What is the hottest day ever recorded in Des Moines?

Des Moines's hottest day on record reached 108°F, set on August 16, 1983. That is the single most extreme high in the nearest long-term weather station's full daily record — about 47°F hotter than a typical year's average high of 61°F, which is why a day like it stands out as genuinely rare rather than just a hot afternoon.

What is the record high temperature in Des Moines?

The all-time record high in Des Moines is 108°F, recorded on August 16, 1983. Records are drawn from the nearest long-term weather station's full daily history, so this is the hottest single day the station has ever logged — not a typical summer peak.

What is the coldest day ever recorded in Des Moines?

Des Moines's coldest day on record bottomed out at -26°F, set on February 3, 1996. Like the record high, it comes from the station's complete daily record, so it captures the most extreme cold the area has recorded rather than an average winter low.

What is the record low temperature in Des Moines?

The all-time record low in Des Moines is -26°F, recorded on February 3, 1996. The gap between that and the 108°F record high — a span of 134°F — is the full range of temperatures Des Moines has experienced across its long-term daily record.

Is it normal to be this hot in Des Moines?

It depends on how far above Des Moines's normal a given day runs. A typical year here averages a daily high near 61°F; the all-time record of 108°F (set 1983) sits about 47°F above that. The anomaly readout at the top of this page compares the current temperature against this month's normal high, so you can see exactly how unusual today is rather than guessing.

When did Des Moines set its temperature records?

Des Moines's record high of 108°F was set in 1983 (August 16, 1983), and its record low of -26°F in 1996 (February 3, 1996). Both are pulled from the station's complete daily record going back to 1945, so they reflect the true extremes rather than a recent or partial sample.

Has Des Moines been getting hotter?

Yes — Des Moines's annual mean temperature has trended about 2.5°F warmer since 1945, in line with the long-term warming seen across nearly every US city. That gradual shift in the average is separate from the all-time records above, which mark the single most extreme days rather than the trend, but a warming baseline is part of why recent years more often brush up against the record-high end.

Des Moines, Iowa Weather Records

The hottest and coldest days Des Moines has ever recorded — and how today compares to normal

Des Moines, IA · Today vs. normal

3°F below the June normal

Right now it’s 79°F in Des Moines — about 3° below the June normal high of 82°F.

Des Moines’s all-time temperature records

Hottest day on record: 108°Fset August 16, 1983
Coldest day on record: -26°Fset February 3, 1996

That is a 134°F span between the hottest and coldest days Des Moines has ever recorded — the full range of what its weather has done across the station’s record back to 1945.

How extreme Des Moines’s weather gets

Des Moines’s weather is usually mild by its own standards — a typical year averages a daily high near 61°F, and the normal high for June runs about 82°F. The records sit well outside that everyday range. The hottest day on record reached 108°F in 1983 — roughly 47°F above a typical year’s average high, the kind of gap that turns an ordinary summer into a genuine heat event.

At the other end, Des Moines has bottomed out at -26°F (1996). Together the two extremes span 134°F — the full width of what this place’s weather has done across the station’s daily record back to 1945. Those edges are exactly why the anomaly readout at the top of this page is worth a glance: it shows where today falls between the normal and the record, so a hot afternoon can be judged against the real history rather than a hunch. A reading a few degrees over the June normal is ordinary; one pushing toward the 108°F record is the rare event the record marks.

Frequently asked

What is the hottest day ever recorded in Des Moines?: Des Moines's hottest day on record reached 108°F, set on August 16, 1983. That is the single most extreme high in the nearest long-term weather station's full daily record — about 47°F hotter than a typical year's average high of 61°F, which is why a day like it stands out as genuinely rare rather than just a hot afternoon.
What is the record high temperature in Des Moines?: The all-time record high in Des Moines is 108°F, recorded on August 16, 1983. Records are drawn from the nearest long-term weather station's full daily history, so this is the hottest single day the station has ever logged — not a typical summer peak.
What is the coldest day ever recorded in Des Moines?: Des Moines's coldest day on record bottomed out at -26°F, set on February 3, 1996. Like the record high, it comes from the station's complete daily record, so it captures the most extreme cold the area has recorded rather than an average winter low.
What is the record low temperature in Des Moines?: The all-time record low in Des Moines is -26°F, recorded on February 3, 1996. The gap between that and the 108°F record high — a span of 134°F — is the full range of temperatures Des Moines has experienced across its long-term daily record.
Is it normal to be this hot in Des Moines?: It depends on how far above Des Moines's normal a given day runs. A typical year here averages a daily high near 61°F; the all-time record of 108°F (set 1983) sits about 47°F above that. The anomaly readout at the top of this page compares the current temperature against this month's normal high, so you can see exactly how unusual today is rather than guessing.
When did Des Moines set its temperature records?: Des Moines's record high of 108°F was set in 1983 (August 16, 1983), and its record low of -26°F in 1996 (February 3, 1996). Both are pulled from the station's complete daily record going back to 1945, so they reflect the true extremes rather than a recent or partial sample.
Has Des Moines been getting hotter?: Yes — Des Moines's annual mean temperature has trended about 2.5°F warmer since 1945, in line with the long-term warming seen across nearly every US city. That gradual shift in the average is separate from the all-time records above, which mark the single most extreme days rather than the trend, but a warming baseline is part of why recent years more often brush up against the record-high end.

More for Des Moines

See the full Des Moines, IA weather forecast — hour-by-hour outlook, NOAA radar, satellite, and air quality — or the broader Des Moines climate & weather by month for the long-run averages behind these records.