Population:  198,682  

County:  Polk

Elevation:  871 feet

Time Zone:  Central Standard Time.  Daylight saving time is observed from April-October. When it is noon in New York City, it is 11:00 AM in Des Moines.

Average temperatures in Des Moines, Iowa

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Average temp. (°F)

20.0

26.1

38.0

50.2

61.6

71.1

75.8

73.5

64.7

52.5

37.6

24.6

High temperature (°F)

28.9

35.2

47.9

61.1

72.2

81.7

85.9

83.8

75.9

63.5

46.6

32.9

Low temperature (°F)

11.1

17.0

28.1

39.2

50.9

60.5

65.5

63.2

53.6

41.5

28.4

16.2

Precipitation (in)

1.0

1.1

2.2

3.5

4.3

4.6

4.2

4.4

3.2

2.6

2.1

1.3

Climate in Des Moines, Iowa

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Days with precipitation

7

7

10

11

12

11

9

9

9

8

7

8

Wind speed (mph)

11.4

11.2

12.4

12.6

11.0

10.1

8.9

8.6

9.4

10.3

11.3

11.1

Morning humidity (%)

77

79

78

77

78

80

83

85

84

79

79

80

Afternoon humidity (%)

70

67

63

58

59

60

61

63

62

59

66

72

Sunshine (%)

51

54

57

56

61

68

72

70

66

62

49

46

National Holidays:  

New Year's Day Jan. 1

Martin Luther King, Jr., Day 3rd Mon. in Jan.

President's Day 3rd Mon. in Feb.

Memorial Day last Mon. in May

Independence Day July 4

Labor Day 1st Mon. in Sept.

Thanksgiving Day 4th Thurs. in Nov.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Dec. 24 and 25

New Year's Eve Dec. 31

Getting There

By Air

Des Moines International Airport

5800 Fleur Drive, Room 200 Des Moines, IA  515-256-5100

This is a major airport, located about 15 miles from downtown Des Moines.  There are frequent shuttles and limos.  Taxis and rental cars are readily available.

By Bus

Greyhound Bus Lines:  Nationwide service 1-800-231-2222

Jefferson Bus Lines (Nationwide service)         515-283-0074

Trailways Bus System (Nationwide service) 1-800-992-4618

By Car:  At the center of the United States, Des Moines is easy to reach by air, car or motor coach. Des Moines is at the intersection of the number one and three most traveled interstates in the United States: I-80 (coast-to-coast) and I-35 (border-to-border).

Getting Around

MTA (Des Moines Metropolitan Transit Authority): 

For more information about the MTA, please call 283-8100, Monday-Friday, 6 am - 7 pm. MTA schedule information specialists will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Getting Around

The Metro:  Local bus service for metro area  515-283-8100