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

Williamson

126 people, 1,020 ft above sea level in Lucas County.

1,020 ftElevation, city center
126People, 2024 estimate
0 sq miLand area
Clear 39°
Clear now Dew point 28° · ESE 5 mph · high 38°
City of Williamson River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Williamson 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 Williamson

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 5:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Chariton (KCNC) · 5:35 PM
Clear
39° Clear Feels like 36° · high of 38° near 5 PM
WindESE 5 mphno gusts
Humidity65%rising to 100% by morning
Pressure30.26 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 28° · Dryabout the same for three days
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Showers
Friday50% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 60.1 in · 8 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Lucas County
NWS Des Moines and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 5:45 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 6:59 AM4:55 PM ↓
9 h 56 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 26% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
38
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
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear day
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
TEMPERATURE °F
38°
25°
48°
31°
51°
37°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
3
3
3
3
0
3
6
6
3
5
6
6
7
8
10
10
7
8
9
9
9
10
14
14
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 24 to 36° More humid: 36° by Tuesday

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 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
38° 25°
0% rain — E 3 A
SUN Nov. 15 Partly cloudy; warmer Partly cloudy; warmer
50° 30°
0% rain — S 4 B
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
53° 37°
0% rain — SSW 9 B
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
55° 42°
0% rain — S 10 A
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
58° 48°
20% rain — S 13, gusts 25 B
THU Nov. 19 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
60° 46°
10% rain — W 5 C
FRI Nov. 20 Chance of showers Chance of showers
63° 53°
50% rain up to 0.3″ SSE 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 Williamson about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the northern Plains three days ago, and over the southern Plains a day ago, about 880 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. 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

79° on Nov. 14, 1999, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1895. Next is 77° in 1964.

77°
79°
19641999
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Chariton 1 E record since 1895.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Williamson stands on

Williamson’s center stands about 1,020 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 870 ft to 1,030 ft, a difference of 160 ft: gently rolling country.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Upper Cherokee Group (shale, siltstone), from the Middle Pennsylvanian, 307 to 315 million years old.

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

Williamson, cut in half from west to east

A section west to east, 24 miles through the town center
800 ft900 ft1,000 ft WILLIAMSON1,020 ftWhite Breast Creekabout 890 ftHigh point of the line1,040 ftLow point760 ft ← W · LucasE →

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

Upper Cherokee Group

Shale, siltstone. Age: Middle Pennsylvanian, 307 to 315 million years old. About 12 mi of 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 9 mi of the line.

Marmaton Group

Shale, limestone. Age: Middle Pennsylvanian, 307 to 315 million years old. About 3 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 Williamson’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Williamson reaches the Gulf of America by way of Little White Breast Creek, White Breast Creek, the Des Moines and the Mississippi: about 1,520 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Williamson≈ 1,520 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF WILLIAMSON ≈ 1,520 mi to the Gulf of America Little White Breast Creek → White Breast 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 Williamson; river miles along the main stem, rounded.

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Williamson’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1895 · Chariton 1 E, 5 mi south-southwest

Williamson has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 85° in July; winter nights fall to about 11° in January. A normal year brings about 24 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 37 inches of water.

31°11°36°14°48°25°61°35°71°47°80°57°85°62°83°59°76°50°64°38°49°26°36°16° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY WILLIAMSON 37.3 in rain and snowmelt
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, average31° / 11°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow37.3 inwettest months: May and June
Snow a year24.1 insnowiest: January
Hottest on record114°FAugust 9, 1934
Coldest on record−38°FFebruary 3, 1996
Wettest day on record11.2 inAugust 27, 1903
Snowiest day on record12.0 inMarch 25, 1957
90° days a year17very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°154and 45 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 3, to the last in spring, about May 6 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingDec. 31 to Feb. 5; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingOct. 30 to April 8; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchMay through July: 14.5 of the year’s 37.3 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Williamson normally reaches 49° and falls to 27°. The record high is 79°, in 1999; the record low −3°, in 1916. The most rain on this date, 1.13 in, fell in 1902.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high31°36°48°61°71°80°85°83°76°64°49°36°
Normal low11°14°25°35°47°57°62°59°50°38°26°16°
Rain and melt, in0.961.401.904.155.394.924.214.403.712.982.031.27
Snow, inches7.96.53.50.80.00.00.00.00.00.32.03.1
Record high68° (2003)78° (1930)91° (2026)91° (1930)104° (1934)105° (1934)113° (1936)114° (1934)103° (1913)95° (1963)82° (1938)74° (2021)
Record low−35° (1996)−38° (1996)−32° (1962)8° (1982)18° (2002)34° (1969)39° (1972)35° (1950)20° (1942)0° (1925)−13° (1991)−31° (1989)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1895 at Chariton 1 E, 5 miles south-southwest. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Williamson on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Indianola IA · 25 MI 25 miles northwest Des Moines IA · 38 MI 38 miles northwest Cedar Rapids IA · 102 MI 102 miles northeast Omaha NE · 146 MI 146 miles west Columbia MO · 156 MI 156 miles south Lincoln NE · 180 MI 180 miles west
FORECASTCITY
Map of Williamson, Iowa. Explore the plate
IOWA · LUCAS

Williamson

126 people, 1,020 ft above sea level in Lucas County.

1,020 ftElevation
126People
0 sq miLand
Clear 39°
ClearDew point 28°
1

Today in Williamson

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly clear night 38° 0%
8p mostly clear night 33° 0%
11p mostly clear night 30° 0%
2a mostly clear night 28° 0%
5a partly cloudy night 26° 0%
8a partly cloudy day 28° 0%
Showers
NEXT RAINFriday · 50%
→
Sat0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
25
38
A
Sun0%
Partly cloudy; warmer Partly cloudy; warmer
30
50
B
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
37
53
B
Tue0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
42
55
A
Wed20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
48
58
B
Thu10%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
46
60
C
Fri50%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
53
63
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

79°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1895.

2

What Williamson stands on

Williamson’s center stands about 1,020 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 870 ft to 1,030 ft, a difference of 160 ft: gently rolling country.

Williamson, west to east Williamson1,020 ftWhite Breast Creekabout 890 ft ← WE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,020 ft
Within 3 miles870 to 1,030 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (160 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceUpper Cherokee Group
Its ageMiddle Pennsylvanian, 307 to 315 million years old
5

Williamson’s year

Williamson has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 85° in July; winter nights fall to about 11° in January. A normal year brings about 24 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 37 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 37.3 in
July, average85° / 62° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average31° / 11° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow37.3 in · wettest months: May and June
Snow a year24.1 in · snowiest: January
Hottest on record114°F · August 9, 1934
Coldest on record−38°F · February 3, 1996
Wettest day on record11.2 in · August 27, 1903
Snowiest day on record12.0 in · March 25, 1957
90° days a year17 · very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°154 · and 45 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 3, to the last in spring, about May 6 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Dec. 31 to Feb. 5; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Oct. 30 to April 8; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · May through July: 14.5 of the year’s 37.3 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Williamson normally reaches 49° and falls to 27°. The record high is 79°, in 1999; the record low −3°, in 1916. The most rain on this date, 1.13 in, fell in 1902.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1895 at Chariton 1 E, 5 miles south-southwest. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,520 mito the Gulf of AmericaLittle White Breast Creek → White Breast Creek → Des Moines → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Williamson reaches the Gulf of America by way of Little White Breast Creek, White Breast Creek, the Des Moines and the Mississippi: about 1,520 river miles.

Lake on the way: Roberts Creek.