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Shaded-relief map of Baxter, Iowa: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
IOWA · JASPER COUNTY

Baxter

983 people, 1,010 ft above sea level in Jasper County.

1,010 ftElevation, city center
983People, 2024 estimate
1 sq miLand area
Sunny 44°
Sunny now Dew point 27° · S 6 mph · high 45°
City of Baxter River Interstate 2 miles
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The Baxter plate. Relief from Copernicus GLO-30; rivers and lakes from USGS NHD; watersheds from the USGS Watershed Boundary Dataset; roads and city limits from Census TIGER 2024.

MILE1
TODAY

Today in Baxter

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 12:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Pella Municipal Airport (KPEA) · 1:35 PM
Sunny
44° Sunny Feels like 41° · high of 45° near 2 PM
WindS 6 mphno gusts
Humidity51%falling to 58% this afternoon
Pressure30.30 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 27° · Dry39° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Showers
Friday60% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 50.09 in · 9 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Jasper County
NWS Des Moines and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 1:45 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:00 AM4:53 PM ↓
9 h 52 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 25% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
46
GOODAir quality index · fine particles
Tomorrow: None, moderate. No pollen source yet.

The next three days, hour by hour

Sky: clear, cloudy, night Rain likely National Blend of Models
SATURDAY, NOV. 14
SUNDAY, NOV. 15
MONDAY, NOV. 16
TUESDAY, NOV. 17
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
clear day
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
mostly clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
TEMPERATURE °F
44°
26°
48°
28°
52°
35°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
2
0
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2
0
0
0
3
5
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HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 26 to 39° More humid: 39° by Tuesday

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 80° / 62°
SAT Nov. 14 Sunny Sunny
45° 26°
0% rain — SSW 1 A
SUN Nov. 15 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
51° 28°
0% rain — S 3 B
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
55° 35°
0% rain — SSW 8 B
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
58° 41°
0% rain — S 10 A
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
59° 48°
20% rain — S 13 B
THU Nov. 19 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
61° 45°
10% rain — W 5 C
FRI Nov. 20 Showers likely Showers likely
62° 53°
60% rain 0.01–0.4″ SE 10 C
How sure are we? AModels agree: highs within 4° BSome spread: within 8° CWide spread: check back
Range from the National Blend of Models percentiles · graded on Forecast Scores
AIR MAIL

Where today’s air came from

The air arriving over Baxter about 5,000 feet above the ground was over British Columbia three days ago, and over the southern Plains a day ago, about 2,060 miles back along its path. It came down from about 15,900 feet up, warming and drying as it sank. Near the ground the air came from the Canadian Prairies; at 10,000 feet, from the northern Rockies. It has stayed over land, which is why it feels dry. Traced back 72 hours through NOAA’s hourly RAP analyses, nine paths at each of three heights.

MILE2
THE GROUND

What Baxter stands on

Baxter’s center stands about 1,010 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 860 ft to 1,010 ft, a difference of 150 ft: gently rolling country.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Lower Cherokee Group and Raccoon Creek Group (shale, sandstone, siltstone), from the Early Pennsylvanian to Middle Pennsylvanian, 307 to 324 million years old.

The section below crosses 3 rock units mapped at the surface.

Baxter, cut in half from south to north

A section south to north, 24 miles through the town center
800 ft900 ft1,000 ft BAXTER1,010 ftSouth Skunk Riverabout 760 ftHigh point of the line1,060 ft ← SState Center · N →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 64×. The colored band under the surface is the rock the state geologic map shows at the surface, not a picture of what lies beneath.

Rock at the surface along the line

Lower Cherokee Group and Raccoon Creek Group

Shale, sandstone, siltstone. Age: Early Pennsylvanian to Middle Pennsylvanian, 307 to 324 million years old. About 17 mi of the line.

Augusta Group

Dolostone, limestone. Age: Early Mississippian to Middle Mississippian, 331 to 359 million years old. About 4 mi of the line.

St. Louis and Pella Formations

Dolostone, limestone. Age: Middle Mississippian to Late Mississippian, 324 to 347 million years old. About 3 mi of the line.

From the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation (Horton and others, 2017), the states’ geologic maps joined at a common scale.

Heights from Copernicus GLO-90 (a surface model: it includes buildings and tree canopy); summits from USGS GNIS; rivers from USGS NHDPlus HR; rock from the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation.

MILE3
THE WATER

Where Baxter’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Baxter reaches the Gulf of America by way of Turkey Creek, the South Skunk, the Skunk and the Mississippi: about 1,570 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Baxter≈ 1,570 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF BAXTER ≈ 1,570 mi to the Gulf of America Turkey Creek → South Skunk → Skunk → Mississippi

Traced down the USGS NHDPlus V2.1 river network from the Census center point of Baxter; river miles along the main stem, rounded.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Baxter on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Ankeny IA · 24 MI 24 miles west Des Moines IA · 29 MI 29 miles southwest Cedar Rapids IA · 76 MI 76 miles east Davenport IA · 133 MI 133 miles east Omaha NE · 155 MI 155 miles west Peoria IL · 198 MI 198 miles east
FORECASTCITY
Map of Baxter, Iowa. Explore the plate
IOWA · JASPER

Baxter

983 people, 1,010 ft above sea level in Jasper County.

1,010 ftElevation
983People
1 sq miLand
Sunny 44°
SunnyDew point 27°
1

Today in Baxter

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now clear day 44° 0%
4p clear day 43° 0%
7p clear night 36° 0%
10p mostly clear night 30° 0%
1a mostly clear night 28° 0%
4a partly cloudy night 27° 0%
Showers
NEXT RAINFriday · 60%
→
Sat0%
Sunny Sunny
26
45
A
Sun0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
28
51
B
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
35
55
B
Tue0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
41
58
A
Wed20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
48
59
B
Thu10%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
45
61
C
Fri60%
Showers likely Showers likely
53
62
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
2

What Baxter stands on

Baxter’s center stands about 1,010 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 860 ft to 1,010 ft, a difference of 150 ft: gently rolling country.

Baxter, south to north Baxter1,010 ftSouth Skunk Riverabout 760 ftHigh point1,060 ft ← SN → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,010 ft
Within 3 miles860 to 1,010 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (150 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceLower Cherokee Group and Raccoon Creek Group
Its ageEarly Pennsylvanian to Middle Pennsylvanian, 307 to 324 million years old
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,570 mito the Gulf of AmericaTurkey Creek → South Skunk → Skunk → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Baxter reaches the Gulf of America by way of Turkey Creek, the South Skunk, the Skunk and the Mississippi: about 1,570 river miles.