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Shaded-relief map of Dexter, Kansas: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
KANSAS · COWLEY COUNTY

Dexter

229 people, 1,190 ft above sea level in Cowley County.

1,190 ftElevation, city center
229People, 2024 estimate
0 sq miLand area
Sunny 51°
Sunny now Dew point 27° · E 9 mph · high 52°
City of Dexter River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Dexter 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 Dexter

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 4:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Strother Field (KWLD) · 4:54 PM
Sunny
51° Sunny Feels like 51° · high of 52° near 5 PM
WindE 9 mphno gusts
Humidity39%rising to 70% by morning
Pressure30.15 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 27° · Dry40° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Friday60% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 20.8 in · 12 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Cowley County
NWS Wichita and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 5:16 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:04 AM5:18 PM ↓
10 h 13 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 26% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
36
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
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
mostly cloudy day
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly sunny
clear day
mostly sunny
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
TEMPERATURE °F
52°
39°
52°
36°
56°
39°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
8
8
8
7
7
7
8
7
3
0
0
0
0
2
9
10
6
5
5
6
7
10
16
16
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 27 to 40° 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° / 36°
SAT Nov. 14 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
52° 39°
0% rain — ESE 8 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
52° 33°
20% rain — ESE 7 C
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
57° 36°
0% rain — S 6 B
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
60° 42°
0% rain — S 12 A
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
63° 49°
20% rain — S 15, gusts 28 B
THU Nov. 19 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
67° 54°
20% rain — SSE 8 C
FRI Nov. 20 Chance of showers Chance of showers
69° 55°
60% rain up to 0.6″ S 16, gusts 31 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 Dexter about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the central Plains three days ago, and over the southern Plains a day ago, about 560 miles back along its path. Near the ground the air came from Texas; at 10,000 feet, from the northern Rockies. Traced back 72 hours through NOAA’s hourly RAP analyses, nine paths at each of three heights.

THIS WEEK, TEN YEARS AGO Nov. 16, 2016

The hottest this week has been

84° on Nov. 16, 2016, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1996. Next is 80° in 2005.

80°
84°
20052016
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Winfield Strother Field Airport record since 1996.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Dexter stands on

Dexter’s center stands about 1,190 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,150 ft to 1,360 ft, a difference of 210 ft: rolling country.

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

Dexter, cut in half from west to east

A section west to east, 24 miles through the town center
1,000 ft1,200 ft1,400 ft DEXTER1,190 ftHigh point of the line1,420 ftLow point960 ft ← WE →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 42×. 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

Chase Group

Shale, limestone. Age: Permian, 252 to 299 million years old. About 15 mi of the line.

Council Grove Group

Limestone, shale. Age: Permian, 252 to 299 million years old. About 3 mi of the line.

Admire Group

Shale. Age: Carboniferous, 299 to 324 million years old. About 3 mi of the line.

Alluvium

Sand, silt, clay. Age: Pleistocene to Holocene, less than 2.6 million years old. About 2 mi of the line.

Wabaunsee Group

Shale. Age: Carboniferous, 299 to 324 million years old. About 1 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 Dexter’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Dexter reaches the Gulf of America by way of Grouse Creek, the Arkansas and the Mississippi: about 1,270 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Dexter≈ 1,270 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF DEXTER ≈ 1,270 mi to the Gulf of America Grouse Creek → Arkansas → Mississippi

Lakes on the way: Murray Lake and Ozark Lake.

600 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.

