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

Lee

308 people, 940 ft above sea level in Lee County.

940 ftElevation, city center
308People, 2024 estimate
0 sq miLand area
Sunny 45°
Sunny now Dew point 29° · NNW 6 mph · high 44°
City of Lee River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Lee 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 Lee

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 2:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Rochelle Municipal-Koritz Field Airport (KRPJ) · 2:55 PM
Sunny
45° Sunny Feels like 41° · high of 44° near 3 PM
WindNNW 6 mphno gusts
Humidity53%rising to 96% by morning
Pressure30.28 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 29° · Dry37° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Clear
Not this weeknone in the forecast for a week
LIKELY AMOUNT—nothing expected
LAST RAINNov. 120.6 in · 2 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Lee County
NWS Chicago and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 3:16 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 6:43 AM4:36 PM ↓
9 h 52 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 25% 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
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
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6a
9a
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3p
6p
9p
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3a
6a
9a
Noon
clear day
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
clear day
clear day
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
clear day
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
TEMPERATURE °F
44°
26°
47°
29°
50°
33°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
5
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HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 24 to 30° ↑ Humid air returns More humid: 37° 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 Sunny Sunny
44° 22°
0% rain — NW 6 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
48° 23°
0% rain — NNW 0 A
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
50° 28°
0% rain — SW 5 A
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
54° 32°
0% rain — S 7 A
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
55° 41°
10% rain — S 10 B
THU Nov. 19 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
59° 40°
20% rain — WSW 6 C
FRI Nov. 20 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
59° 46°
20% rain — SE 7 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 Lee about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the Canadian Prairies three days ago, and over the northern Plains a day ago, about 1,180 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, nine paths at each of three heights.

THIS WEEK, SEVEN YEARS AGO Nov. 12, 2019

The coldest this week has been

1° on Nov. 12, 2019, the coldest reading for this week of the year since 1912. Next is 3° in 1986.

3°
1°
19862019
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Paw Paw 2 S record since 1912.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Lee stands on

Lee’s center stands about 940 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 850 ft to 970 ft, a difference of 120 ft: gently rolling country.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Cambrian System (dolostone, sandstone), from the Middle Cambrian to Cambrian, 487 to 521 million years old.

The section below crosses 5 rock units mapped at the surface.

Lee, cut in half from south to north

A section south to north, 24 miles through the town center
700 ft800 ft900 ft LEE940 ftLow point700 ft ← SHillcrest · N →

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

Cambrian System

Dolostone, sandstone. Age: Middle Cambrian to Cambrian, 487 to 521 million years old. About 9 mi of the line.

Ancell Group

Sandstone, limestone, dolostone. Age: Middle Ordovician to Late Ordovician, 454 to 468 million years old. About 5 mi of the line.

Prairie du Chien Group

Dolostone. Age: Early Ordovician to Middle Ordovician, 459 to 487 million years old. About 4 mi of the line.

Galena Group (Trenton Limestone)

Dolostone, limestone. Age: Late Ordovician, 447 to 459 million years old. About 4 mi of the line.

Platteville Group

Dolostone, limestone. Age: Late Ordovician, 454 to 459 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 Lee’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Lee reaches the Gulf of America by way of Steward Creek, the Kyte, the Rock River and the Mississippi: about 1,590 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Lee≈ 1,590 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF LEE ≈ 1,590 mi to the Gulf of America Steward Creek → Kyte → Rock River → Mississippi

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

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Lee’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1912 · Paw Paw 2 S, 9 mi south-southwest

Lee has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 82° in July; winter nights fall to about 12° in January. A normal year brings about 30 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 37 inches of water.

