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

Nevada

7,082 people, 1,010 ft above sea level in Story County.

1,010 ftElevation, city center
7,082People, 2024 estimate
6 sq miLand area
Clear 35°
Clear now Dew point 25° · Calm · high 38°
City of Nevada River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Nevada 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 Nevada

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 5:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Ames Municipal Airport (KAMW) · 5:53 PM
Clear
35° Clear Feels like 35° · high of 38° near 6 PM
WindCalmno gusts
Humidity66%rising to 92% by morning
Pressure30.28 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 25° · Dry38° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Friday70% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 50.08 in · 9 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Story County
NWS Des Moines and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 6:45 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:02 AM4:54 PM ↓
9 h 51 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 27% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
31
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
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
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
clear night
clear night
clear day
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
clear day
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
TEMPERATURE °F
38°
24°
47°
29°
53°
36°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
3
0
0
0
0
5
7
6
5
5
5
5
6
8
11
11
9
9
8
8
8
11
14
14
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 21 to 38° More humid: 38° by Tuesday

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 48° / 27°
SAT Nov. 14 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
38° 22°
0% rain — ESE 2 A
SUN Nov. 15 Partly cloudy; warmer Partly cloudy; warmer
51° 26°
0% rain — S 5 A
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
55° 34°
0% rain — S 9 A
TUE Nov. 17 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
58° 40°
0% rain — S 13 A
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
59° 45°
20% rain — S 14 B
THU Nov. 19 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
60° 41°
10% rain — WNW 5 C
FRI Nov. 20 Showers likely Showers likely
62° 49°
70% rain 0.04–0.7″ SSE 13 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 Nevada about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the northern Plains three days ago, and over the southern Plains a day ago, about 980 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 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, SEVEN YEARS AGO Nov. 13, 2019

The coldest this week has been

−5° on Nov. 13, 2019, the coldest reading for this week of the year since 1900. Next is 4° in 2005.

4°
−5°
20052019
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Ames 5 SE record since 1900.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Nevada stands on

Nevada’s center stands about 1,010 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 950 ft to 1,020 ft, a difference of 70 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.

Huxley to Zearing, cut in half

A section southwest to northeast, 24 miles through the town center
900 ft1,000 ft1,100 ft NEVADA1,010 ftSouth Skunk Riverabout 860 ftHigh point of the line1,140 ft ← SW · HuxleyZearing · 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.

Augusta Group

Dolostone, limestone. Age: Early Mississippian to Middle Mississippian, 331 to 359 million years old. About 1 mi of the line.

Upper Cherokee Group

Shale, siltstone. Age: Middle Pennsylvanian, 307 to 315 million years old. About 1 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 Nevada’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Nevada reaches the Gulf of America by way of West Indian Creek, the South Skunk, the Skunk and the Mississippi: about 1,590 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Nevada≈ 1,590 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF NEVADA ≈ 1,590 mi to the Gulf of America West Indian Creek → South Skunk → Skunk → Mississippi

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

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Nevada’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1900 · Ames 5 SE, 8 mi southwest

Nevada has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 84° in July; winter nights fall to about 10° in January. A normal year brings about 27 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 38 inches of water.

28°10°33°14°46°25°60°36°71°49°80°59°84°63°82°60°76°51°63°39°47°27°34°16° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY NEVADA 38.1 in rain and snowmelt
Normal high to low, by month Rain by month Freezing
July, average84° / 63°high / low, the warmest month
January, average28° / 10°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow38.1 inwettest months: June and May
Snow a year27.3 insnowiest: February
Hottest on record102°FJuly 26, 2012
Coldest on record−33°FJanuary 16, 2009
Wettest day on record6.64 inMay 23, 2004
Snowiest day on record12.0 inDecember 7, 1994
90° days a year15very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°150and 54 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 12, to the last in spring, about April 21 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingDec. 18 to Feb. 14; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingNov. 2 to April 5; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchMay through July: 15.2 of the year’s 38.1 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Nevada normally reaches 47° and falls to 27°. The record high is 81°, in 1999; the record low 8°, in 2014. The most rain on this date, 0.56 in, fell in 2024.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high28°33°46°60°71°80°84°82°76°63°47°34°
Normal low10°14°25°36°49°59°63°60°51°39°27°16°
Rain and melt, in0.981.202.183.805.315.414.514.733.842.651.991.46
Snow, inches6.67.83.80.70.00.00.00.00.00.41.56.5

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1900 at Ames 5 SE, 8 miles southwest, 140 ft lower. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Nevada on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Ankeny IA · 21 MI 21 miles south Des Moines IA · 32 MI 32 miles south Cedar Rapids IA · 92 MI 92 miles east Omaha NE · 143 MI 143 miles west Davenport IA · 151 MI 151 miles east Sioux Falls SD · 196 MI 196 miles northwest
FORECASTCITY
Map of Nevada, Iowa. Explore the plate
IOWA · STORY

Nevada

7,082 people, 1,010 ft above sea level in Story County.

1,010 ftElevation
7,082People
6 sq miLand
Clear 35°
ClearDew point 25°
1

Today in Nevada

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now clear night 38° 0%
9p mostly clear night 31° 0%
12a mostly clear night 28° 0%
3a partly cloudy night 26° 0%
6a partly cloudy night 24° 0%
9a partly cloudy day 32° 0%
Rain
NEXT RAINFriday · 70%
→
Sat0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
22
38
A
Sun0%
Partly cloudy; warmer Partly cloudy; warmer
26
51
A
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
34
55
A
Tue0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
40
58
A
Wed20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
45
59
B
Thu10%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
41
60
C
Fri70%
Showers likely Showers likely
49
62
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK, SEVEN YEARS AGO · NOV. 13, 2019

−5°, the coldest this week of the year has been since 1900.

2

What Nevada stands on

Nevada’s center stands about 1,010 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 950 ft to 1,020 ft, a difference of 70 ft: gently rolling country.

Nevada, southwest to northeast Nevada1,010 ftSouth Skunk Riverabout 860 ftHigh point1,140 ft ← SWNE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,010 ft
Within 3 miles950 to 1,020 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (70 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
5

Nevada’s year

Nevada has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 84° in July; winter nights fall to about 10° in January. A normal year brings about 27 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 38 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 38.1 in
July, average84° / 63° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average28° / 10° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow38.1 in · wettest months: June and May
Snow a year27.3 in · snowiest: February
Hottest on record102°F · July 26, 2012
Coldest on record−33°F · January 16, 2009
Wettest day on record6.64 in · May 23, 2004
Snowiest day on record12.0 in · December 7, 1994
90° days a year15 · very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°150 · and 54 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 12, to the last in spring, about April 21 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Dec. 18 to Feb. 14; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Nov. 2 to April 5; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · May through July: 15.2 of the year’s 38.1 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Nevada normally reaches 47° and falls to 27°. The record high is 81°, in 1999; the record low 8°, in 2014. The most rain on this date, 0.56 in, fell in 2024.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1900 at Ames 5 SE, 8 miles southwest, 140 ft lower. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,590 mito the Gulf of AmericaWest Indian Creek → South Skunk → Skunk → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Nevada reaches the Gulf of America by way of West Indian Creek, the South Skunk, the Skunk and the Mississippi: about 1,590 river miles.