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Cedar Rapids weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Cedar Rapids swings through a wide annual range, with 54.9°F between the monthly means of its warmest and coldest months. The heavier rain months run from April to September. Cedar Rapids weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, records and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+5.1°Fhigh above average

73° / 46°Today
68° / 47°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+3.6°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–49117frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 134 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 134 in the 1940s36days above 86°F a year now (2016–2025) · 22 in the 1940sdays above 86°F · 22 in the 1940s+3.6°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 1.6 incheshigh 28°low 12°February, rain 1.5 incheshigh 32°low 16°March, rain 2.9 incheshigh 45°low 28°April, rain 4.1 incheshigh 60°low 40°May, rain 4.7 incheshigh 71°low 52°June, rain 4.7 incheshigh 80°low 62°July, rain 3.9 incheshigh 83°low 65°August, rain 3.9 incheshigh 82°low 63°September, rain 3.5 incheshigh 75°low 55°October, rain 2.8 incheshigh 63°low 44°November, rain 2.3 incheshigh 47°low 31°December, rain 1.8 incheshigh 33°low 19°wettest month June, 4.7 inches · 37.7 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Clear

Right now

72.5°

69°feels like
32%humidity
41°dew point
4 mphfrom NW
UV index4.2
sunrise07:11sunset18:36day length11h 25m
TodayClear73°46°
FriClear75°55°
SatClear80°60°
SunClear76°57°
MonClear82°62°
TueClear72°59°
WedDrizzle71°58°

On this date: October 8

Today (forecast)
73° / 46°
Average for October 8
68° / 47°

High above average · +5.1°F

  • Record high: 81.8° · 1949
  • Record low: 27.1° · 1976
  • One year ago: 67° / 43°

Every October 8 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 8 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Cedar Rapids is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 42.01°N, 91.64°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
42.01°N, 91.64°W
Time zone
America/Chicago
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

24 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +2.8°F.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

July brings the year's peak warmth, with afternoons typically reaching 83.4°F and nights around 65.4°F. Around 35 nights a year stay above 68°F. At the other extreme, January brings afternoon highs of about 27.6°F and typical overnight lows of 12.1°F. Frost shows up on around 115 mornings a year.

In total, Cedar Rapids averages about 37.7 inches of precipitation a year; June is usually the wettest month (4.7 inches) and February the driest (1.5 inches).

The record here starts in 1940, and since then the annual mean in Cedar Rapids has climbed 3.6°F from the first ten years to the last ten. The count of days past 86°F has risen from roughly 20 a year to 35 between the record's first and last decades.

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 55°F. Wettest month: June (~4.7 in). Whole year averages ~37.7 inches of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 88 rainy days a year: most in May (~11), fewest in February (~5).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 0.08 in per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Cedar Rapids month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Record high/low are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightRecord highRecord low
January27.6°12.1°1.6 in59.3 h63.7° (1989)−31.0° (2009)
February32.2°16.2°1.5 in510.4 h75.5° (2024)−29.7° (1996)
March45.4°27.7°2.9 in811.7 h85.2° (1986)−20.5° (1962)
April60.5°39.9°4.1 in1013.1 h89.3° (1980)3.1° (1982)
May71.4°51.6°4.7 in1114.4 h93.7° (2018)25.8° (2005)
June80.3°61.7°4.7 in1015.0 h99.5° (1988)38.2° (1945)
July83.4°65.4°3.9 in814.8 h101.0° (2012)46.3° (1971)
August81.7°63.1°3.9 in813.7 h100.8° (1988)40.6° (1986)
September75.0°54.8°3.5 in712.3 h98.4° (2013)26.4° (1942)
October63.4°43.9°2.8 in710.8 h95.0° (1963)16.2° (1988)
November47.1°31.0°2.3 in69.6 h77.8° (1999)−15.2° (1977)
December33.1°18.9°1.8 in59.0 h72.0° (2021)−26.6° (1950)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +3.6°F.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.40°F per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Mar–May is warming fastest: +0.62°F per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 86°F per year: 21.8 early in the record → 35.9 recently. Frost days: 134 → 117.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

All-time high in 2012, all-time low in 2009: 101.0°F / −31.0°F.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~37.7 in/year on average. Last decade: +5% vs that average. Long-term trend: +0.81 in per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Cedar Rapids

Which is the warmest month in Cedar Rapids?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Cedar Rapids is July (mean daily temperature of about 73.9°F) and the coolest is January (about 19.0°F).
How does today's temperature in Cedar Rapids compare to the historical average?
On October 8, 2026, Cedar Rapids is forecast to reach a high of 72.7°F and a low of 46.2°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 67.6°F and a low of 46.9°F, so today's high is 5.1°F warmer than that average.
How much has Cedar Rapids warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Cedar Rapids is about 3.6°F warmer.
How much does it rain in Cedar Rapids?
Cedar Rapids receives about 37.7 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with June typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Cedar Rapids?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Cedar Rapids is about 48.7°F. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Cedar Rapids by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Cedar Rapids (°F, full record since 1940): January 28°/12°, February 32°/16°, March 45°/28°, April 60°/40°, May 71°/52°, June 80°/62°, July 83°/65°, August 82°/63°, September 75°/55°, October 63°/44°, November 47°/31°, December 33°/19°.
What is the weather like in Cedar Rapids in summer?
June to August is summer in Cedar Rapids, and it is wet and warm. Afternoons run 80–83°F and nights 62–65°F; July is the warmest month. Rain is steady at around 4.2 inches a month, spread over roughly 9 days.
What is the weather like in Cedar Rapids in winter?
December to February is winter in Cedar Rapids, and it is cold, with afternoons close to freezing. Expect 28–33°F by day and 12–19°F at night, with January the coldest month. Rain and snow fall on about 5 days a month, adding up to around 1.6 inches. No season is drier.
What is the weather like in Cedar Rapids in spring?
In spring, March through May, Cedar Rapids is fairly mild. March is still 45°F in the afternoon and 28°F at night, May already 71°F and 52°F. Rain rises from 2.9 inches on 8 days in March to 4.7 inches on 11 days in May.
What is the weather like in Cedar Rapids in autumn?
In autumn, September through November, Cedar Rapids is fairly mild. September is still 75°F by day and 55°F at night; by November it is down to 47°F and 31°F. Rain falls on about 7 days a month, adding up to around 2.9 inches.
How many days a year does it rain in Cedar Rapids?
On long-term average, Cedar Rapids has about 88 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 37.7 inches.

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