Weather in Des Moines in January 2026
- January is usually the coldest month of the year in Des Moines;
Average weather
Average temperature in Des Moines in January
Going from a maximum of +12°C during the day to a minimum of -19°C during the night, the temperature in January averages around +1°C.
The average maximum temperature goes down 35% by the end of the month, compared with the beginning of the month, from +5°C to -6°C.
Is Des Moines warm or cold in January?
Des Moines is typically cool in January.
Maximum temperatures go down compared to the previous month from +2°C to 0°C. The minimum temperature also goes down from -6°C to -9°C.
Pack a sweater and a jacket as there will be cooler temperatures.
January is the coldest month in Des Moines, here is the comparison with other months:
Climate in Des Moines in January
| December | January | February | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. temperature | ||||||
| +2°C | 0°C | +2°C | ||||
| Min. temperature | ||||||
| -31°C | -33°C | -33°C | ||||
| Max. temperature | ||||||
| +23°C | +18°C | +25°C | ||||
| Rainfall | ||||||
| 21 mm | 9 mm | 14 mm | ||||
| Wind | ||||||
| 4 m/s | 4 m/s | 4 m/s | ||||
| Humidity | ||||||
| 75% | 73% | 72% | ||||
| Air pressure | ||||||
| 1019 HPa | 1020 HPa | 1020 HPa | ||||
| Sunny days | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | 5 | ||||
| Cloudy days | ||||||
| 15 | 15 | 13 | ||||
| Rainy days | ||||||
| 3 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| Snowy days | ||||||
| 8 | 9 | 8 | ||||
January weather is still as ok as in December. It’s getting colder in January. From +2°C in the day, the average maximum temperature lowers to 0°C. As January arrives, the amount of rainfall goes down. On average, the rainfall volume decreases from 21 mm to 9 mm. It feels drier, as humidity decreases from 75% to 73%. The average wind speed doesn’t change much during January, staying around 4 m/s. The amount of sunny days stay about the same, averaging 5 sunny days during the month.
February brings much the same weather, it remains ok.
Wind
The average wind speed is 4 m/s getting up to 7 m/s which is a medium breeze. You can feel it, especially getting out of the water.
The average wind speed in Des Moines is gradually increasing during January, going from 1 m/s to 3 m/s over the course of the month.
Rain
Snow
January is one of the snowiest months in Des Moines.
Here’s how January is compared with other months in the amount of snow, total mm:
How was the weather last January in Des Moines?
Climate Change over Years
The climate in Des Moines in January has not changed much over the last 43 years.
The average temperature was the lowest in 1993 (+14°C) and the highest in 2012 (+19°C). The driest year was 1988 with only 568 mm of rainfall, and the wettest year was 2019 with 1423 mm.
FAQ
Is January a good time to visit Des Moines?
Can you sunbathe in Des Moines in January?
Is Des Moines rainy in January?
Is it sunny in Des Moines in January?
Other cities in USA
Monthly weather in Des Moines
Source of the data
For this page, we’ve looked at the typical weather in Des Moines, based on historical hourly weather data from January 1, 1979, to December 31, 2023.
For past dates, we show actual recorded data at the location at that time. Forecasts are based on recorded weather during that day of the year, averaged over the total years for which we have records (unless stated otherwise). The daily temperature is the highest recorded temperature in the shadow during that day.
