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

Diamondhead Lake

371 people, 1,000 ft above sea level in Guthrie County.

1,000 ftElevation, city center
371People, 2024 estimate
1 sq miLand area
Sunny 46°
Sunny now Dew point 27° · SE 6 mph · high 43°
City of Diamondhead Lake River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Diamondhead Lake 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 Diamondhead Lake

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 3:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Audubon County Airport (KADU) · 3:55 PM
Sunny
46° Sunny Feels like 44° · high of 43° near 4 PM
WindSE 6 mphno gusts
Humidity46%rising to 96% by morning
Pressure30.23 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 27° · Dry39° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Friday80% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 50.08 in · 9 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Guthrie County
NWS Des Moines and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 4:15 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:04 AM4:58 PM ↓
9 h 53 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 26% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
30
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
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
clear day
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
TEMPERATURE °F
43°
26°
48°
32°
52°
38°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
1
0
0
0
0
0
6
7
3
2
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5
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12
8
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HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 24 to 31° ↑ Humid air returns 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 47° / 25°
SAT Nov. 14 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
43° 25°
0% rain — SSE 5 A
SUN Nov. 15 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
50° 29°
0% rain — S 5 B
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
53° 36°
0% rain — SSW 10 A
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
56° 42°
0% rain — S 10 A
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
58° 45°
10% rain — S 12, gusts 25 B
THU Nov. 19 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
57° 42°
10% rain — W 5 C
FRI Nov. 20 Showers likely Showers likely
62° 50°
80% rain 0.08–0.8″ S 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 Diamondhead Lake about 5,000 feet above the ground was over British Columbia three days ago, and over the southern Plains a day ago, about 1,790 miles back along its path. Most of the nine paths traced from around the city agree. It came down from about 11,800 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. Traced back 72 hours through NOAA’s hourly RAP analyses and the GFS beyond them, nine paths at each of three heights.

THIS WEEK IN 1999 Nov. 14, 1999

The hottest this week has been

79° on Nov. 14, 1999, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1895. Next is 75° in 1941.

75°
79°
19411999
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Guthrie Center record since 1895.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Diamondhead Lake stands on

Diamondhead Lake’s center stands about 1,000 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 930 ft to 1,150 ft, a difference of 220 ft: rolling country.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Upper Cherokee Group (shale, siltstone), from the Middle Pennsylvanian, 307 to 315 million years old.

The section below crosses 5 rock units mapped at the surface.

Casey to Adel, cut in half

A section west to east, 24 miles through the town center
900 ft1,000 ft1,100 ft1,200 ft1,300 ft DIAMONDHEAD LAKE1,000 ftHigh point of the line1,330 ftMenlo1,230 ftSouth Raccoon Riverabout 910 ftLow point900 ft ← W · CaseyAdel · E →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 45×. 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

Marmaton Group

Shale, limestone. Age: Middle Pennsylvanian, 307 to 315 million years old. About 8 mi of 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 7 mi of the line.

Bronson Group

Limestone, shale. Age: Middle Pennsylvanian to Late Pennsylvanian, 299 to 315 million years old. About 5 mi of the line.

Upper Cherokee Group

Shale, siltstone. Age: Middle Pennsylvanian, 307 to 315 million years old. About 4 mi of the line.

Dakata and Windrow Formations

Sandstone, shale. Age: Early Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous, 94 to 113 million years old. About 0.3 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 Diamondhead Lake’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Diamondhead Lake reaches the Gulf of America by way of Long Branch, the South Raccoon, the North Raccoon, the Des Moines and the Mississippi: about 1,580 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Diamondhead Lake≈ 1,580 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF DIAMONDHEAD LAKE ≈ 1,580 mi to the Gulf of America Long Branch → South Raccoon → North Raccoon → Des Moines → Mississippi

Lake on the way: Roberts Creek.

1,330 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.

