Iowa ยท season guide
Sledding season in Iowa City
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Ottumwa Ind Airport weather station, about 62 miles from the middle of our Iowa City hill list show November as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (1.6 inches). The normals are monthly averages, so they can't give a first-snow date. Some years come early, some late.
Caveat: the nearest NOAA station with snow normals is about 62 miles from these hills, so local snowfall can differ a lot from these numbers.
October snow is part of the record here: the normal for that month is 0.5 inches.
January is the snowiest month on average, at 7.1 inches.
Across a normal year the station records about 23.6 inches of snow. That puts Iowa City at 86 of 98 metros on this site, ranked from snowiest down.
About 38 days a year have an inch or more of snow on the ground.
For comparison, Cedar Rapids, the nearest metro on our list, averages 39.1 inches, more than here.
All 5 hills we list here come from local sources rather than the park or city.
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 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| November | 1.6 inches | 0.6 | 2.1 |
| December | 4.2 inches | 1.3 | 5.4 |
| January | 7.1 inches | 2.9 | 17.5 |
| February | 5.8 inches | 1.7 | 8.7 |
| March | 3 inches | 0.9 | 3.7 |
| April | 1.4 inches | 0.4 | 0.5 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00014950. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
None of the sources we used for Iowa City 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 Iowa City in the sources we checked. Individual parks may post their own signs, and those win.
Short answers
When does it usually start snowing in Iowa City?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Ottumwa Ind 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 Iowa City get in a year?
About 23.6 inches a year at the Ottumwa Ind Airport station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in Iowa City?
None of the sources we used mention lights. Plan on daylight.
Updated