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

Woodward

1,383 people, 1,060 ft above sea level in Dallas County.

1,060 ftElevation, city center
1,383People, 2024 estimate
4 sq miLand area
Clear 38°
Clear now Dew point 26° · E 7 mph · high 36°
City of Woodward River Interstate 2 miles
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The Woodward 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 Woodward

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 6:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Des Moines International Airport (KDSM) · 6:54 PM
Clear
38° Clear Feels like 33° · high of 36° near 7 PM
WindE 7 mphno gusts
Humidity62%rising to 92% by morning
Pressure30.29 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 26° · Dry36° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Showers
Friday60% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 60.01 in · 8 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Dallas County
NWS Des Moines and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 7:45 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:04 AM4:56 PM ↓
9 h 52 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 27% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
34
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
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
4p
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
mostly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly 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
mostly sunny
mostly clear night
TEMPERATURE °F
36°
24°
49°
30°
53°
38°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
5
3
1
0
3
6
7
5
6
6
6
7
8
10
12
10
10
10
10
10
11
14
16
15
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 22 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 49° / 31°
SAT Nov. 14 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
36° 24°
0% rain — ESE 4 A
SUN Nov. 15 Partly cloudy; warmer Partly cloudy; warmer
51° 30°
0% rain — S 4 B
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
55° 38°
0% rain — SSW 10 B
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
57° 43°
0% rain — S 14 A
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
59° 48°
20% rain — S 16, gusts 25 B
THU Nov. 19 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
60° 45°
10% rain — WNW 6 C
FRI Nov. 20 Showers likely Showers likely
63° 53°
60% rain up to 0.5″ SSE 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 Woodward about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the open Pacific three days ago, and over the central Plains a day ago, about 2,780 miles back along its path. It came down from about 18,900 feet up, warming and drying as it sank. Near the ground the air came from British Columbia; at 10,000 feet, from the Pacific Northwest. It feels dry all the same. Traced back 72 hours through NOAA’s hourly RAP analyses and the GFS beyond them, nine paths at each of three heights.

THIS WEEK IN 1999 Nov. 14, 1999

The hottest this week has been

81° on Nov. 14, 1999, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1900. Next is 78° in 2012.

78°
81°
20121999
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Perry record since 1900.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Woodward stands on

Woodward’s center stands about 1,060 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 870 ft to 1,070 ft, a difference of 200 ft: rolling country.

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

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

Woodward, cut in half from southwest to northeast

A section southwest to northeast, 24 miles through the town center
900 ft1,000 ft1,100 ft WOODWARD1,060 ftBeaver Creekabout 900 ftDes Moines Riverabout 920 ftHigh point of the line1,130 ft ← SW · Dallas CenterNE →

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.

Marmaton Group

Shale, limestone. Age: Middle Pennsylvanian, 307 to 315 million years old. About 2 mi of the line.

Upper Cherokee Group

Shale, siltstone. Age: Middle Pennsylvanian, 307 to 315 million years old. About 0.7 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 Woodward’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Woodward reaches the Gulf of America by way of Beaver Creek, the Des Moines and the Mississippi: about 1,560 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Woodward≈ 1,560 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF WOODWARD ≈ 1,560 mi to the Gulf of America Beaver 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 Woodward; river miles along the main stem, rounded.

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Woodward’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1900 · Perry, 10 mi west

Woodward has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 86° in July; winter nights fall to about 10° in January. About 36 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

29°10°34°14°48°26°61°37°72°49°82°60°86°64°83°61°77°52°64°39°48°27°35°17° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY WOODWARD 36.1 in rain a year
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average86° / 64°high / low, the warmest month
January, average29° / 10°high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year36.1 inwettest months: May and June
Hottest on record111°FAugust 8, 1934
Coldest on record−34°FDecember 10, 1919
Wettest day on record7.57 inJune 13, 1926
Snowiest day on record16.0 inMarch 16, 2004
90° days a year18very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°151and 55 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 7, to the last in spring, about April 25 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingDec. 24 to Feb. 11; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingNov. 2 to April 3; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchMay through July: 14.5 of the year’s 36.1 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Woodward normally reaches 48° and falls to 27°. The record high is 81°, in 1999; the record low −3°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 1.12 in, fell in 2024.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high29°34°48°61°72°82°86°83°77°64°48°35°
Normal low10°14°26°37°49°60°64°61°52°39°27°17°
Rain, inches0.951.141.964.105.154.884.424.143.442.701.861.38
Record high67° (2002)77° (2024)89° (2026)95° (1980)105° (1934)105° (1934)110° (1901)111° (1934)104° (1939)95° (1963)83° (1968)73° (2021)
Record low−32° (1974)−33° (1979)−30° (1962)6° (1982)20° (1931)34° (1946)42° (1972)34° (1934)22° (1942)−8° (1925)−13° (1991)−34° (1919)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1900 at Perry, 10 miles west, 110 ft lower. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Woodward on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Ankeny IA · 19 MI 19 miles southeast Des Moines IA · 25 MI 25 miles southeast Cedar Rapids IA · 116 MI 116 miles east Omaha NE · 118 MI 118 miles west Davenport IA · 172 MI 172 miles east Sioux Falls SD · 184 MI 184 miles northwest
FORECASTCITY
Map of Woodward, Iowa. Explore the plate
IOWA · DALLAS

Woodward

1,383 people, 1,060 ft above sea level in Dallas County.

1,060 ftElevation
1,383People
4 sq miLand
Clear 38°
ClearDew point 26°
1

Today in Woodward

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly clear night 36° 0%
10p mostly clear night 31° 0%
1a mostly clear night 28° 0%
4a partly cloudy night 26° 0%
7a partly cloudy day 24° 0%
10a partly cloudy day 36° 0%
Showers
NEXT RAINFriday · 60%
→
Sat0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
24
36
A
Sun0%
Partly cloudy; warmer Partly cloudy; warmer
30
51
B
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
38
55
B
Tue0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
43
57
A
Wed20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
48
59
B
Thu10%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
45
60
C
Fri60%
Showers likely Showers likely
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

81°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1900.

2

What Woodward stands on

Woodward’s center stands about 1,060 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 870 ft to 1,070 ft, a difference of 200 ft: rolling country.

Woodward, southwest to northeast Woodward1,060 ftBeaver Creekabout 900 ftDes Moines Riverabout 920 ftHigh point1,130 ft ← SWNE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,060 ft
Within 3 miles870 to 1,070 ft
Lie of the landRolling (200 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceMarmaton Group
Its ageMiddle Pennsylvanian, 307 to 315 million years old
5

Woodward’s year

Woodward has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 86° in July; winter nights fall to about 10° in January. About 36 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 36.1 in
July, average86° / 64° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average29° / 10° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year36.1 in · wettest months: May and June
Hottest on record111°F · August 8, 1934
Coldest on record−34°F · December 10, 1919
Wettest day on record7.57 in · June 13, 1926
Snowiest day on record16.0 in · March 16, 2004
90° days a year18 · very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°151 · and 55 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 7, to the last in spring, about April 25 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Dec. 24 to Feb. 11; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Nov. 2 to April 3; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · May through July: 14.5 of the year’s 36.1 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Woodward normally reaches 48° and falls to 27°. The record high is 81°, in 1999; the record low −3°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 1.12 in, fell in 2024.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1900 at Perry, 10 miles west, 110 ft lower. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,560 mito the Gulf of AmericaBeaver Creek → Des Moines → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Woodward reaches the Gulf of America by way of Beaver Creek, the Des Moines and the Mississippi: about 1,560 river miles.

Lake on the way: Roberts Creek.