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

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Diamondhead Lake’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1895 · Guthrie Center, 15 mi west-northwest

Diamondhead Lake has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 85° in July; winter nights fall to about 10° in January. About 37 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

30°10°35°14°48°25°61°36°72°48°82°59°85°63°83°60°77°50°64°38°48°26°35°16° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY 37.1 in rain a year
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average85° / 63°high / low, the warmest month
January, average30° / 10°high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year37.1 inwettest months: May and June
Hottest on record113°FJuly 25, 1936
Coldest on record−35°FFebruary 2, 1996
Wettest day on record6.79 inApril 27, 2009
Snowiest day on record14.0 inDecember 9, 2009
90° days a year21very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°155and 51 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Sept. 29, to the last in spring, about May 4 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingDec. 23 to Feb. 8; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingOct. 29 to April 4; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchMay through July: 14.9 of the year’s 37.1 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Diamondhead Lake normally reaches 48° and falls to 26°. The record high is 79°, in 1999; the record low −3°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 1.24 in, fell in 2024.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high30°35°48°61°72°82°85°83°77°64°48°35°
Normal low10°14°25°36°48°59°63°60°50°38°26°16°
Rain, inches0.891.181.884.115.305.234.324.523.612.811.881.41
Record high68° (1981)77° (2024)91° (2026)96° (2009)107° (1934)106° (1934)113° (1936)113° (1934)102° (1939)96° (1922)83° (1968)72° (2021)
Record low−35° (1912)−35° (1996)−29° (1962)7° (1936)19° (1907)35° (2001)40° (1895)36° (1935)19° (1899)0° (1925)−16° (1991)−31° (1989)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1895 at Guthrie Center, 15 miles west-northwest. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Diamondhead Lake on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Des Moines IA · 34 MI 34 miles east Ankeny IA · 36 MI 36 miles east Omaha NE · 95 MI 95 miles west Lincoln NE · 136 MI 136 miles west Cedar Rapids IA · 136 MI 136 miles east Sioux Falls SD · 186 MI 186 miles northwest
FORECASTCITY
Map of Diamondhead Lake, Iowa. Explore the plate
IOWA · GUTHRIE

Diamondhead Lake

371 people, 1,000 ft above sea level in Guthrie County.

1,000 ftElevation
371People
1 sq miLand
Sunny 46°
SunnyDew point 27°
1

Today in Diamondhead Lake

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly sunny 43° 0%
7p mostly clear night 35° 0%
10p partly cloudy night 31° 0%
1a partly cloudy night 29° 0%
4a partly cloudy night 27° 0%
7a partly cloudy day 26° 0%
Rain
NEXT RAINFriday · 80%
→
Sat0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
25
43
A
Sun0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
29
50
B
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
36
53
A
Tue0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
42
56
A
Wed10%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
45
58
B
Thu10%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
42
57
C
Fri80%
Showers likely Showers likely
50
62
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

79°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1895.

2

What Diamondhead Lake stands on

Diamondhead Lake’s center stands about 1,000 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 930 ft to 1,150 ft, a difference of 220 ft: rolling country.

Diamondhead Lake, west to east Diamondhead Lake1,000 ftSouth Raccoon Riverabout 910 ft ← WE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 86×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,000 ft
Within 3 miles930 to 1,150 ft
Lie of the landRolling (220 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceUpper Cherokee Group
Its ageMiddle Pennsylvanian, 307 to 315 million years old
5

Diamondhead Lake’s year

Diamondhead Lake has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 85° in July; winter nights fall to about 10° in January. About 37 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 37.1 in
July, average85° / 63° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average30° / 10° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year37.1 in · wettest months: May and June
Hottest on record113°F · July 25, 1936
Coldest on record−35°F · February 2, 1996
Wettest day on record6.79 in · April 27, 2009
Snowiest day on record14.0 in · December 9, 2009
90° days a year21 · very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°155 · and 51 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Sept. 29, to the last in spring, about May 4 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Dec. 23 to Feb. 8; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Oct. 29 to April 4; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · May through July: 14.9 of the year’s 37.1 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Diamondhead Lake normally reaches 48° and falls to 26°. The record high is 79°, in 1999; the record low −3°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 1.24 in, fell in 2024.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1895 at Guthrie Center, 15 miles west-northwest. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,580 mito the Gulf of AmericaLong Branch → South Raccoon → North Raccoon → Des Moines → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Diamondhead Lake reaches the Gulf of America by way of Long Branch, the South Raccoon, the North Raccoon, the Des Moines and the Mississippi: about 1,580 river miles.

Lake on the way: Roberts Creek.

1,330 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.