How Much Fell
Method and accuracyMethod

How much rain and snow fell in Ames, Iowa?

Change town

No rain fell in Ames in the last 24 hours (to 1 PM CDT, Oct 11). Past 7 days: 1.37 in. This year: 43.78 in.

Yesterday and last night (24 hours to 7 AM CDT, Oct 10): no rain.

0.00
inches
of rain

In the 24 hours to 1:00 PM CDT, Sunday, October 11, 2026

radar estimate

  • Estimated from weather radar (NOAA)?. Usually within 10 to 15 percent of what a rain gauge? in your yard would catch.
  • New snow: 0.0 in in the last 24 hours and not measured this season (NOAA snow estimate)

Compared with normal

  • Last 7 days0.82 in wetter than normal (normal 0.55 in, Oct 5 to 11, Ames Municipal Airport, 1991 to 2020)1991 to 2020 average (the official normal), NOAA station records, Ames Municipal Airport
  • This month0.42 in wetter than normal (normal 0.94 in, Oct 1 to 11, Ames Municipal Airport, 1991 to 2020)1991 to 2020 average, NOAA station records, Ames Municipal Airport

Will this match my gauge? Each day here ends at 7:00 AM CDT, close to when volunteers read their rain gauges (about 7 AM). How close we usually are

Ames dryDes Moines dryAnkeny dryWest Des Moines dryUrbandale dryJohnston dryAmes dryDes Moines dryAnkeny dryWest Des Moines dry
Rain, inches
0.01
0.10
0.25
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
3.00
4.00
6.00+
Rain in the 24 hours to 1 PM Sunday, Oct 11. Radar estimate from NOAA.
Labels: Ames and nearby towns within 40 miles, in inches. Cut from the state map.

The most rain in a day in Ames since October 30, 2024, and the 130th wettest day at Ames Municipal Airport since 1998.

NOAA station records · Ames Municipal Airport (USW00094989), 2.5 mi away · 129 wetter days out of 9,667 on record, no ties. This storm: Oct 9 to Oct 9, 1.36 in of rain; its biggest day, Oct 9, was 1.36 in.

The last 14 days

Sep 27 to Oct 10, 2026

Rain, inches (radar estimate)

  1. 0.05
  2. 0.03
  3. 0.00
  4. 0.33
  5. 1.47
  6. 0.00
  7. 0.00
  8. 0.00
  9. 0.00
  10. 0.00
  11. 0.00
  12. 0.00
  13. 1.36
  14. 0.00

Each bar is one day ending 7:00 AM CDT. T = a trace, too little to measure; n/m = not measured.? Every value is printed, so the chart reads without color.

October 2026, day by day

Tap a day to see its total
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat

Tap a day for its total.

Figures: rain, inches (radar estimate); new snow, inches (NOAA snow estimate). Striped days are not measured or not in the data; days marked not yet are after the latest day. Each day ends 7:00 AM CDT.

Total for a date range

Loading the total.

Rain goes back to Oct 14, 2020; snow to Oct 1, 2008. Days labeled by the date they end.

Every rain total for Ames

PeriodRain
Last 24 hours, to 1:00 PM CDT Oct 110.00 in radar estimate
Last 72 hours1.36 in radar estimate
Last 7 days1.37 in radar estimate
This month so far1.36 in radar estimate
This year, 2026 so far43.78 in radar estimate

Every snow total

PeriodNew snow
Last 24 hours0.0 in NOAA snow estimate
Last 72 hours0.0 in NOAA snow estimate
Last 7 daysnot measured
This month so farnot measured
This season so farnot measured

How months count

Ames at a glance

Ames is in Iowa, at about 928 ft above sea level at its Census center point and had an estimated 69,026 residents in 2024.

The weather station's records since 1998 come from Ames Municipal Airport, 2.5 miles away.

The wettest day on record at Ames Municipal Airport was 4.85 in on May 22, 2004; the biggest snow day, at Ames 8 Wsw, was 12.0 in on January 26, 1996, tied with 1 other day.

From Sep 27 to Oct 10, Ames had measurable rain on 5 days out of 14 with data, 3.24 in of rain in all, by weather radar. The wettest day was Thu, Oct 1, with 1.47 in.

Nearby Iowa towns

TownFrom Ames24 hours7 days
Ankeny rain totals (20.5 mi)20.5 mi south0.00 in0.94 in
Johnston rain totals (23.7 mi)23.7 mi south0.00 in0.67 in
Urbandale rain totals (28.1 mi)28.1 mi south0.00 in0.29 in
Des Moines rain totals (31.4 mi)31.4 mi south0.00 in0.76 in
Waukee rain totals (33.0 mi)33.0 mi southwest0.00 in0.38 in
West Des Moines rain totals (33.9 mi)33.9 mi south0.00 in0.45 in

Rain totals are estimated from weather radar (NOAA). Distance is in a straight line between Census center points.

Nearby rain gauges (read by volunteers)

3 closest
Rain gaugeDistanceRead atMelted to waterNew snowSnow depth
Ames 2.0 WNW
Station IA-SR-45. Read at 7:00 AM on October 11, 2026.
2.1 mi7:00 AM0.00 in0.0 innot reported
Ames 2.5 W
Station IA-SR-29. Read at 8:00 AM on October 11, 2026.
2.8 mi8:00 AM0.00 in0.0 innot reported
Nevada 0.4 WNW
Station IA-SR-59. Read at 7:00 AM on October 11, 2026.
8.5 mi7:00 AM0.01 innot reportednot reported

Volunteer gauge reports: CoCoRaHS (cocorahs.org), CC BY 3.0. Measured by hand once a day; report date October 11, 2026. Shown as measured, not edited.

How close? Radar rain estimates are usually within about 10 to 15 percent of a rain gauge in your yard. City snow totals are usually within about 25 percent or 1 inch of what volunteers measure. Method and accuracy