Weather alerts in Des Moines, Iowa today
National Weather Service
Official Freeze Warning in effect for Des Moines.
What it means
- Freeze or cold: protect sensitive plants, pets and outdoor pipes. In extreme cold, dress in layers, limit time outdoors and use space heaters and generators safely.
Always follow your local National Weather Service office and local officials. Details below.
Official weather alerts for Des Moines
Freeze Warning until Sat, Oct 17, 9:00 AM CDT
Freeze Warning issued October 16 at 2:53PM CDT until October 17 at 9:00AM CDT by NWS Des Moines IA
Emmet; Kossuth; Winnebago; Worth; Palo Alto; Hancock; Cerro Gordo; Pocahontas; Humboldt; Wright; Franklin; Butler; Bremer; Sac; Calhoun; Webster; Hamilton; Hardin; Grundy; Black Hawk; Crawford; Carroll; Greene; Boone; Story; Marshall; Tama; Audubon; Guthrie; Dallas; Polk; Jasper; Poweshiek; Cass; Adair; Madison; Warren; Marion; Mahaska; Adams; Union; Clarke; Lucas; Monroe; Wapello; Taylor; Ringgold; Decatur; Wayne; Appanoose
Full text from the National Weather Service
FREEZE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 9 AM CDT SATURDAY
* WHAT...Sub-freezing temperatures as low as 29-32 expected and widespread frost. * WHERE...Much of central Iowa. * WHEN...From 1 AM to 9 AM CDT Saturday. * IMPACTS...Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.
Instructions: Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.
Official NWS page · NWS Des Moines IA
Storm Prediction Center · today's severe-storm outlook · issued 1 h ago
Des Moines is outside today's thunderstorm and severe-storm areas.
Official SPC Day 1 Convective Outlook (NOAA), valid until Sat, Oct 17, 7:00 AM CDT. It shows the chance of severe storms in the area, not a warning for your street. SPC outlook
U.S. Drought Monitor · map of October 13
No drought, but 1.4% of Iowa is abnormally dry.
Share of the state's area. Updated every Thursday by the U.S. Drought Monitor (National Drought Mitigation Center, USDA and NOAA). Drought builds over weeks and months: one rainy day rarely ends it.
Weather in Des Moines now
Rain forecast for Des Moines · next days
Automatic forecast from a computer model (MET Norway, data CC BY 4.0). Not an official alert: for watches and warnings, follow National Weather Service.
What do the inches mean?
As a rough guide: under a quarter inch in a day is light rain; 1 to 2 inches is a heavy downpour; more than 2 inches in a day is very heavy rain that can flood low-lying areas and roads.
Several rainy days in a row saturate the ground: even a modest storm can then cause flash flooding and rising rivers.
What is normal in October in Des Moines
changing season Fall: usually calmer, with occasional severe storms along autumn cold fronts. The first freeze and snow arrive by November.
El Niño is under way, and NOAA expects it to be strong (NOAA, October 8, 2026).
In the Midwest it tends to bring a milder winter with less snow, especially in the north.
These are general tendencies: every year is different, and your local forecast comes first.
Typical climate per NOAA and regional weather services. It describes the season, not the forecast for a given day.
Official sources for Iowa
Emergency: 911