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

Gridley

1,443 people, 760 ft above sea level in McLean County.

760 ftElevation, city center
1,443People, 2024 estimate
1 sq miLand area
Sunny 45°
Sunny now Dew point 25° · NNW 5 mph · high 45°
City of Gridley River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Gridley 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 Gridley

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 2:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Marshall County Airport (KC75) · 2:55 PM
Sunny
45° Sunny Feels like 42° · high of 45° near 3 PM
WindNNW 5 mphno gusts
Humidity45%rising to 88% by morning
Pressure30.28 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 25° · Dry35° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Clear
Not this weeknone in the forecast for a week
LIKELY AMOUNT—nothing expected
LAST RAINOct. 310.25 in · 14 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for McLean County
NWS Lincoln and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 3:16 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 6:41 AM4:38 PM ↓
9 h 57 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 25% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
9
GOODAir quality index · fine particles
Tomorrow: None, 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
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
clear day
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
clear day
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
clear day
clear day
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear day
clear day
clear day
TEMPERATURE °F
45°
27°
48°
30°
50°
33°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
5
3
0
0
0
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2
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7
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 24 to 35° More humid: 34° by Tuesday

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 52° / 33°
SAT Nov. 14 Sunny Sunny
45° 24°
0% rain — NW 3 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
50° 26°
0% rain — N 0 A
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
52° 29°
0% rain — SW 3 A
TUE Nov. 17 Sunny Sunny
54° 33°
0% rain — S 5 A
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
57° 43°
10% rain — S 9 B
THU Nov. 19 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
61° 43°
20% rain — WSW 3 C
FRI Nov. 20 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
62° 48°
20% rain — SSE 6 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 Gridley about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the open Pacific three days ago, and over the central Plains a day ago, about 2,640 miles back along its path. It came down from about 14,800 feet up, warming and drying as it sank. 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 1959 Nov. 17, 1959

The coldest this week has been

2° on Nov. 17, 1959, the coldest reading for this week of the year since 1893. Next is 5° in 1986.

5°
2°
19861959
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Normal 4 NE record since 1893.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Gridley stands on

Gridley’s center stands about 760 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 710 ft to 760 ft, a difference of 50 ft: nearly flat ground.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Bond Formation (shale, sandstone, limestone), from the Late Pennsylvanian, 304 to 307 million years old.

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

Gridley, cut in half from southwest to northeast

A section southwest to northeast, 24 miles through the town center
700 ft GRIDLEY760 ftHigh point of the line790 ftMackinaw Riverabout 700 ftLow point640 ft ← SW · HudsonNE →

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

Shelburn-Patoka Formations undivided

Shale, limestone. Age: Late Pennsylvanian, 304 to 307 million years old. About 14 mi of the line.

Bond Formation

Shale, sandstone, limestone. Age: Late Pennsylvanian, 304 to 307 million years old. About 10 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 Gridley’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Gridley reaches the Gulf of America by way of Buck Creek, the Mackinaw, the Illinois and the Mississippi: about 1,440 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Gridley≈ 1,440 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF GRIDLEY ≈ 1,440 mi to the Gulf of America Buck Creek → Mackinaw → Illinois → Mississippi

1,190 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.

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

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Gridley’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1893 · Normal 4 NE, 14 mi south-southwest

Gridley has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 86° in July; winter nights fall to about 16° in January. A normal year brings about 20 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 39 inches of water.

33°16°38°19°50°28°63°38°74°50°83°60°86°63°84°61°79°53°66°42°50°31°38°21° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 12 TODAY GRIDLEY 39.4 in rain and snowmelt
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average86° / 63°high / low, the warmest month
January, average33° / 16°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow39.4 inwettest months: May and July
Snow a year20.1 insnowiest: January
Hottest on record114°FJuly 15, 1936
Coldest on record−24°FFebruary 13, 1905
Wettest day on record6.10 inAugust 3, 1943
Snowiest day on record20.0 inFebruary 28, 1900
90° days a year26very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°135and 38 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 21 (median dates)
2Lows below freezingNov. 11 to April 1; normal lows fall below 32°
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Gridley normally reaches 51° and falls to 31°. The record high is 74°, in 1989; the record low 7°, in 1940. The most rain on this date, 1.10 in, fell in 1926.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high33°38°50°63°74°83°86°84°79°66°50°38°
Normal low16°19°28°38°50°60°63°61°53°42°31°21°
Rain and melt, in2.431.992.613.724.814.084.123.833.223.482.802.30
Snow, inches7.55.52.20.50.00.00.00.00.00.00.83.6
Record high69° (1950)76° (2024)88° (2026)95° (1899)103° (1934)106° (1934)114° (1936)105° (1936)103° (1899)93° (1897)82° (1950)72° (2012)
Record low−24° (1894)−24° (1905)−15° (1943)5° (2018)21° (1966)31° (1894)41° (1894)38° (1915)22° (1899)9° (1925)−7° (1893)−22° (1989)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1893 at Normal 4 NE, 14 miles south-southwest. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Gridley on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Bloomington IL · 19 MI 19 miles south Peoria IL · 39 MI 39 miles west Aurora IL · 77 MI 77 miles northeast Chicago IL · 98 MI 98 miles northeast Indianapolis IN · 159 MI 159 miles southeast Madison WI · 164 MI 164 miles north
FORECASTCITY
Map of Gridley, Illinois. Explore the plate
ILLINOIS · MCLEAN

Gridley

1,443 people, 760 ft above sea level in McLean County.

760 ftElevation
1,443People
1 sq miLand
Sunny 45°
SunnyDew point 25°
1

Today in Gridley

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now clear day 45° 0%
6p clear night 37° 0%
9p clear night 32° 0%
12a clear night 30° 0%
3a mostly clear night 29° 0%
6a mostly clear night 27° 0%
Clear
NEXT RAINNone this week
→
Sat0%
Sunny Sunny
24
45
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
26
50
A
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
29
52
A
Tue0%
Sunny Sunny
33
54
A
Wed10%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
43
57
B
Thu20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
43
61
C
Fri20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
48
62
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

2°, the coldest this week of the year has been since 1893.

2

What Gridley stands on

Gridley’s center stands about 760 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 710 ft to 760 ft, a difference of 50 ft: nearly flat ground.

Gridley, southwest to northeast Gridley760 ftHigh point790 ftMackinaw Riverabout 700 ft ← SWNE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center760 ft
Within 3 miles710 to 760 ft
Lie of the landNearly flat (50 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceBond Formation
Its ageLate Pennsylvanian, 304 to 307 million years old
5

Gridley’s year

Gridley has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 86° in July; winter nights fall to about 16° in January. A normal year brings about 20 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 39 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 12 39.4 in
July, average86° / 63° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average33° / 16° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow39.4 in · wettest months: May and July
Snow a year20.1 in · snowiest: January
Hottest on record114°F · July 15, 1936
Coldest on record−24°F · February 13, 1905
Wettest day on record6.10 in · August 3, 1943
Snowiest day on record20.0 in · February 28, 1900
90° days a year26 · very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°135 · and 38 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 21 (median dates)
2Lows below freezing · Nov. 11 to April 1; normal lows fall below 32°
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Gridley normally reaches 51° and falls to 31°. The record high is 74°, in 1989; the record low 7°, in 1940. The most rain on this date, 1.10 in, fell in 1926.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1893 at Normal 4 NE, 14 miles south-southwest. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,440 mito the Gulf of AmericaBuck Creek → Mackinaw → Illinois → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Gridley reaches the Gulf of America by way of Buck Creek, the Mackinaw, the Illinois and the Mississippi: about 1,440 river miles.

1,190 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.