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

Mason

321 people, 590 ft above sea level in Effingham County.

590 ftElevation, city center
321People, 2024 estimate
1 sq miLand area
Clear 40°
Clear now Dew point 26° · WNW 5 mph · high 40°
City of Mason River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Mason 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 Mason

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 5:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Effingham County Memorial Airport (K1H2) · 5:35 PM
Clear
40° Clear Feels like 37° · high of 40° near 5 PM
WindWNW 5 mphno gusts
Humidity56%rising to 100% by morning
Pressure30.31 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 26° · Dry37° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Clear
Not this weeknone in the forecast for a week
LIKELY AMOUNT—nothing expected
LAST RAINNov. 130.02 in · 1 dry day
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Effingham County
NWS Lincoln and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 5:45 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 6:36 AM4:41 PM ↓
10 h 5 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 26% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
29
GOODAir quality index · ozone
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
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
clear day
clear day
clear day
clear night
mostly clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly sunny
clear day
clear day
TEMPERATURE °F
40°
26°
51°
28°
52°
29°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
0
0
0
0
0
0
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5
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HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 25 to 37°

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
40° 25°
0% rain — NNW 0 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
55° 27°
0% rain — N 0 A
MON Nov. 16 Sunny Sunny
56° 28°
0% rain — ESE 0 A
TUE Nov. 17 Sunny Sunny
58° 31°
0% rain — SSE 5 A
WED Nov. 18 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
61° 39°
0% rain — SSE 6 A
THU Nov. 19 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
65° 44°
0% rain — SSW 5 B
FRI Nov. 20 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
68° 46°
0% rain — SSE 1 B
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 Mason about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the Canadian Prairies three days ago, about 1,750 miles back along its path. Most of the nine paths traced from around the city agree. Near the ground the air came from British Columbia; at 10,000 feet, from the northern Rockies. Traced back 72 hours through NOAA’s hourly RAP analyses and the GFS beyond them, nine paths at each of three heights.

MILE2
THE GROUND

What Mason stands on

Mason’s center stands about 590 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 500 ft to 610 ft, a difference of 110 ft: gently rolling country.

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

Mason, cut in half from northwest to southeast

A section northwest to southeast, 24 miles through the town center
500 ft600 ft MASON590 ftHigh point of the line670 ftAltamont610 ftLittle Wabash Riverabout 490 ft ← NW · AltamontSE →

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

Mattoon Formation

Shale. Age: Late Pennsylvanian, 304 to 307 million years old. About 24 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 Mason’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Mason reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Little Wabash, the Ohio and the Mississippi: about 1,290 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Mason≈ 1,290 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF MASON ≈ 1,290 mi to the Gulf of America Little Wabash → Ohio → Mississippi

970 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.

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

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Mason on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Mattoon IL · 39 MI 39 miles north St. Louis MO · 90 MI 90 miles west Indianapolis IN · 144 MI 144 miles northeast Louisville KY · 164 MI 164 miles east Louisville KY · 170 MI 170 miles east
FORECASTCITY
Map of Mason, Illinois. Explore the plate
ILLINOIS · EFFINGHAM

Mason

321 people, 590 ft above sea level in Effingham County.

590 ftElevation
321People
1 sq miLand
Clear 40°
ClearDew point 26°
1

Today in Mason

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now clear night 40° 0%
8p clear night 34° 0%
11p clear night 31° 0%
2a clear night 28° 0%
5a clear night 27° 0%
8a mostly sunny 34° 0%
Clear
NEXT RAINNone this week
→
Sat0%
Sunny Sunny
25
40
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
27
55
A
Mon0%
Sunny Sunny
28
56
A
Tue0%
Sunny Sunny
31
58
A
Wed0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
39
61
A
Thu0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
44
65
B
Fri0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
46
68
B
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
2

What Mason stands on

Mason’s center stands about 590 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 500 ft to 610 ft, a difference of 110 ft: gently rolling country.

Mason, northwest to southeast Mason590 ftHigh point670 ftLittle Wabash Riverabout 490 ft ← NWSE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center590 ft
Within 3 miles500 to 610 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (110 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceMattoon Formation
Its ageLate Pennsylvanian, 304 to 307 million years old
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,290 mito the Gulf of AmericaLittle Wabash → Ohio → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Mason reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Little Wabash, the Ohio and the Mississippi: about 1,290 river miles.

970 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.