 293.6 | 61.7 | 38.9 | 18.2 |
| 8 | Clinton | 26,413 | 303.3 | 59.1 | 35.3 | 30.5 |
| 9 | Oskaloosa | 11,558 | 297.4 | 60.5 | 36.7 | 25.3 |
| 10 | Carroll | 10,020 | 302.1 | 58.9 | 33.8 | 29.0 |
| 11 | Muscatine | 23,888 | 295.4 | 60.5 | 37.1 | 25.7 |
| 12 | Indianola | 15,165 | 298.7 | 60.2 | 36.1 | 29.7 |
| 13 | Bettendorf | 34,663 | 299.1 | 59.8 | 35.9 | 30.0 |
| 14 | Davenport | 101,863 | 298.1 | 59.8 | 35.8 | 29.8 |
| 15 | Des Moines | 208,020 | 299.5 | 59.9 | 35.5 | 33.7 |
| 16 | Johnston | 19,550 | 301.6 | 59.9 | 35.5 | 35.8 |
| 17 | Clive | 16,634 | 301.6 | 59.9 | 35.5 | 35.0 |
| 18 | Ankeny | 51,489 | 301.9 | 59.5 | 35.5 | 30.8 |
| 19 | Newton | 15,147 | 301.2 | 59.5 | 35.7 | 28.4 |
| 20 | Iowa City | 71,832 | 297.5 | 60.1 | 36.7 | 27.0 |
| 21 | Altoona | 15,808 | 301.9 | 59.6 | 35.6 | 32.4 |
| 22 | Coralville | 20,038 | 297.5 | 59.9 | 36.6 | 26.9 |
| 23 | North Liberty | 14,972 | 300.2 | 59.5 | 36.4 | 26.8 |
| 24 | West Des Moines | 61,266 | 299.0 | 59.9 | 35.5 | 34.8 |
| 25 | Urbandale | 42,099 | 301.6 | 59.7 | 35.5 | 35.1 |
| 26 | Waukee | 16,956 | 301.6 | 59.6 | 35.3 | 35.3 |
| 27 | Storm Lake | 10,814 | 309.6 | 57.4 | 33.5 | 36.0 |
| 28 | Ames | 62,815 | 300.6 | 58.8 | 36.4 | 28.5 |
| 29 | Spencer | 11,186 | 308.6 | 56.4 | 30.2 | 36.2 |
| 30 | Fort Dodge | 24,789 | 300.1 | 57.9 | 34.7 | 34.7 |
| 31 | Waterloo | 68,432 | 301.4 | 57.5 | 35.3 | 34.4 |
| 32 | Cedar Falls | 40,439 | 301.4 | 57.5 | 35.3 | 34.9 |
| 33 | Marshalltown | 27,770 | 298.0 | 58.3 | 36.6 | 26.3 |
| 34 | Waverly | 10,013 | 301.4 | 57.3 | 35.4 | 34.2 |
| 35 | Mason City | 27,643 | 302.6 | 56.0 | 35.0 | 38.9 |
| 36 | Cedar Rapids | 128,829 | 297.3 | 58.9 | 37.6 | 28.6 |
| 37 | Boone | 12,631 | 295.9 | 58.8 | 36.5 | 33.2 |
| 38 | Marion | 36,311 | 296.2 | 58.8 | 37.7 | 31.2 |
| 39 | Dubuque | 58,409 | 295.2 | 57.7 | 36.2 | 37.5 |
Source: NOAA climate data. 39 Iowa cities with more than 10,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: The Cities With The Best Weather In Iowa For 2026
If you’re looking for the Iowa cities with the most sunny days, the least rain and snow, and highs closest to a perfect 70 degrees, this is an accurate list.
The cities with the best weather in Iowa are Council Bluffs, Pella, Ottumwa, Sioux City, Keokuk, Burlington, Fort Madison, Clinton, Oskaloosa, and Carroll.