28°12°32°16°45°26°59°36°70°48°80°58°82°62°80°59°75°52°63°40°46°28°33°18° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY LEE 36.7 in rain and snowmelt
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average82° / 62°high / low, the warmest month
January, average28° / 12°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow36.7 inwettest months: May and June
Snow a year30.1 insnowiest: January
Hottest on record101°FJune 26, 1988
Coldest on record−33°FFebruary 4, 1996
Wettest day on record6.92 inJune 24, 1994
Snowiest day on record14.0 inJanuary 27, 1967
90° days a year8none reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°149and 59 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 12, to the last in spring, about April 28 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingDec. 18 to Feb. 16; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingNov. 5 to April 5; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchMay through July: 13.3 of the year’s 36.7 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Lee normally reaches 47° and falls to 29°. The record high is 73°, in 1989; the record low 3°, in 1986. The most rain on this date, 2.42 in, fell in 1926.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high28°32°45°59°70°80°82°80°75°63°46°33°
Normal low12°16°26°36°48°58°62°59°52°40°28°18°
Rain and melt, in1.601.732.193.204.834.623.903.743.582.992.441.93
Snow, inches9.66.73.60.90.00.00.00.00.00.11.77.5
Record high64° (1967)75° (2024)83° (2026)92° (2002)95° (2018)101° (1988)101° (1966)99° (1988)93° (1978)90° (2007)76° (1968)68° (2012)
Record low−28° (1985)−33° (1996)−16° (2002)9° (1982)24° (2005)36° (1972)41° (2000)37° (1986)29° (1995)16° (1962)−7° (1976)−20° (1983)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1912 at Paw Paw 2 S, 9 miles south-southwest. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Lee on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Rockford IL · 33 MI 33 miles north Aurora IL · 34 MI 34 miles east Naperville IL · 40 MI 40 miles east Chicago IL · 65 MI 65 miles east Madison WI · 93 MI 93 miles north Milwaukee WI · 101 MI 101 miles northeast
FORECASTCITY
Map of Lee, Illinois. Explore the plate
ILLINOIS · LEE

Lee

308 people, 940 ft above sea level in Lee County.

940 ftElevation
308People
0 sq miLand
Sunny 45°
SunnyDew point 29°
1

Today in Lee

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now clear day 44° 0%
6p clear night 37° 0%
9p clear night 31° 0%
12a mostly clear night 28° 0%
3a partly cloudy night 27° 0%
6a partly cloudy night 26° 0%
Clear
NEXT RAINNone this week
→
Sat0%
Sunny Sunny
22
44
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
23
48
A
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
28
50
A
Tue0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
32
54
A
Wed10%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
41
55
B
Thu20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
40
59
C
Fri20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
46
59
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK, SEVEN YEARS AGO · NOV. 12, 2019

1°, the coldest this week of the year has been since 1912.

2

What Lee stands on

Lee’s center stands about 940 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 850 ft to 970 ft, a difference of 120 ft: gently rolling country.

Lee, south to north Lee940 ft ← SN → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center940 ft
Within 3 miles850 to 970 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (120 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceCambrian System
Its ageMiddle Cambrian to Cambrian, 487 to 521 million years old
5

Lee’s year

Lee has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 82° in July; winter nights fall to about 12° in January. A normal year brings about 30 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 37 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 36.7 in
July, average82° / 62° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average28° / 12° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow36.7 in · wettest months: May and June
Snow a year30.1 in · snowiest: January
Hottest on record101°F · June 26, 1988
Coldest on record−33°F · February 4, 1996
Wettest day on record6.92 in · June 24, 1994
Snowiest day on record14.0 in · January 27, 1967
90° days a year8 · none reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°149 · and 59 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 12, to the last in spring, about April 28 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Dec. 18 to Feb. 16; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Nov. 5 to April 5; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · May through July: 13.3 of the year’s 36.7 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Lee normally reaches 47° and falls to 29°. The record high is 73°, in 1989; the record low 3°, in 1986. The most rain on this date, 2.42 in, fell in 1926.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1912 at Paw Paw 2 S, 9 miles south-southwest. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,590 mito the Gulf of AmericaSteward Creek → Kyte → Rock River → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Lee reaches the Gulf of America by way of Steward Creek, the Kyte, the Rock River and the Mississippi: about 1,590 river miles.