Council Bluffs, IA climate
Council Bluffs has cold winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 27 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Council Bluffs feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Council Bluffs weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 14° | 0.8" | 7.2" | 7 | 14 | 16° – 36° |
| February | 38° | 18° | 1.0" | 7.8" | 7 | 11 | 17° – 37° |
| March | 51° | 29° | 1.9" | 3.0" | 8 | 4 | 32° – 56° |
| April | 64° | 39° | 3.3" | 1.0" | 11 | 0 | 44° – 57° |
| May | 74° | 51° | 4.9" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 | 57° – 70° |
| June | 84° | 62° | 5.0" | 0 | 11 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| July | 87° | 66° | 3.8" | 0 | 10 | 0 | 71° – 83° |
| August | 85° | 63° | 4.1" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 54° | 3.2" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| October | 65° | 41° | 2.5" | 0.5" | 7 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| November | 50° | 28° | 1.4" | 1.7" | 6 | 2 | 30° – 49° |
| December | 37° | 18° | 1.2" | 5.8" | 7 | 9 | 15° – 33° |
| Year | 62° | 40° | 33.0" | 27.1" | 103 | 40 |
“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.
Rain and snow in Council Bluffs
Council Bluffs gets 33 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 103 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 40 days of the year.
About 185 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 18 and the first one by October 21. That leaves about 185 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 58% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Council Bluffs
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Council Bluffs, 82% of that work is heating and 18% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
Council Bluffs and its neighbors
Council Bluffs borders 3 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.7°. Carter Lake has both the coldest January nights (14°) and the hottest July afternoons (86°). Council Bluffs’s January low is 14° and its July high 87°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How Council Bluffs compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Council Bluffs averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.4°). The shift is smaller than in 77% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Council Bluffs’s spot on NOAA’s grid
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. March swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 32° to 56°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Common questions about Council Bluffs’s climate
What is the coldest month in Council Bluffs?
January, with a typical high of 33° and a low of 14°.
What is the hottest month in Council Bluffs?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 66°. About 33 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Council Bluffs get?
About 27 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.
When is the first frost in Council Bluffs?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 21, and the last spring frost by April 18.
What is the rainiest month in Council Bluffs?
June, with 5.0 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 33 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Council Bluffs itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE (6 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.