Weather
Iowa-Illinois Weather: October Heat Breaks Into Top 10 Rankings
Moline, IL – October 2026 delivered unusually persistent warmth across eastern Iowa and western Illinois, with temperatures running as much as 8.9 degrees above normal and several communities recordin
By Dylan Reeves · 2026-11-01T22:04:41.621Z
Moline, IL – October 2026 delivered unusually persistent warmth across eastern Iowa and western Illinois, with temperatures running as much as 8.9 degrees above normal and several communities recording one of their warmest Octobers on record.
According to the National Weather Service Quad Cities office, monthly average temperatures finished approximately 6 to 9 degrees above normal across the region, placing several reporting stations among their 10 warmest Octobers.
Several Communities Reach Historic Rankings Cedar Rapids, Iowa, recorded an average temperature of 59.6 degrees, 8.9 degrees above normal, ranking as its fifth warmest October in the available climate database.
Other notable readings included:
Burlington, Iowa: 61.2 degrees, 7 degrees above normal, tied for eighth warmest. Dubuque, Iowa: 57.7 degrees, 7.8 degrees above normal, eighth warmest. Moline, Illinois: 59.8 degrees, 6.1 degrees above normal, eighth warmest. Davenport, Iowa: 60.1 degrees, 7.6 degrees above normal. Iowa City, Iowa: 60.4 degrees, 7.3 degrees above normal. The National Weather Service noted that rankings for Burlington and Cedar Rapids are based on incomplete historical databases.
Widespread Warmth Followed Early October Rain The month began with relatively mild, wet conditions before temperatures increased substantially during the second week.
Widespread afternoon highs reached the 80s, with several locations tying or breaking daily high temperature records Oct. 12.
Only three or four days during the entire month recorded below normal temperatures across the region.
Rainfall Varied Across Iowa and Illinois Despite the widespread warmth, precipitation patterns were less consistent.
Drier than normal conditions generally affected locations north of Interstate 80 and portions of central Illinois.
Meanwhile, areas of southeast Iowa extending into west central Illinois experienced above normal rainfall.
The findings highlight an exceptionally warm October across the Quad Cities region, even as rainfall totals differed significantly between nearby communities.
Additional historical climate information is available through the National Weather Service at weather.gov/dvn .