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

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Dexter’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1996 · Winfield Strother Field Airport, 18 mi west

Dexter has a humid subtropical climate. Summer afternoons average 92° in July; winter nights fall to about 24° in January. About 35 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

46°24°51°27°60°36°69°45°78°56°87°66°92°71°91°69°83°60°71°48°59°36°47°27° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY DEXTER 34.9 in rain a year
Normal high to low, by month Rain by month Freezing
July, average92° / 71°high / low, the warmest month
January, average46° / 24°high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year34.9 inwettest months: June and May
Hottest on record112°FJuly 30, 2012
Coldest on record−20°FFebruary 10, 2011
Wettest day on record6.28 inJune 6, 2019
90° days a year65about 12 of them 100° or more
Nights at or below 32°96and 13 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHumid subtropicalKöppen Cfa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 26, to the last in spring, about April 9 (median dates)
2Highs of 90° and upJune 24 to Aug. 27; normal highs reach 90°
3Lows below freezingNov. 24 to March 4; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchMay through July: 13.9 of the year’s 34.9 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Dexter normally reaches 59° and falls to 36°. The record high is 76°, in 2020; the record low 16°, in 2018. The most rain on this date, 0.49 in, fell in 2022.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high46°51°60°69°78°87°92°91°83°71°59°47°
Normal low24°27°36°45°56°66°71°69°60°48°36°27°
Rain, inches0.691.292.423.464.685.283.934.062.783.271.701.32

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1996 at Winfield Strother Field Airport, 18 miles west. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Dexter on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Ponca City OK · 37 MI 37 miles southwest Derby KS · 40 MI 40 miles northwest Wichita KS · 49 MI 49 miles northwest Tulsa OK · 86 MI 86 miles southeast Oklahoma City OK · 126 MI 126 miles south Springfield MO · 189 MI 189 miles east
FORECASTCITY
Map of Dexter, Kansas. Explore the plate
KANSAS · COWLEY

Dexter

229 people, 1,190 ft above sea level in Cowley County.

1,190 ftElevation
229People
0 sq miLand
Sunny 51°
SunnyDew point 27°
1

Today in Dexter

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now partly cloudy night 52° 0%
8p overcast 47° 1%
11p mostly cloudy night 45° 4%
2a mostly cloudy night 43° 6%
5a mostly cloudy night 41° 14%
8a mostly cloudy day 40° 18%
Rain
NEXT RAINFriday · 60%
→
Sat0%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
39
52
A
Sun20%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
33
52
C
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
36
57
B
Tue0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
42
60
A
Wed20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
49
63
B
Thu20%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
54
67
C
Fri60%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
55
69
B
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK, TEN YEARS AGO · NOV. 16, 2016

84°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1996.

2

What Dexter stands on

Dexter’s center stands about 1,190 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,150 ft to 1,360 ft, a difference of 210 ft: rolling country.

Dexter, west to east Dexter1,190 ft ← WE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 79×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,190 ft
Within 3 miles1,150 to 1,360 ft
Lie of the landRolling (210 ft of relief)
5

Dexter’s year

Dexter has a humid subtropical climate. Summer afternoons average 92° in July; winter nights fall to about 24° in January. About 35 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 34.9 in
July, average92° / 71° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average46° / 24° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year34.9 in · wettest months: June and May
Hottest on record112°F · July 30, 2012
Coldest on record−20°F · February 10, 2011
Wettest day on record6.28 in · June 6, 2019
90° days a year65 · about 12 of them 100° or more
Nights at or below 32°96 · and 13 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHumid subtropical · Köppen Cfa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 26, to the last in spring, about April 9 (median dates)
2Highs of 90° and up · June 24 to Aug. 27; normal highs reach 90°
3Lows below freezing · Nov. 24 to March 4; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · May through July: 13.9 of the year’s 34.9 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Dexter normally reaches 59° and falls to 36°. The record high is 76°, in 2020; the record low 16°, in 2018. The most rain on this date, 0.49 in, fell in 2022.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1996 at Winfield Strother Field Airport, 18 miles west. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,270 mito the Gulf of AmericaGrouse Creek → Arkansas → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Dexter reaches the Gulf of America by way of Grouse Creek, the Arkansas and the Mississippi: about 1,270 river miles.

Lakes on the way: Murray Lake and Ozark Lake.

600 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.