Has it Ever Snowed in Iowa in July?
Snow in the summer months? Has it ever happened in Iowa? NOPE. Not even close. Not just in July, but there has never been documented snow in June, July, or August anywhere in Iowa.
In Waterloo, it has NEVER been colder than 42* in July. (7/7/1984) Since 1950, Waterloo has only experienced 25 days in July with temperatures in the 40s. (most recently in 2014) The earliest measurable snow in Waterloo occurred on October 10th, 1932.
In Cedar Rapids, it has never been colder than 46* in July. (Dating back to 1953) The city’s earliest measurable snow happened on September 26, 1942.
As for our state capital, Des Moines has never been chillier than 47* in July.
There has only been just ONE day in July in Waterloo where the record high has NOT hit at least 100* -- it’s never been hotter than 98* in Waterloo on July 3. (2012)
So when can we expect some snow? Hopefully not for a while. Snow in Iowa has never been documented between May 29 and September 16 anywhere in the state of Iowa.
In the map below from NOAA Climate.gov, the colored dots indicate the date by which there’s a 50% chance at least 0.1” of snow will have accumulated, based on each location’s snowfall history from 1981-2010.
As you can see, measurable snow in August is quite rare. Only in a few spots in the mountain areas of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and in extreme Western South Dakota has measurable snow fallen in August.
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