Cedar Rapids, Iowa Weather
Cicadas claim the afternoon. Day 15 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Cedar Rapids weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJul 5Overcast——86°68°—
- MondayJul 6Clear——88°67°+2°
- TuesdayJul 7Overcast——81°63°-7°
- WednesdayJul 8Thunderstorm38%—83°64°+2°
- ThursdayJul 9Showers57%0.07″77°67°-6°
- FridayJul 10Overcast15%—79°64°+2°
- SaturdayJul 11Overcast——81°68°+2°
AQI 31 (Good), driven by Ozone. AQI down 12 over the last 6 hours (gradual decline).
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).








































If the first of July be rainy weather, 'twill rain more or less for four weeks together.
- Moonrise
- 11:26 PM
- Moonset
- 11:18 AM
- In sign
- ♓︎ Pisces
Cicadas claim the afternoon
Cedar Rapids at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 69°F — typical for the season
- Last frost: April 28 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jul 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest early potatoes. Begin drying onions on the surface.
ZIP codes: 52401, 52402, 52403, 52404, 52405, 52411
15-Day Forecast — Cedar Rapids
- Sun86°68°6%
- Mon88°67°2%
- Tue81°63°2%
- Wed83°64°38%
- Thu77°67°57%
- Fri79°64°15%
- Sat81°68°7%
- Sun85°68°7%
- Mon85°66°7%
- Tue85°69°4%
- Wed86°66°9%
- Thu85°69°20%
- Fri85°68°19%
- Sat84°67°26%
- Sun86°67°16%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Cedar Rapids
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of July 5, the growing season is at its peak — frost is months away. Continue succession-planting beans and summer squash. Start fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) from seed indoors for transplanting in late summer.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Cedar Rapids
SPC includes Cedar Rapids in the general thunderstorm area today — no severe risk, but storms are possible.
- TODAYTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- TOMORROWNONENo severe risk
- DAY 3NONENo severe risk
Thunderstorms possible. Not severe, but capable of producing lightning and brief heavy rain.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook. Outlooks are re-issued multiple times per day; this page reflects the most recent SPC polygons covering the city’s coordinates.
Microseason · July 1–5
Cicadas claim the afternoon
Millions of periodical and annual cicadas emerge, their droning chorus filling the summer heat; the soundtrack of midsummer settles over prairie and wetland.
Day 186 of 365 · Wedge 37 of 72
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | — | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | — | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
In Cedar Rapids, July runs warmest near 73°F and January coldest around 20°F, while June is the wettest month (5.6 inches) and January the driest (0.9 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20° | 0.9″ | 3 |
| February | 24° | 1.2″ | 3 |
| March | 37° | 2.0″ | 5 |
| April | 49° | 3.6″ | 7 |
| May | 60° | 4.3″ | 8 |
| June | 70° | 5.6″ | 9 |
| July | 73° | 4.4″ | 6 |
| August | 71° | 4.1″ | 6 |
| September | 63° | 3.4″ | 6 |
| October | 51° | 2.9″ | 5 |
| November | 37° | 2.0″ | 4 |
| December | 25° | 1.6″ | 4 |
Regional context
Cedar Rapids swings from 20°F in January to 73°F in July (53°F) per NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals; precipitation in Cedar Rapids runs about 35.9 inches on roughly 67 measurable days.
Precipitation in Cedar Rapids runs summer-dominant: June averages 5.6 inches across 8.5 days of warm-season storms, while January drops to 0.9 inches over 2.9 rainy days of drier cool air. That puts Cedar Rapids in a summer-convective cohort with places like Fairfax, IA, Hiawatha, IA and Marion, IA.
Around mid-April, Cedar Rapids sheds its freezing nights — kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips go into Cedar Rapids's beds. Heat-demanding starts go out a fortnight on in Cedar Rapids, after the soil warms and cold snaps clear. The season ends by mid-November in Cedar Rapids, once hard frosts set back in. A creek-bottom lot in Cedar Rapids can lag Cedar Rapids's last frost 7-10 days behind a south slope.
Similar climates: Fairfax, IA, Hiawatha, IA, Marion, IA, Bertram, IA, Ely, IA.
Naturalist notes
American robins typically begin their first nesting attempts in Cedar Rapids during late April as soil temperatures warm enough for earthworm activity.
Oak trees usually complete leaf-out by mid-May when nighttime temperatures consistently stay above 50°F.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Cedar Rapids?
- In Cedar Rapids, expect the last spring frost near mid-April; Cedar Rapids's first autumn frost comes around mid-November.
- What is the rainy season in Cedar Rapids?
- June is the wettest month in Cedar Rapids, about 5.6 inches on average; the year totals roughly 36 inches.
- What is the warmest month in Cedar Rapids?
- July is Cedar Rapids's warmest month, averaging about 73°F.
- What is the coldest month in Cedar Rapids?
- Cedar Rapids bottoms out in January, with a mean near 20°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Cedar Rapids?
- Time tomatoes in Cedar Rapids for two weeks after mid-April; peas and greens start at Cedar Rapids's frost line.
- How many rainy days does Cedar Rapids get?
- Expect roughly 67 wet days a year in Cedar Rapids.
- What hardiness zone is Cedar Rapids?
- Cedar Rapids's hardiness zone tracks its winter low; with January near 20°F, check the USDA ZIP map for the exact zone.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Cedar Rapids?
- Cedar Rapids's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Cedar Rapids?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Cedar Rapids in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Cedar Rapids?
- Current conditions for Cedar Rapids and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Cedar Rapids forecast updated?
- The Cedar Rapids forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Cedar Rapids?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Cedar Rapids are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Cedar Rapids?
- The next few days in Cedar Rapids's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Climate
Cedar Rapids's warm-summer humid continental climate in Iowa pairs 20°F Januarys with 73°F Julys, 53°F apart across the seasons.
Across the year, Cedar Rapids collects about 36 inches of precipitation over roughly 67 days with measurable rain or snow.
At 42.0°N, Cedar Rapids's 53°F summer-to-winter swing sets when Cedar Rapids's gardens wake and when frost returns.
ZIP codes in Cedar Rapids
- 52404
- 52405
- 52401
- 52411
- 52402
- 52403
- 52406
- 52407
- 52408
- 52409
- 52410
- 52497
- 52498
- 52499