Des Moines and the climate reality: A year of extremes

Chris Gloninger is a meteorologist and climate communicator with 18 years of broadcast experience, AMS dual certifications, and a master’s in Emergency Management, specializing in making complex climate topics accessible. He first published this essay on his newsletter, Weathering Climate Change.

As 2024 comes to a close, it’s clear something extraordinary—and unsettling—has been happening in Des Moines. With just five days to go, the city is tied for the second warmest year on record. Highs in the 40s and lows in the 20s ensured the year would cement its place in the top three warmest years since record keeping began in 1879. But this isn’t just a story of numbers; it’s a narrative about change—rapid, undeniable, and deeply concerning.

Weather records in Des Moines stretch back nearly 150 years, offering a rich tapestry of data that helps to understand long-term climate trends. In a stable climate, one might expect the warmest years to be evenly distributed across time—half occurring before 1951 and half after. But that’s not what’s happening. Of the top ten warmest years in Des Moines, seven have occurred since 1951. Even more telling, six of those years have happened since 2010. That’s not just a trend—it’s a flashing red warning light.

Top ten warmest years on record in Des Moines:

For anyone with a shred of critical thinking, this should be a wake-up call. The rapidity and consistency of these warm years scream climate change, but the conversation is often drowned out by the din of denialism. It’s easier to ignore the data when it doesn’t fit a convenient narrative, but the climate isn’t waiting for us to catch up. It’s moving forward, reshaping life as we know it.

THE STORY OF WARMER DAYS

One of the most compelling indicators of a warming climate in Des Moines is the steady increase in warm days. Back in 1879, Des Moines would typically experience 192 days a year where the mercury climbed to or above 60°F. Fast forward to today, and that average has jumped to 204 days—a full two weeks more of 60°+ weather. And in 2024, the city tied for the second greatest number of these warm days, with 236 days hitting that threshold. That’s nearly two-thirds of the year spent in what used to be considered mild, warm conditions.

For a city built around seasonal rhythms, this shift is more than just a curiosity; it has real implications. Longer stretches of warm weather affect everything from agriculture to energy consumption, and they hint at a world that’s becoming increasingly out of balance.

THE VANISHING COLD

But it’s not just the warmer days that tell the story. The cold is disappearing, too. In 1879, Des Moines could count on around 50 days a year where temperatures failed to climb above freezing. That average has since dropped to just 42 days. And in 2024, the city experienced only 24 such days, tying for the ninth fewest on record.

Fewer subfreezing days mean fewer opportunities for the soil to rest in winter, for pests to die off, and for the ecosystems that rely on cold to thrive. It’s not just about comfort or inconvenience—it’s about a fundamental reshaping of the environment.

A MOMENT OF RECKONING

These changes aren’t abstract; they’re happening right now, and they’re measurable in the daily lives of people in Des Moines and beyond. The increasing frequency of warm years, the dwindling number of cold days, and the lengthening warm seasons should serve as a collective “holy shit” moment. The science is clear, the data is unambiguous, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Yet, even in the face of overwhelming evidence, denial persists. Propaganda from climate change deniers obscures the truth, leaving communities vulnerable to the escalating impacts of a warming planet. But the numbers don’t lie. Des Moines’ story is America’s story, and it’s time we start listening.

As we move into 2025, we must confront the reality of our changing climate with urgency and resolve. The trends we see today will only accelerate tomorrow unless we take decisive action. Des Moines is more than a city with an exceptional climate record—it’s a microcosm of the challenges and opportunities we face as we navigate the age of climate change. Let’s hope the warning signs are finally heard.

About the Author(s)

Chris Gloninger

  • Thank you, Chris Gloninger

    It’s good to hear from you again.

  • Very nice and informative

    I watch WHO TV 13. I always enjoyed Chris when he was on KCCI. Very good and very interesting and he would explain how climate change is impacting our lives. Very nice to hear from him again. I hope this gets forwarded to the Register.

  • Climate Change is real

    Great article. I never saw Chris Gloninger broadcast, but he tells such a compelling story with solid evidence. How do we convince the deniers?

    What are the ag producers doing to handle the increased threats of pests? The water issues will also be important to address. Can’t believe we aren’t acting yet.

