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

Monroe

2,021 people, 920 ft above sea level in Jasper County.

920 ftElevation, city center
2,021People, 2024 estimate
2 sq miLand area
Sunny 44°
Sunny now Dew point 27° · S 6 mph · high 45°
City of Monroe River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Monroe 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 Monroe

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. 60.11 in · 8 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
↑ 6:59 AM4:53 PM ↓
9 h 53 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
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clear day
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear day
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
TEMPERATURE °F
44°
26°
49°
29°
53°
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CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
0
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HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 26 to 39°

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 — S 0 A
SUN Nov. 15 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
51° 29°
0% rain — S 1 A
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
55° 35°
0% rain — SSW 6 A
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
58° 41°
0% rain — SSE 8 A
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
60° 48°
20% rain — S 9 B
THU Nov. 19 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
62° 45°
10% rain — W 1 C
FRI Nov. 20 Showers likely Showers likely
63° 52°
60% rain up to 0.4″ SSE 8 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 Monroe about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the Canadian Prairies three days ago, and over the central Plains a day ago, about 1,400 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.

MILE2
THE GROUND

What Monroe stands on

Monroe’s center stands about 920 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 780 ft to 920 ft, a difference of 140 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.

Monroe, cut in half from southwest to northeast

A section southwest to northeast, 24 miles through the town center
800 ft900 ft MONROE920 ftDes Moines Riverabout 740 ftSouth Skunk Riverabout 760 ftHigh point of the line950 ft ← SWNewton · 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

Lower Cherokee Group and Raccoon Creek Group

Shale, sandstone, siltstone. Age: Early Pennsylvanian to Middle Pennsylvanian, 307 to 324 million years old. About 22 mi of the line.

St. Louis and Pella Formations

Dolostone, limestone. Age: Middle Mississippian to Late Mississippian, 324 to 347 million years old. About 2 mi of the line.

Augusta Group

Dolostone, limestone. Age: Early Mississippian to Middle Mississippian, 331 to 359 million years old. About 0.5 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 Monroe’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Monroe reaches the Gulf of America by way of Brush Creek, the Des Moines and the Mississippi: about 1,490 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Monroe≈ 1,490 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF MONROE ≈ 1,490 mi to the Gulf of America Brush Creek → Des Moines → Mississippi

Lake on the way: Roberts Creek.

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

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Monroe on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Des Moines IA · 26 MI 26 miles west Ankeny IA · 30 MI 30 miles northwest Cedar Rapids IA · 80 MI 80 miles northeast Davenport IA · 129 MI 129 miles east Omaha NE · 154 MI 154 miles west Peoria IL · 189 MI 189 miles east
FORECASTCITY
Map of Monroe, Iowa. Explore the plate
IOWA · JASPER

Monroe

2,021 people, 920 ft above sea level in Jasper County.

920 ftElevation
2,021People
2 sq miLand
Sunny 44°
SunnyDew point 27°
1

Today in Monroe

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now clear day 44° 0%
4p clear day 44° 0%
7p clear night 36° 0%
10p mostly clear night 31° 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
29
51
A
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
35
55
A
Tue0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
41
58
A
Wed20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
48
60
B
Thu10%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
45
62
C
Fri60%
Showers likely Showers likely
52
63
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
2

What Monroe stands on

Monroe’s center stands about 920 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 780 ft to 920 ft, a difference of 140 ft: gently rolling country.

Monroe, southwest to northeast Monroe920 ftDes Moines Riverabout 740 ftSouth Skunk Riverabout 760 ftHigh point950 ft ← SWNE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center920 ft
Within 3 miles780 to 920 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (140 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

≈ 1,490 mito the Gulf of AmericaBrush Creek → Des Moines → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Monroe reaches the Gulf of America by way of Brush Creek, the Des Moines and the Mississippi: about 1,490 river miles.

Lake on the way: Roberts Creek.