Iowa ยท season guide
Sledding season in Des Moines
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Des Moines Intl. Airport weather station, about 6 miles from the middle of our Des Moines hill list show November as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (2.7 inches). The normals are monthly averages, so they can't give a first-snow date. Some years come early, some late.
October snow is part of the record here: the normal for that month is 0.5 inches.
February is the snowiest month on average, at 10.2 inches.
Across a normal year the station records about 36.5 inches of snow. That puts Des Moines at 66 of 98 metros on this site, ranked from snowiest down.
About 52 days a year have an inch or more of snow on the ground.
That's close to Ames, the nearest metro on our list (36.5 inches).
Ames uses the same weather station on this site, so the snow numbers match. The hills don't.
6 of the 9 hills we list here come from a city, county or park district page.
Month by month
| Month | Average snowfall | Days with 1 inch or more of new snow | Days with 1 inch or more on the ground |
|---|---|---|---|
| October | 0.5 inches | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| November | 2.7 inches | 0.8 | 2.1 |
| December | 7.9 inches | 2.4 | 10.2 |
| January | 9.4 inches | 2.7 | 18.3 |
| February | 10.2 inches | 3.2 | 15.0 |
| March | 4.4 inches | 1.2 | 5.4 |
| April | 1.2 inches | 0.4 | 0.6 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00014933. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
None of the sources we used for Des Moines mention lights on a sledding hill. Plan on daylight, and see our national lit hills list if you're travelling.
Local rules
We didn't find a city-wide sledding rule for Des Moines in the sources we checked. Individual parks may post their own signs, and those win.
Hours and status lines
Where a source gives hours or a phone line for hill status, here it is. Call before a long drive.
Short answers
When does it usually start snowing in Des Moines?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Des Moines Intl. Airport station, November is the first month averaging an inch of snow or more. The normals are monthly averages, not a date.
How much snow does Des Moines get in a year?
About 36.5 inches a year at the Des Moines Intl. Airport station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in Des Moines?
None of the sources we used mention lights. Plan on daylight.
Updated