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

Cherokee

5,186 people, 1,200 ft above sea level in Cherokee County.

1,200 ftElevation, city center
5,186People, 2024 estimate
7 sq miLand area
Clear 34°
Clear now Dew point 25° · ESE 8 mph · high 37°
City of Cherokee River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Cherokee 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 Cherokee

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 5:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Cherokee Municipal Airport (KCKP) · 6:35 PM
Clear
34° Clear Feels like 27° · high of 37° near 6 PM
WindESE 8 mphno gusts
Humidity69%rising to 96% by morning
Pressure30.25 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 25° · Dry41° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Friday90% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 50.08 in · 9 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Cherokee County
NWS Sioux Falls and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 6:45 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:12 AM5:00 PM ↓
9 h 48 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 27% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
25
GOODAir quality index · fine particles
Tomorrow: 41, good. 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
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
clear day
clear day
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
TEMPERATURE °F
37°
26°
48°
33°
52°
39°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
5
3
3
3
5
8
10
9
6
7
8
9
10
13
17
15
12
12
12
12
14
17
19
17
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 24 to 31° ↑ Humid air returns More humid: 41° by Tuesday

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 46° / 25°
SAT Nov. 14 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
37° 24°
0% rain — SSE 4 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
49° 30°
0% rain — S 8 B
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
53° 37°
0% rain — SSW 14, gusts 25 B
TUE Nov. 17 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
54° 43°
0% rain — S 15 B
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
57° 42°
20% rain — SSW 13 B
THU Nov. 19 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
54° 38°
10% rain — NNW 2 C
FRI Nov. 20 Showers likely Showers likely
59° 46°
90% rain 0.2–1.3″ SSE 14 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 Cherokee about 5,000 feet above the ground was over Texas three days ago, and over the southern Plains a day ago, about 850 miles back along its path. Most of the nine paths traced from around the city agree. It rose from near the ground on the way. Near the ground the air came from the Canadian Prairies; at 10,000 feet, from the Rockies. Traced back 72 hours through NOAA’s hourly RAP analyses, nine paths at each of three heights.

THIS WEEK IN 1999 Nov. 14, 1999

The hottest this week has been

75° on Nov. 14, 1999, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1921. Next is 75° in 2001.

75°
75°
20011999
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Cherokee record since 1921.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Cherokee stands on

Cherokee’s center stands about 1,200 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,170 ft to 1,410 ft, a difference of 240 ft: rolling country.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Dakata and Windrow Formations (sandstone, shale), from the Early Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous, 94 to 113 million years old.

Cherokee, cut in half from southwest to northeast

A section southwest to northeast, 24 miles through the town center
1,200 ft1,300 ft1,400 ft CHEROKEE1,200 ftLittle Sioux Riverabout 1,160 ftHigh point of the line1,480 ft ← SWNE →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 60×. 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

Dakata and Windrow Formations

Sandstone, shale. Age: Early Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous, 94 to 113 million years old. About 24 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 Cherokee’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Cherokee reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Little Sioux, the Missouri and the Mississippi: about 1,920 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Cherokee≈ 1,920 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF CHEROKEE ≈ 1,920 mi to the Gulf of America Little Sioux → Missouri → Mississippi

1,170 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.

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

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Cherokee’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1921 · Cherokee

Cherokee has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 84° in July; winter nights fall to about 7° in January. A normal year brings about 38 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 31 inches of water.

27°7°32°11°45°23°59°34°70°47°81°58°84°62°82°59°75°50°62°36°46°24°32°13° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY CHEROKEE 31.2 in rain and snowmelt
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average84° / 62°high / low, the warmest month
January, average27° / 7°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow31.2 inwettest months: June and May
Snow a year37.8 insnowiest: December
Hottest on record109°FAugust 18, 1936
Coldest on record−35°FJanuary 20, 1970
Wettest day on record6.25 inJune 7, 1953
Snowiest day on record12.0 inMarch 24, 2016
90° days a year17very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°165and 62 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 2, to the last in spring, about May 2 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingDec. 13 to Feb. 18; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingOct. 26 to April 10; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchMay through July: 12.9 of the year’s 31.2 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Cherokee normally reaches 46° and falls to 25°. The record high is 75°, in 1999; the record low −17°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 1.38 in, fell in 1926.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high27°32°45°59°70°81°84°82°75°62°46°32°
Normal low7°11°23°34°47°58°62°59°50°36°24°13°
Rain and melt, in0.650.781.663.174.285.203.404.123.292.251.460.93
Snow, inches7.58.45.22.70.10.00.00.00.00.54.09.4
Record high67° (1981)73° (2024)90° (2026)94° (1980)106° (1934)103° (1988)108° (1936)109° (1936)101° (1976)94° (1963)80° (2006)68° (1998)
Record low−35° (1970)−34° (2021)−23° (1960)−8° (1975)21° (2005)34° (1989)40° (1972)34° (1950)19° (1942)−5° (1925)−17° (1991)−27° (1924)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1921 at Cherokee, here. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Cherokee on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Sioux City IA · 46 MI 46 miles west Sioux Falls SD · 81 MI 81 miles northwest Omaha NE · 106 MI 106 miles south Des Moines IA · 129 MI 129 miles southeast
FORECASTCITY
Map of Cherokee, Iowa. Explore the plate
IOWA · CHEROKEE

Cherokee

5,186 people, 1,200 ft above sea level in Cherokee County.

1,200 ftElevation
5,186People
7 sq miLand
Clear 34°
ClearDew point 25°
1

Today in Cherokee

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly clear night 37° 0%
9p mostly clear night 32° 0%
12a partly cloudy night 29° 0%
3a mostly clear night 27° 0%
6a mostly clear night 26° 0%
9a partly cloudy day 32° 0%
Rain
NEXT RAINFriday · 90%
→
Sat0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
24
37
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
30
49
B
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
37
53
B
Tue0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
43
54
B
Wed20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
42
57
B
Thu10%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
38
54
C
Fri90%
Showers likely Showers likely
46
59
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK IN 1999 · NOV. 14, 1999

75°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1921.

2

What Cherokee stands on

Cherokee’s center stands about 1,200 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,170 ft to 1,410 ft, a difference of 240 ft: rolling country.

Cherokee, southwest to northeast Cherokee1,200 ftLittle Sioux Riverabout 1,160 ft ← SWNE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 114×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,200 ft
Within 3 miles1,170 to 1,410 ft
Lie of the landRolling (240 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceDakata and Windrow Formations
Its ageEarly Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous, 94 to 113 million years old
5

Cherokee’s year

Cherokee has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 84° in July; winter nights fall to about 7° in January. A normal year brings about 38 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 31 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 31.2 in
July, average84° / 62° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average27° / 7° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow31.2 in · wettest months: June and May
Snow a year37.8 in · snowiest: December
Hottest on record109°F · August 18, 1936
Coldest on record−35°F · January 20, 1970
Wettest day on record6.25 in · June 7, 1953
Snowiest day on record12.0 in · March 24, 2016
90° days a year17 · very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°165 · and 62 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 2, to the last in spring, about May 2 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Dec. 13 to Feb. 18; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Oct. 26 to April 10; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · May through July: 12.9 of the year’s 31.2 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Cherokee normally reaches 46° and falls to 25°. The record high is 75°, in 1999; the record low −17°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 1.38 in, fell in 1926.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1921 at Cherokee, here. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,920 mito the Gulf of AmericaLittle Sioux → Missouri → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Cherokee reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Little Sioux, the Missouri and the Mississippi: about 1,920 river miles.

1,170 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.