  • Acronyms

    In the bio, what are AMS dual certifications? Climate change in Iowa is real. Yet, as we approach the coldest months in the year, I can’t help thinking of the many opportunities that a warmer climate brings us. Our hobos, unhoused and locked out elders are less at risk to die from the cold. Our vintners could grow better grapes than the cold-hardy unsavory reds. Our farmers could diversify away from corn and its poisonous syrup. Let’s face it, who doesn’t prefer kiwis to beets and other root vegetables?

  • I also can't help thinking of the many "opportunities" that a warmer climate brings us...

    …like new diseases moving north, affecting humans, animals, and plants. Expanding crop pest problems, because biota that used to die over the winter are increasingly able to overwinter. New invasive species moving in. Native species being forced to move north, if they are able to move. Ever-increasing disparities between the bloom times of plants and the times when pollinators are available to pollinate them. More hot days in summer, with the worst human impacts on the people who can’t afford cooling. Just today, I read about waterfowl dying in Iowa because of bird flu, and how warm temperatures and open waters are making that problem significantly worse.

    There are so many reasons why researchers are dreading the continuation of climate change. So many more could be listed.

  • Researchers often are overexcited

    They magnify fears or hopes to attract research funding. And it is fair game.
    Bees do not really disappear when climate warms up. The Gazette asked experts: “Habitat loss plays a large role. Bees must feed on a variety of flowers to maintain healthy diets, but such a selection rapidly has disappeared in Iowa due to agriculture and development. Those threats also put the bees’ underground nests in danger.”
    Last time I checked a warmer climate, the flowers were many and beautiful.

  • Karl M

    I am not going to further argue with your comments on this thread after I post this comment, especially since such argument would apparently have to take place on the level of “researchers often are overexcited.” I will point out that the CEDAR RAPIDS GAZETTE story quoted in your comment, a story about bumblebees, includes this: “Climate change also is threatening bumblebees, which have adapted to living in colder regions. As the world warms, their range shrinks.”

    Anyone interested in bee reality can Google “Are bee populations declining because of climate change” and get a lot of information from a variety of respected sources. One source is the top-level refereed journal SCIENCE, which carried one report with this headline: “Climate change contributes to widespread declines among bumble bees across continents.”

  • For anyone with a shred of critical thinking, this should be a wake-up call.

    Iowa has become the land of corn and beans and beef, milking cows, and swine that outnumber human beings … by what? I read 30 million hogs and 15 million cattle, all valued for profit, but each an environmental hazard. Ying-yang. Ying is winning. Who would leave such hazards to volunteer management? I once visited with a rural resident who relied on a septic system and deep well for water, and proud to do so. I asked how often he had his water tested for contaminants. “Never,” he said. Why not, I asked “Don’t need to. There’s no law.”

    When big ag (Iowa’s economic driver) overwhelms water in streams, river, ponds, and lakes and rural wells, the click will have run out on ordinary mitigation strategies. ⤵️⤵️ yes‼️

    For anyone with a shred of critical thinking, this should be a wake-up call. The rapidity and consistency of these warm years scream climate change, but the conversation is often drowned out by the din of denialism. It’s easier to ignore the data when it doesn’t fit a convenient narrative, but the climate isn’t waiting for us to catch up. It’s moving forward, reshaping life as we know it.

  • I'm late to the party..

    I never had a great grasp of some of the key concepts in statistical science, so I’ll leave it to those who do to be as horrified as I probably should be upon learning that the ice loss in the Antarctic in 2024 was a full seven standard deviations off the mean.

    I can’t remember which magazine I subscribe to where I read that in. Probably googleable, though.

  • Another serious impact of climate change

    Chris Gloninger was covering basics, and he did it very well. There is a lot more to say, however, and one big issue for Iowa is insurance. Insurance companies are pulling out of home insurance all over the country, largely because of the rising number of weather-related catastrophes. Here’s one headline: “States beg insurers not to drop climate-threatened homes.”

    I have several Iowa friends whose home insurance companies are pulling out of the market, are really hoisting rates, or are refusing to pay the full cost of severe storm damage. Here’s one quote about 2023: “According to The New York Times, 18 states had unprofitable homeowners insurance companies last year: Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.”

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