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

Plover

52 people, 1,220 ft above sea level in Pocahontas County.

1,220 ftElevation, city center
52People, 2024 estimate
1 sq miLand area
Sunny 41°
Sunny now Dew point 25° · S 12 mph · high 43°
City of Plover River Interstate 2 miles
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The Plover 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 Plover

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 11:00 AM CST
RIGHT NOW Spencer Municipal Airport (KSPW) · 11:53 AM
Sunny
41° Sunny Feels like 34° · high of 43° near 3 PM
WindS 12 mphno gusts
Humidity53%falling to 57% this afternoon
Pressure30.27 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 25° · Dry39° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Friday80% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 30.21 in · 11 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Pocahontas County
NWS Des Moines and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 12:45 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:09 AM4:56 PM ↓
9 h 47 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 24% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
34
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
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
clear day
mostly sunny
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
clear night
mostly clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
clear day
mostly sunny
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
TEMPERATURE °F
40°
23°
47°
31°
51°
37°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
10
9
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10
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HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 23 to 32° ↑ 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
43° 22°
0% rain — SSE 10 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
49° 29°
0% rain — S 10 B
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 28 A
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
56° 41°
20% rain — S 15 B
THU Nov. 19 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
52° 36°
10% rain — NW 5 C
FRI Nov. 20 Showers likely Showers likely
57° 44°
80% rain 0.2–1.4″ SE 14 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 Plover about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the southern Plains three days ago, about 860 miles back along its path. Most of the nine paths traced from around the city agree. Near the ground the air came from the Canadian Prairies; at 10,000 feet, from the central 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 2012 Nov. 11, 2012

The hottest this week has been

77° on Nov. 11, 2012, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1904. Next is 76° in 1999.

76°
77°
19992012
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Pocahontas record since 1904.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Plover stands on

Plover’s center stands about 1,220 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,170 ft to 1,220 ft, a difference of 50 ft: nearly flat ground.

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.

The section below crosses 2 rock units mapped at the surface.

Plover, cut in half from northwest to southeast

A section northwest to southeast, 24 miles through the town center
1,100 ft1,200 ft1,300 ft PLOVER1,220 ftHigh point of the line1,330 ftDes Moines Riverabout 1,120 ft ← NWBradgate · SE →

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 23 mi of the line.

Lime Creek Formation

Shale, limestone, dolostone. Age: Late Devonian, 374 to 384 million years old. About 0.8 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 Plover’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Plover reaches the Gulf of America by way of Beaver Creek, the Des Moines and the Mississippi: about 1,700 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Plover≈ 1,700 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF PLOVER ≈ 1,700 mi to the Gulf of America Beaver Creek → Des Moines → Mississippi

Lakes on the way: Roberts Creek and Big Creek Pounding Area.

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 Plover; river miles along the main stem, rounded.

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Plover’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1904 · Pocahontas, 10 mi south

Plover has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 84° in July; winter nights fall to about 8° in January. A normal year brings about 39 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 33 inches of water.

26°8°30°12°44°24°59°36°71°49°81°59°84°62°82°59°76°50°62°38°45°25°31°14° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY PLOVER 32.8 in rain and snowmelt
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, average26° / 8°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow32.8 inwettest months: June and May
Snow a year38.8 insnowiest: December
Hottest on record111°FAugust 3, 1930
Coldest on record−36°FJanuary 12, 1912
Wettest day on record6.53 inSeptember 10, 1914
Snowiest day on record18.0 inMarch 12, 1951
90° days a year18very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°158and 67 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 2, to the last in spring, about April 28 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingDec. 12 to Feb. 22; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingOct. 28 to April 7; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchMay through July: 13.3 of the year’s 32.8 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Plover normally reaches 46° and falls to 25°. The record high is 76°, in 1999; the record low −10°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 1.59 in, fell in 1926.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high26°30°44°59°71°81°84°82°76°62°45°31°
Normal low8°12°24°36°49°59°62°59°50°38°25°14°
Rain and melt, in1.021.022.043.414.574.674.024.342.602.281.601.22
Snow, inches9.37.45.81.90.00.00.00.00.00.43.710.3
Record high68° (2002)74° (2024)90° (2026)98° (1980)107° (1934)106° (1933)110° (1936)111° (1930)101° (1931)94° (1997)81° (2006)68° (1998)
Record low−36° (1912)−30° (1930)−25° (1948)2° (1975)22° (1909)32° (1945)41° (1918)35° (1915)21° (1942)−2° (1925)−13° (1986)−29° (1983)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1904 at Pocahontas, 10 miles south. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Plover on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Fort Dodge IA · 34 MI 34 miles southeast Des Moines IA · 104 MI 104 miles southeast Sioux Falls SD · 116 MI 116 miles northwest Rochester MN · 133 MI 133 miles northeast Cedar Rapids IA · 163 MI 163 miles southeast
FORECASTCITY
Map of Plover, Iowa. Explore the plate
IOWA · POCAHONTAS

Plover

52 people, 1,220 ft above sea level in Pocahontas County.

1,220 ftElevation
52People
1 sq miLand
Sunny 41°
SunnyDew point 25°
1

Today in Plover

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now clear day 40° 0%
3p mostly sunny 43° 0%
6p mostly clear night 35° 0%
9p partly cloudy night 30° 0%
12a partly cloudy night 27° 0%
3a partly cloudy night 25° 0%
Rain
NEXT RAINFriday · 80%
→
Sat0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
22
43
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
29
49
B
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
36
53
B
Tue0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
41
54
A
Wed20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
41
56
B
Thu10%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
36
52
C
Fri80%
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 2012 · NOV. 11, 2012

77°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1904.

2

What Plover stands on

Plover’s center stands about 1,220 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,170 ft to 1,220 ft, a difference of 50 ft: nearly flat ground.

Plover, northwest to southeast Plover1,220 ftHigh point1,330 ftDes Moines Riverabout 1,120 ft ← NWSE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,220 ft
Within 3 miles1,170 to 1,220 ft
Lie of the landNearly flat (50 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceDakata and Windrow Formations
Its ageEarly Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous, 94 to 113 million years old
5

Plover’s year

Plover has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 84° in July; winter nights fall to about 8° in January. A normal year brings about 39 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 33 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 32.8 in
July, average84° / 62° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average26° / 8° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow32.8 in · wettest months: June and May
Snow a year38.8 in · snowiest: December
Hottest on record111°F · August 3, 1930
Coldest on record−36°F · January 12, 1912
Wettest day on record6.53 in · September 10, 1914
Snowiest day on record18.0 in · March 12, 1951
90° days a year18 · very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°158 · and 67 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 2, to the last in spring, about April 28 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Dec. 12 to Feb. 22; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Oct. 28 to April 7; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · May through July: 13.3 of the year’s 32.8 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Plover normally reaches 46° and falls to 25°. The record high is 76°, in 1999; the record low −10°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 1.59 in, fell in 1926.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1904 at Pocahontas, 10 miles south. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,700 mito the Gulf of AmericaBeaver Creek → Des Moines → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Plover reaches the Gulf of America by way of Beaver Creek, the Des Moines and the Mississippi: about 1,700 river miles.

Lakes on the way: Roberts Creek and Big Creek Pounding Area.

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