FORECAST CITY
Sign in
Shaded-relief map of Dougherty, Iowa: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
IOWA · CERRO GORDO COUNTY

Dougherty

61 people, 1,100 ft above sea level in Cerro Gordo County.

1,100 ftElevation, city center
61People, 2024 estimate
1 sq miLand area
Sunny 42°
Sunny now Dew point 25° · SSW 3 mph · high 42°
City of Dougherty River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Dougherty 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 Dougherty

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 12:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Mason City Municipal Airport (KMCW) · 12:53 PM
Sunny
42° Sunny Feels like 40° · high of 42° near 3 PM
WindSSW 3 mphno gusts
Humidity50%falling to 62% this afternoon
Pressure30.26 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 25° · Dry39° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Partly cloudy
Wednesday30% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 50.04 in · 9 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Cerro Gordo County
NWS Des Moines and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 1:45 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:03 AM4:50 PM ↓
9 h 47 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 25% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
46
GOODAir quality index · coarse particles
Tomorrow: 49, 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
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
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
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly sunny
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
TEMPERATURE °F
41°
25°
46°
30°
50°
37°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
3
3
5
3
2
0
3
7
9
8
7
8
8
9
11
14
15
13
12
12
12
12
13
17
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 25 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 44° / 25°
SAT Nov. 14 Sunny Sunny
42° 23°
0% rain — S 3 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
49° 27°
0% rain — S 6 A
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
53° 34°
0% rain — SSW 13 B
TUE Nov. 17 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
56° 40°
0% rain — S 14 A
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
57° 44°
30% rain — S 14 B
THU Nov. 19 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
57° 38°
20% rain — WNW 5 C
FRI Nov. 20 Showers likely Showers likely
58° 46°
80% rain 0.1–0.8″ SE 12 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 Dougherty about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the Canadian Prairies three days ago, and over the central Plains a day ago, about 1,220 miles back along its path. Near the ground the air came from British Columbia; 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.

THIS WEEK IN 1999 Nov. 14, 1999

The hottest this week has been

76° on Nov. 14, 1999, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1893. Next is 76° in 2012.

76°
76°
20121999
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Hampton record since 1893.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Dougherty stands on

Dougherty’s center stands about 1,100 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,060 ft to 1,140 ft, a difference of 80 ft: gently rolling country.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Lime Creek Formation (shale, limestone, dolostone), from the Late Devonian, 374 to 384 million years old.

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

Dumont to Portland, cut in half

A section south to north, 24 miles through the town center
1,000 ft1,100 ft DOUGHERTY1,100 ftLow point980 ftHigh point of the line1,180 ft ← S · DumontPortland · 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

Lime Creek Formation

Shale, limestone, dolostone. Age: Late Devonian, 374 to 384 million years old. About 12 mi of the line.

Cedar Valley Group

Limestone, dolostone. Age: Middle Devonian to Late Devonian, 374 to 388 million years old. About 7 mi of the line.

Famennian formations

Shale, siltstone. Age: Late Devonian, 359 to 374 million years old. About 5 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 Dougherty’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Dougherty reaches the Gulf of America by way of Coldwater Creek, the Shell Rock, the Cedar River, the Iowa and the Mississippi: about 1,670 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Dougherty≈ 1,670 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF DOUGHERTY ≈ 1,670 mi to the Gulf of America Coldwater Creek → Shell Rock → Cedar River → Iowa → Mississippi

1,410 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.

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

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Dougherty’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1893 · Hampton, 14 mi southwest

Dougherty has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 84° in July; winter nights fall to about 8° in January. About 38 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

25°8°30°12°43°24°58°35°70°48°80°58°84°62°81°59°75°50°62°38°45°25°31°15° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY DOUGHERTY 38.1 in rain a year
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, average25° / 8°high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year38.1 inwettest months: June and May
Hottest on record109°FJuly 24, 1901
Coldest on record−35°FMarch 1, 1962
Wettest day on record6.47 inJuly 17, 1968
Snowiest day on record12.0 inNovember 21, 2015
90° days a year12very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°156and 67 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 4, to the last in spring, about April 29 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingDec. 13 to Feb. 21; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingOct. 30 to April 9; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchMay through July: 16.0 of the year’s 38.1 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Dougherty normally reaches 46° and falls to 26°. The record high is 76°, in 1999; the record low −6°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 0.95 in, fell in 1926.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high25°30°43°58°70°80°84°81°75°62°45°31°
Normal low8°12°24°35°48°58°62°59°50°38°25°15°
Rain, inches0.971.312.094.265.256.064.704.243.302.541.801.59
Record high65° (2002)77° (2024)88° (1895)95° (1980)107° (1934)106° (1934)109° (1901)105° (1936)102° (1939)96° (1963)80° (1931)70° (2021)
Record low−34° (1912)−31° (1996)−35° (1962)9° (2018)22° (1931)35° (1935)40° (1895)36° (1967)22° (1942)−1° (1925)−14° (1977)−23° (1989)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1893 at Hampton, 14 miles southwest. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Dougherty on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Mason City IA · 18 MI 18 miles northwest Des Moines IA · 98 MI 98 miles south St. Paul MN · 140 MI 140 miles north Minneapolis MN · 141 MI 141 miles north Madison WI · 183 MI 183 miles east
FORECASTCITY
Map of Dougherty, Iowa. Explore the plate
IOWA · CERRO GORDO

Dougherty

61 people, 1,100 ft above sea level in Cerro Gordo County.

1,100 ftElevation
61People
1 sq miLand
Sunny 42°
SunnyDew point 25°
1

Today in Dougherty

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now clear day 41° 0%
4p clear day 41° 0%
7p mostly clear night 33° 0%
10p partly cloudy night 29° 0%
1a partly cloudy night 27° 0%
4a partly cloudy night 25° 0%
Partly cloudy
NEXT RAINWednesday · 30%
→
Sat0%
Sunny Sunny
23
42
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
27
49
A
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
34
53
B
Tue0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
40
56
A
Wed30%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
44
57
B
Thu20%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
38
57
C
Fri80%
Showers likely Showers likely
46
58
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

76°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1893.

2

What Dougherty stands on

Dougherty’s center stands about 1,100 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,060 ft to 1,140 ft, a difference of 80 ft: gently rolling country.

Dougherty, south to north Dougherty1,100 ftHigh point1,180 ft ← SN → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,100 ft
Within 3 miles1,060 to 1,140 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (80 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceLime Creek Formation
Its ageLate Devonian, 374 to 384 million years old
5

Dougherty’s year

Dougherty has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 84° in July; winter nights fall to about 8° in January. About 38 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 38.1 in
July, average84° / 62° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average25° / 8° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year38.1 in · wettest months: June and May
Hottest on record109°F · July 24, 1901
Coldest on record−35°F · March 1, 1962
Wettest day on record6.47 in · July 17, 1968
Snowiest day on record12.0 in · November 21, 2015
90° days a year12 · very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°156 · and 67 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 4, to the last in spring, about April 29 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Dec. 13 to Feb. 21; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Oct. 30 to April 9; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · May through July: 16.0 of the year’s 38.1 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Dougherty normally reaches 46° and falls to 26°. The record high is 76°, in 1999; the record low −6°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 0.95 in, fell in 1926.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1893 at Hampton, 14 miles southwest. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,670 mito the Gulf of AmericaColdwater Creek → Shell Rock → Cedar River → Iowa → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Dougherty reaches the Gulf of America by way of Coldwater Creek, the Shell Rock, the Cedar River, the Iowa and the Mississippi: about 1,670 river miles.

1,410 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.