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Shaded-relief map of Dixon, Illinois: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
ILLINOIS · LEE COUNTY

Dixon

15,156 people, 730 ft above sea level in Lee County.

730 ftElevation, city center
15,156People, 2024 estimate
10 sq miLand area
Clear 38°
Clear now Dew point 27° · W 3 mph · high 37°
City of Dixon River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Dixon 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 Dixon

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 5:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Sterling Rockfalls (KSQI) · 5:56 PM
Clear
38° Clear Feels like 36° · high of 37° near 6 PM
WindW 3 mphno gusts
Humidity64%rising to 96% by morning
Pressure30.32 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 27° · Dry36° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Mostly cloudy
Friday30% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 110.56 in · 3 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Lee County
NWS Chicago and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 6:18 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 6:46 AM4:38 PM ↓
9 h 52 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 27% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
11
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
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
clear day
clear day
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly sunny
clear day
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly sunny
clear day
clear day
mostly sunny
TEMPERATURE °F
37°
26°
47°
27°
50°
33°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
7
6
5
5
5
5
5
8
9
8
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 25 to 36°

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
37° 24°
0% rain — WNW 0 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
49° 25°
0% rain — WNW 0 A
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
52° 30°
0% rain — SW 4 A
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
55° 34°
0% rain — S 7 A
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
57° 44°
20% rain — S 12 B
THU Nov. 19 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
60° 42°
20% rain — WSW 5 C
FRI Nov. 20 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
61° 48°
30% rain — 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 Dixon about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the Canadian Prairies three days ago, and over the central Plains a day ago, about 1,070 miles back along its path. Most of the nine paths traced from around the city agree. It rose from near the ground on the way. 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 and the GFS beyond them, nine paths at each of three heights.

THIS WEEK IN 1959 Nov. 17, 1959

The coldest this week has been

0° on Nov. 17, 1959, the coldest reading for this week of the year since 1893. Next is 2° in 2019.

2°
0°
20191959
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Dixon Wwtp record since 1893.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Dixon stands on

Dixon’s center stands about 730 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 640 ft to 820 ft, a difference of 180 ft: gently rolling country.

The section below crosses 6 rock units mapped at the surface.

Harmon to Oregon, cut in half

A section southwest to northeast, 24 miles through the town center
700 ft800 ft DIXON730 ftLow point640 ftRock Riverabout 650 ftHigh point of the line890 ft ← SW · HarmonOregon · 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

Platteville Group

Dolostone, limestone. Age: Late Ordovician, 454 to 459 million years old. About 9 mi of the line.

Galena Group (Trenton Limestone)

Dolostone, limestone. Age: Late Ordovician, 447 to 459 million years old. About 8 mi of the line.

Ancell Group

Sandstone, limestone, dolostone. Age: Middle Ordovician to Late Ordovician, 454 to 468 million years old. About 2 mi of the line.

Maquoketa Formation or Group

Shale, limestone. Age: Late Ordovician, 445 to 454 million years old. About 2 mi of the line.

Tradewater Formation

Shale, sandstone. Age: Early Pennsylvanian to Middle Pennsylvanian, 307 to 324 million years old. About 2 mi of the line.

Silurian System undivided

Dolostone, limestone. Age: Silurian, 422 to 445 million years old. About 2 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 Dixon’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Dixon reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Rock River and the Mississippi: about 1,540 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Dixon≈ 1,540 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF DIXON ≈ 1,540 mi to the Gulf of America Rock River → Mississippi

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

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Dixon’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1893 · Dixon Wwtp

Dixon has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 83° in July; winter nights fall to about 14° in January. A normal year brings about 31 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 40 inches of water.

