Photo: ArtisticAbode · CC BY-SA 3.0Midwinter lows in Cedar Rapids sink below those of 92% of U.S. towns
July afternoons average 84°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 71% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 0.9° more than in 1901–2000, led by December. Garden planting can start around April 27; autumn frost returns near October 11.
A year in Cedar Rapids at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cedar Rapids’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cedar Rapids’ place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Cedar Rapids feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 165 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 27 and the first by October 11. Frost and day counts come from Cedar Rapids Muni Airport, Cedar Rapids’s official weather station (the one in National Weather Service reports), 6 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cedar Rapids’ center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −15°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 29 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Swisher #2, IA, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 37 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 96 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cedar Rapids
90% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Cedar Rapids Muni Airport.
Living with Cedar Rapids’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
165 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 27 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 11.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 46 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cedar Rapids from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (45%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cedar Rapids and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Cedar Rapids in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Cedar Rapids’, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Rapids, IA | 11° | 84° | 37" | 29" |
| Marengo, IL | 14° | 83° | 37" | 31" |
| Whitewater, WI | 12° | 83° | 37" | 34" |
| Lakes of the Four Seasons, IN | 16° | 83° | 40" | 27" |
| Sayre, PA | 17° | 84° | 37" | 35" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Cedar Rapids averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 84% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods. In a city of 138,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Cedar Rapids compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cedar Rapids’ place among Iowa’s.
Cedar Rapids weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cedar Rapids’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Swisher #2, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 11° | 1.0" | 7.7" | 6 | 16 | 10° – 33° |
| February | 33° | 16° | 1.3" | 7.8" | 6 | 14 | 11° – 36° |
| March | 47° | 27° | 2.0" | 4.5" | 7 | 6 | 29° – 52° |
| April | 61° | 38° | 3.9" | 0.6" | 10 | 0 | 41° – 56° |
| May | 72° | 49° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 54° – 68° |
| June | 81° | 59° | 5.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| July | 84° | 63° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 81° |
| August | 82° | 60° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 66° – 78° |
| September | 75° | 52° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| October | 62° | 40° | 2.9" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| November | 47° | 28° | 2.2" | 0.8" | 6 | 1 | 30° – 48° |
| December | 34° | 17° | 1.6" | 7.7" | 8 | 11 | 11° – 35° |
| Year | 59° | 38° | 37.2" | 29.2" | 96 | 48 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 11° to 35°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Cedar Rapids’ numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Cedar Rapids’ center.
- Snow: Swisher #2, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cedar Rapids Muni Airport, 6 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the city’s official station.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Cedar Rapids’ climate
What is the weather like in Cedar Rapids?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 29 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cedar Rapids in winter?
January nights average 11°. About 144 nights a year reach 32° or below and 16 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 10°.
How much snow does Cedar Rapids get?
About 29 inches in a normal winter at Swisher #2, IA, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 48 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cedar Rapids?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 63°. About 12 days a year reach 90° (Cedar Rapids Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Cedar Rapids?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 27 and the first fall frost by October 11, about 165 frost-free days, at Cedar Rapids Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Cedar Rapids in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cedar Rapids?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Cedar Rapids getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 84% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cedar Rapids.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.