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

Unity

98 people, 340 ft above sea level in Alexander County.

340 ftElevation, city center
98People, 2024 estimate
1 sq miLand area
Sunny 51°
Sunny now Dew point 27° · N 6 mph · high 51°
City of Unity River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Unity 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 Unity

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 12:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Barkley Regional Airport (KPAH) · 1:53 PM
Sunny
51° Sunny Feels like 51° · high of 51° near 2 PM
WindN 6 mphno gusts
Humidity39%falling to 39% this afternoon
Pressure30.27 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 27° · Dry43° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Clear
Not this weeknone in the forecast for a week
LIKELY AMOUNT—nothing expected
LAST RAINNov. 40.36 in · 10 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Alexander County
NWS Paducah and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 2:16 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 6:34 AM4:48 PM ↓
10 h 13 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 25% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
15
GOODAir quality index · fine particles
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
2p
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
clear day
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
partly cloudy day
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
clear day
clear day
clear day
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
clear day
clear day
TEMPERATURE °F
51°
29°
55°
31°
56°
32°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 27 to 40° ↑ Humid air returns More humid: 40° by Tuesday

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 59° / 38°
SAT Nov. 14 Sunny Sunny
51° 28°
0% rain — NNW 3 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
56° 29°
0% rain — NE 1 A
MON Nov. 16 Sunny Sunny
57° 30°
0% rain — ENE 2 B
TUE Nov. 17 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
61° 33°
0% rain — E 5 B
WED Nov. 18 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
63° 39°
0% rain — SSE 5 A
THU Nov. 19 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
67° 44°
0% rain — S 5 B
FRI Nov. 20 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
70° 45°
0% rain — SE 5 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 Unity about 5,000 feet above the ground was over British Columbia three days ago, and over the central Plains a day ago, about 2,200 miles back along its path. It came down from about 11,800 feet up, warming and drying as it sank. Near the ground the air came from the open Pacific; at 10,000 feet, from the northern Plains. Traced back 72 hours through NOAA’s hourly RAP analyses and the GFS beyond them, nine paths at each of three heights.

THIS WEEK, SEVEN YEARS AGO Nov. 12, 2019

The coldest this week has been

14° on Nov. 12, 2019, the coldest reading for this week of the year since 1987. Next is 16° in 1997.

16°
14°
19972019
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Cairo 3 N record since 1987.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Unity stands on

Unity’s center stands about 340 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 310 ft to 460 ft, a difference of 150 ft: gently rolling country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Italian Hill, about 900 ft, 12 miles north-northwest.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Tamms Group (limestone), from the Silurian to Early Devonian, 394 to 425 million years old.

The section below crosses 4 rock units mapped at the surface.

Unity, cut in half from south to north

A section south to north, 24 miles through the town center
400 ft600 ft UNITY340 ftCairo280 ftVick Hill840 ft ← S · CairoN →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 37×. 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

Tamms Group

Limestone. Age: Silurian to Early Devonian, 394 to 425 million years old. About 12 mi of the line.

Clayton Formation, Porters Creek Formation, Claiborne Formation, Wilcox Formation

Shale, sandstone. Age: Paleocene to Pliocene, 2.6 to 66 million years old. About 10 mi of the line.

Holocene series

Clay, silt, sand. Age: Holocene, less than 12,000 years old. About 1 mi of the line.

Muscatatuck Group

Limestone. Age: Middle Devonian, 384 to 394 million years old. About 0.6 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 Unity’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Unity reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Cache and the Mississippi: about 990 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Unity≈ 990 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF UNITY ≈ 990 mi to the Gulf of America Cache → Mississippi

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

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Unity’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1987 · Cairo 3 N, 9 mi south-southeast

Unity has a humid subtropical climate. Summer afternoons average 89° in July; winter nights fall to about 26° in January. About 51 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

43°26°48°30°59°38°70°48°78°58°86°66°89°70°88°68°82°60°71°48°58°37°47°30° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1 TODAY UNITY 51.0 in rain a year
Normal high to low, by month Rain by month Freezing
July, average89° / 70°high / low, the warmest month
January, average43° / 26°high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year51.0 inwettest months: April and May
Hottest on record108°FJuly 7, 2012
Coldest on record−9°FDecember 23, 1989
Wettest day on record5.66 inOctober 18, 2007
Climate typeHumid subtropicalKöppen Cfa

AROUND THE RING

1Lows below freezingDec. 5 to Feb. 26; normal lows fall below 32°
MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high43°48°59°70°78°86°89°88°82°71°58°47°
Normal low26°30°38°48°58°66°70°68°60°48°37°30°
Rain, inches3.803.884.855.385.084.374.103.183.514.144.464.25

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1987 at Cairo 3 N, 9 miles south-southeast. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Unity on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Cape Girardeau MO · 19 MI 19 miles northwest Paducah KY · 35 MI 35 miles east Clarksville TN · 114 MI 114 miles east St. Louis MO · 115 MI 115 miles northwest Nashville TN · 154 MI 154 miles southeast Murfreesboro TN · 182 MI 182 miles southeast
FORECASTCITY
Map of Unity, Illinois. Explore the plate
ILLINOIS · ALEXANDER

Unity

98 people, 340 ft above sea level in Alexander County.

340 ftElevation
98People
1 sq miLand
Sunny 51°
SunnyDew point 27°
1

Today in Unity

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now clear day 51° 0%
5p clear night 44° 0%
8p clear night 35° 0%
11p clear night 32° 0%
2a clear night 30° 0%
5a clear night 29° 0%
Clear
NEXT RAINNone this week
→
Sat0%
Sunny Sunny
28
51
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
29
56
A
Mon0%
Sunny Sunny
30
57
B
Tue0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
33
61
B
Wed0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
39
63
A
Thu0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
44
67
B
Fri0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
45
70
B
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

14°, the coldest this week of the year has been since 1987.

2

What Unity stands on

Unity’s center stands about 340 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 310 ft to 460 ft, a difference of 150 ft: gently rolling country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Italian Hill, about 900 ft, 12 miles north-northwest.

Unity, south to north Unity340 ft ← SN → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 71×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center340 ft
Within 3 miles310 to 460 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (150 ft of relief)
High point nearbyItalian Hill, 900 ft, 12 mi north-northwest
Rock at the surfaceTamms Group
Its ageSilurian to Early Devonian, 394 to 425 million years old
5

Unity’s year

Unity has a humid subtropical climate. Summer afternoons average 89° in July; winter nights fall to about 26° in January. About 51 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1 51.0 in
July, average89° / 70° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average43° / 26° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year51.0 in · wettest months: April and May
Hottest on record108°F · July 7, 2012
Coldest on record−9°F · December 23, 1989
Wettest day on record5.66 in · October 18, 2007
Climate typeHumid subtropical · Köppen Cfa
1Lows below freezing · Dec. 5 to Feb. 26; normal lows fall below 32°
Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1987 at Cairo 3 N, 9 miles south-southeast. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 990 mito the Gulf of AmericaCache → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Unity reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Cache and the Mississippi: about 990 river miles.