29°14°34°18°46°28°60°39°71°51°80°61°83°64°81°62°75°54°63°42°48°31°35°20° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY DIXON 40.5 in rain and snowmelt
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average83° / 64°high / low, the warmest month
January, average29° / 14°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow40.5 inwettest months: June and May
Snow a year31.2 insnowiest: January
Hottest on record110°FJuly 14, 1936
Coldest on record−32°FJanuary 17, 2009
Wettest day on record5.08 inJuly 10, 1922
Snowiest day on record14.0 inFebruary 7, 1933
90° days a year12very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°135and 46 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 14, to the last in spring, about April 24 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingDec. 22 to Feb. 12; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingNov. 11 to March 28; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchMay through July: 14.7 of the year’s 40.5 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Dixon normally reaches 48° and falls to 31°. The record high is 75°, in 1971; the record low 5°, in 1986. The most rain on this date, 1.60 in, fell in 1926.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high29°34°46°60°71°80°83°81°75°63°48°35°
Normal low14°18°28°39°51°61°64°62°54°42°31°20°
Rain and melt, in1.971.812.633.984.825.594.294.193.692.962.432.17
Snow, inches13.05.74.50.60.00.00.00.00.00.01.85.6
Record high65° (2004)76° (2024)87° (1986)93° (1986)105° (1934)106° (1934)110° (1936)103° (1988)102° (1939)95° (1897)81° (1933)68° (2021)
Record low−32° (2009)−27° (1905)−13° (2002)8° (1982)24° (2005)34° (1945)43° (1904)37° (1934)22° (1942)7° (1925)−8° (1977)−25° (1983)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1893 at Dixon Wwtp, here. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Dixon on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Rockford IL · 36 MI 36 miles northeast DeKalb IL · 38 MI 38 miles east Aurora IL · 61 MI 61 miles east Madison WI · 86 MI 86 miles north Chicago IL · 92 MI 92 miles east Milwaukee WI · 114 MI 114 miles northeast
FORECASTCITY
Map of Dixon, Illinois. Explore the plate
ILLINOIS · LEE

Dixon

15,156 people, 730 ft above sea level in Lee County.

730 ftElevation
15,156People
10 sq miLand
Clear 38°
ClearDew point 27°
1

Today in Dixon

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now clear night 37° 0%
9p clear night 31° 0%
12a clear night 29° 0%
3a mostly clear night 27° 0%
6a partly cloudy night 26° 0%
9a partly cloudy day 34° 0%
Mostly cloudy
NEXT RAINFriday · 30%
→
Sat0%
Sunny Sunny
24
37
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
25
49
A
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
30
52
A
Tue0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
34
55
A
Wed20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
44
57
B
Thu20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
42
60
C
Fri30%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
48
61
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK IN 1959 · NOV. 17, 1959

0°, the coldest this week of the year has been since 1893.

2

What Dixon stands on

Dixon’s center stands about 730 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 640 ft to 820 ft, a difference of 180 ft: gently rolling country.

Dixon, southwest to northeast Dixon730 ftRock Riverabout 650 ft ← SWNE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center730 ft
Within 3 miles640 to 820 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (180 ft of relief)
5

Dixon’s year

Dixon has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 83° in July; winter nights fall to about 14° in January. A normal year brings about 31 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 40 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 40.5 in
July, average83° / 64° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average29° / 14° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow40.5 in · wettest months: June and May
Snow a year31.2 in · snowiest: January
Hottest on record110°F · July 14, 1936
Coldest on record−32°F · January 17, 2009
Wettest day on record5.08 in · July 10, 1922
Snowiest day on record14.0 in · February 7, 1933
90° days a year12 · very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°135 · and 46 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 14, to the last in spring, about April 24 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Dec. 22 to Feb. 12; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Nov. 11 to March 28; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · May through July: 14.7 of the year’s 40.5 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Dixon normally reaches 48° and falls to 31°. The record high is 75°, in 1971; the record low 5°, in 1986. The most rain on this date, 1.60 in, fell in 1926.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1893 at Dixon Wwtp, here. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,540 mito the Gulf of AmericaRock River → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Dixon reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Rock River and the Mississippi: about 1,540 river miles.