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

Fostoria

229 people, 1,460 ft above sea level in Clay County.

1,460 ftElevation, city center
229People, 2024 estimate
0 sq miLand area
Sunny 39°
Sunny now Dew point 24° · SE 7 mph · high 35°
City of Fostoria River Interstate 2 miles
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The Fostoria 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 Fostoria

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 5:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Spencer Municipal Airport (KSPW) · 4:53 PM
Sunny
39° Sunny Feels like 34° · high of 35° near 5 PM
WindSE 7 mphno gusts
Humidity55%rising to 88% by morning
Pressure30.24 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 24° · Dry39° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Friday90% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 30.21 in · 11 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Clay County
NWS Sioux Falls and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 5:45 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:12 AM4:57 PM ↓
9 h 45 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 26% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
17
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
5p
8p
11p
2a
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2a
5a
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5p
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2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
clear night
partly cloudy night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
clear day
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
windy
windy
TEMPERATURE °F
35°
24°
47°
32°
52°
37°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
7
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12
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HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 22 to 26° ↑ 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 45° / 25°
SAT Nov. 14 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
35° 23°
0% rain — SE 7 A
SUN Nov. 15 Partly cloudy; warmer Partly cloudy; warmer
49° 29°
0% rain — S 10 A
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
53° 36°
0% rain — SSW 16, gusts 29 B
TUE Nov. 17 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
54° 41°
0% rain — S 17, gusts 26 B
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
57° 41°
20% rain — S 15 C
THU Nov. 19 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
53° 36°
10% rain — WNW 5 C
FRI Nov. 20 Showers likely Showers likely
57° 44°
90% rain 0.2–1.2″ SSE 15 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 Fostoria about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the northern Plains three days ago, and over the southern Plains a day ago, about 960 miles back along its path. The nine paths traced from around the city fan out, so treat that as a best guess. Near the ground the air came from the Canadian Prairies; at 10,000 feet, from the southern Plains. 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. 13, 1999

The hottest this week has been

76° on Nov. 13, 1999, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1895. Next is 74° in 2001.

74°
76°
20011999
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Spencer Area threaded record since 1895.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Fostoria stands on

Fostoria’s center stands about 1,460 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,350 ft to 1,460 ft, a difference of 110 ft: gently 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.

Royal to Spirit Lake, cut in half

A section southwest to northeast, 24 miles through the town center
1,300 ft1,400 ft1,500 ft FOSTORIA1,460 ftOcheyedan Riverabout 1,320 ftLittle Sioux Riverabout 1,320 ftHigh point of the line1,530 ft ← SW · RoyalSpirit Lake · NE →

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

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 Fostoria’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Fostoria reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Little Sioux, the Missouri and the Mississippi: about 2,030 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Fostoria≈ 2,030 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF FOSTORIA ≈ 2,030 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 Fostoria; river miles along the main stem, rounded.

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Fostoria’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1895 · Spencer Municipal Airport, 6 mi south-southwest

Fostoria has a dry-winter hot-summer continental climate. Summer afternoons average 85° in July; winter nights fall to about 8° in January. About 27 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

26°8°30°13°44°25°59°36°71°48°81°59°85°62°82°59°76°50°61°37°45°25°31°14° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY FOSTORIA 26.8 in rain a year
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average85° / 62°high / low, the warmest month
January, average26° / 8°high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year26.8 inwettest months: June and July
Hottest on record113°FJuly 17, 1936
Coldest on record−38°FJanuary 12, 1912
Wettest day on record5.50 inSeptember 14, 2004
Snowiest day on record14.0 inMarch 3, 1977
90° days a year18very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°163and 67 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeDry-winter hot-summer continentalKöppen Dwa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Sept. 27, to the last in spring, about May 3 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingDec. 11 to Feb. 22; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingOct. 28 to April 6; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchMay through July: 11.7 of the year’s 26.8 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Fostoria normally reaches 45° and falls to 25°. The record high is 74°, in 2025; the record low −17°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 0.91 in, fell in 1926.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high26°30°44°59°71°81°85°82°76°61°45°31°
Normal low8°13°25°36°48°59°62°59°50°37°25°14°
Rain, inches0.250.431.442.823.834.013.843.293.212.221.070.42
Record high66° (1981)74° (2024)89° (2026)95° (2007)109° (1934)106° (1933)113° (1936)111° (1930)102° (1925)95° (2023)80° (2020)67° (1998)
Record low−38° (1912)−36° (1899)−28° (1948)0° (1975)20° (2011)30° (1896)40° (2013)34° (1950)21° (1942)−8° (1925)−17° (1959)−30° (1914)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1895 from the Spencer Area threaded record (Spencer Municipal Airport, 6 miles south-southwest, 120 ft lower). NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Fostoria on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Sioux Falls SD · 82 MI 82 miles west Des Moines IA · 140 MI 140 miles southeast Rochester MN · 144 MI 144 miles east Cedar Rapids IA · 198 MI 198 miles southeast
FORECASTCITY
Map of Fostoria, Iowa. Explore the plate
IOWA · CLAY

Fostoria

229 people, 1,460 ft above sea level in Clay County.

1,460 ftElevation
229People
0 sq miLand
Sunny 39°
SunnyDew point 24°
1

Today in Fostoria

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now clear night 35° 0%
8p mostly clear night 32° 0%
11p partly cloudy night 28° 0%
2a mostly clear night 26° 0%
5a partly cloudy night 24° 0%
8a partly cloudy day 26° 0%
Rain
NEXT RAINFriday · 90%
→
Sat0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
23
35
A
Sun0%
Partly cloudy; warmer Partly cloudy; warmer
29
49
A
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
36
53
B
Tue0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
41
54
B
Wed20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
41
57
C
Thu10%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
36
53
C
Fri90%
Showers likely Showers likely
44
57
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK IN 1999 · NOV. 13, 1999

76°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1895.

2

What Fostoria stands on

Fostoria’s center stands about 1,460 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,350 ft to 1,460 ft, a difference of 110 ft: gently rolling country.

Fostoria, southwest to northeast Fostoria1,460 ftOcheyedan Riverabout 1,320 ftHigh point1,530 ft ← SWNE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,460 ft
Within 3 miles1,350 to 1,460 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (110 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceDakata and Windrow Formations
Its ageEarly Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous, 94 to 113 million years old
5

Fostoria’s year

Fostoria has a dry-winter hot-summer continental climate. Summer afternoons average 85° in July; winter nights fall to about 8° in January. About 27 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 26.8 in
July, average85° / 62° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average26° / 8° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year26.8 in · wettest months: June and July
Hottest on record113°F · July 17, 1936
Coldest on record−38°F · January 12, 1912
Wettest day on record5.50 in · September 14, 2004
Snowiest day on record14.0 in · March 3, 1977
90° days a year18 · very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°163 · and 67 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeDry-winter hot-summer continental · Köppen Dwa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Sept. 27, to the last in spring, about May 3 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Dec. 11 to Feb. 22; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Oct. 28 to April 6; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · May through July: 11.7 of the year’s 26.8 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Fostoria normally reaches 45° and falls to 25°. The record high is 74°, in 2025; the record low −17°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 0.91 in, fell in 1926.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1895 from the Spencer Area threaded record (Spencer Municipal Airport, 6 miles south-southwest, 120 ft lower). NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 2,030 mito the Gulf of AmericaLittle Sioux → Missouri → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Fostoria reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Little Sioux, the Missouri and the Mississippi: about 2,030 river miles.

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