Council Bluffs climate — normals and trends
Council Bluffs (United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 10.4 °C and it receives 880 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (24.6 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-5.6 °C). Rainfall peaks in June.
Council Bluffs averages 125 frost days, 44 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 99 rainy days per year.
Council Bluffs has warmed by +1.8 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.21 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 132 to 118 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 40.6 °C (on 21 July 1974) and the coldest -34.1 °C (on 16 February 2021).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
Council BluffsIowa
- coords
- 41.26°, -95.86°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
10.4°C
Average daily high
15.8°C
Average daily low
5.3°C
Annual rainfall
880mm
Sunshine / day
9.3h
Mean relative humidity
69%
Average peak wind
22.0km/h
Seasonal range
30.2°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
125 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
44 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
99 d/yr
Annual snowfall
63.8 cm
Average feels-like high
13.6 °C
Average feels-like low
2.2 °C
Average peak gust
40.8 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
35 d/yr
Solar radiation
15.8 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.8 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.28 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
40.6 °C
21 July 1974
Coldest day
-34.1 °C
16 February 2021
Wettest day
189 mm
26 August 2009
Windiest day
60.8 km/h
10 October 1949
Strongest gust
110.5 km/h
15 December 2021
Hottest feels-like
44.2 °C
11 June 1953
Coldest feels-like
-39.8 °C
16 February 2021
Snowiest day
23.5 cm
26 March 1983
Sunniest day
14.9 h
3 July 2025
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.6 °C | +1.4 °C | 6 mm | -22 mm |
| Feb | 0.5 °C | -1.6 °C | 15 mm | -18 mm |
| Mar | 14.8 °C | +6.0 °C | 88 mm | +21 mm |
| Apr | 17.7 °C | +1.3 °C | 96 mm | -2 mm |
| May | 23.0 °C | +0.7 °C | 63 mm | -62 mm |
| Jun | 29.4 °C | +1.9 °C | 130 mm | +1 mm |
| Jul | 29.7 °C | -0.1 °C | 125 mm | +38 mm |
| Aug | 27.8 °C | -1.0 °C | 83 mm | -6 mm |
| Sep | 26.6 °C | +1.9 °C | 75 mm | -7 mm |
| Oct | 20.4 °C | +2.1 °C | 80 mm | +15 mm |
| Nov | 10.8 °C | +1.6 °C | 39 mm | -5 mm |
| Dec | 4.9 °C | +2.9 °C | 14 mm | -19 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Council Bluffs?
Council Bluffs has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 10.4 °C and it receives 880 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Council Bluffs?
The hottest day measured in Council Bluffs between 1940 and 2025 was 21 July 1974, reaching 40.6 °C.
What is the coldest day in Council Bluffs?
The coldest day measured in Council Bluffs between 1940 and 2025 was 16 February 2021, at -34.1 °C.
Does it snow in Council Bluffs?
Yes. Council Bluffs gets on average 63.8 cm of snow per year and has around 125 frost days.
Has the climate of Council Bluffs warmed?
Yes: Council Bluffs warmed by +1.8 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Council Bluffs?
The wettest day measured in Council Bluffs between 1940 and 2025 was 26 August 2009, with 189 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Council Bluffs?
The windiest day measured in Council Bluffs between 1940 and 2025 was 10 October 1949, with winds reaching 60.8 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Council Bluffs?
The warmest month in Council Bluffs is July (24.6 °C on average); the coldest is January (-5.6 °C).
How much does it rain in Council Bluffs?
Council Bluffs receives on average 880 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 99 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Council Bluffs?
Council Bluffs gets on average 9.3 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,395 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Council Bluffs?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Council Bluffs between 1940 and 2025 was 26 March 1983, with 23.5 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Council Bluffs?
Yes: Council Bluffs has on average 35 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Council Bluffs?
In Council Bluffs, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 44.2 °C on 11 June 1953, and the lowest was -39.8 °C on 16 February 2021.
Compare Council Bluffs with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Council Bluffs