Sprinkler Winterization in Iowa
In Iowa, local sprinklers deadlines run from Oct 8 to Oct 22, with a median around Oct 18 — a spread of weeks that a single statewide date would miss. Find your city below; each links to local freeze odds, a live 10-day outlook, and a checklist.
Notable cities
- Sioux City — earliest deadline in the state
- Dubuque — latest deadline in the state
- Iowa City — near the state median
All Iowa cities
| City | Local deadline | Median first 28°F | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux City | Oct 8 | Oct 18 | View → | Checklist |
| Ames | Oct 9 | Oct 19 | View → | Checklist |
| Waterloo | Oct 10 | Oct 20 | View → | Checklist |
| Cedar Falls | Oct 10 | Oct 20 | View → | Checklist |
| Cedar Rapids | Oct 12 | Oct 22 | View → | Checklist |
| Ankeny | Oct 15 | Oct 25 | View → | Checklist |
| Iowa City | Oct 18 | Oct 28 | View → | Checklist |
| Des Moines | Oct 20 | Oct 30 | View → | Checklist |
| Council Bluffs | Oct 20 | Oct 30 | View → | Checklist |
| West Des Moines | Oct 20 | Oct 30 | View → | Checklist |
| Urbandale | Oct 20 | Oct 30 | View → | Checklist |
| Davenport | Oct 21 | Oct 31 | View → | Checklist |
| Dubuque | Oct 22 | Nov 1 | View → | Checklist |
Back to the national Sprinkler Winterization guide, or see the methodology.
Data: NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals; live outlook by Open-Meteo. Last updated: July 11, 2026.