#T1Clear Lake
Cerro Gordo County · 7,601 people13 days a year with an inch or more·Mason City Muni AP station, 4 km
Clear Lake, #1 on this list · Photo: Bill Whittaker · CC BY-SA 3.0Iowa rankings · Climate
Snowiest towns in Iowa
Clear Lake gets the most snow of Iowa’s 140 towns of 2,500+ with a snow record: about 44 inches in a normal winter at its NOAA station. Fort Madison gets the least, about 18 inches; 0 of the 140 average 60 inches or more.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020, at each town’s nearest station with a snow record (named in each row). A described list: no letters. How grades work
#T144in
#T1Garner
Hancock County · 3,029 people13 days a year with an inch or more·Mason City Muni AP station, 23 km
#T1Mason City
Cerro Gordo County · 26,853 people13 days a year with an inch or more·Mason City Muni AP station, 10 km
All 140 towns
Snow in a normal winter, most first. Towns that share a station share its figure and rank (T = tied; 80 towns here share a station).
140 towns ranked. Not here? See why a town may be missing.
#TownSnow a yearDays with 1″+NOAA station
A station’s normal can differ from the town’s own when the station sits higher or lower; each town’s Climate page names its station and checks it.
Quick answers
Questions people ask
Which Iowa town gets the most snow?
Mason City (Cerro Gordo County), about 44 inches in a normal winter at the Mason City Muni AP station.
What part of Iowa gets the least amount of snow?
Among towns of 2,500+, the least snow falls in Fort Madison (Lee County, about 18 in), Centerville (Appanoose County, about 22 in), Fairfield (Jefferson County, about 22 in), on NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals at each town’s station. See the towns with the least snow.
Why isn’t my town on this list?
The list covers towns of 2,500+ residents (140 in Iowa) whose nearest station has a snow normal of an inch or more; 0 have no station with a snow record. Smaller towns show their snow on their own Climate page.
Go deeper
All Iowa rankings →More Iowa lists
Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.
Best places to live140 towns · #1 Orange CityBest small towns99 towns · #1 Orange CityMost affordable towns140 towns · #1 EmmetsburgSafest towns105 towns · #1 Rock ValleyTowns with the best schools140 towns · #1 Grundy Center and Polk CityHealthiest towns140 towns · #1 SolonBest towns for jobs & income140 towns · #1 EldridgeMost walkable towns140 towns · #1 Iowa CityTowns with the lowest natural-hazard risk140 towns · #1 SaylorvilleBest towns for the outdoors140 towns · #1 Polk CityMost historic towns140 towns · #1 VintonTowns with the most civic life138 towns · #1 AtlanticTowns with the least snow140 towns · #1 Fort MadisonDescribed, no lettersTowns with the mildest winters142 towns · #1 KeokukDescribed, no lettersTowns with the hottest summers142 towns · #1 Council BluffsDescribed, no lettersTowns with the coolest summers142 towns · #1 Postville and WaukonDescribed, no lettersTowns with the highest incomes140 towns · #1 Polk CityDescribed, no lettersTowns with the lowest property taxes140 towns · #1 Fort MadisonDescribed, no lettersFastest-growing towns139 towns · #1 TiffinDescribed, no lettersTowns with the most-used libraries51 towns · #1 CoralvilleDescribed, no letters
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