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Shaded-relief map of Zeeland, Michigan: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
MICHIGAN · OTTAWA COUNTY

Zeeland

12,261 people, 650 ft above sea level in Ottawa County.

650 ftElevation, city center
12,261People, 2024 estimate
34 sq miLand area
Clear 42°
Clear now Dew point 33° · N 8 mph · high 40°
City of Zeeland River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Zeeland 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 Zeeland

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 6:00 PM EST
RIGHT NOW Holland - West Michigan Regional Airport (KBIV) · 5:53 PM
Clear
42° Clear Feels like 37° · high of 40° near 6 PM
WindN 8 mphno gusts
Humidity70%rising to 92% by morning
Pressure30.22 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 33° · Dryabout the same for three days
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Clear
Not this weeknone in the forecast for a week
LIKELY AMOUNT—nothing expected
LAST RAINNov. 120.12 in · 2 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Ottawa County
NWS Grand Rapids and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 6:46 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:34 AM5:22 PM ↓
9 h 47 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 26% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
42
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
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
overcast
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
mostly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
clear day
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
clear day
clear day
clear day
TEMPERATURE °F
40°
34°
45°
34°
49°
41°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
8
5
0
0
0
0
3
5
0
0
0
0
2
7
10
9
7
7
7
7
7
9
12
9
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 31 to 40°

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 48° / 34°
SAT Nov. 14 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
40° 31°
0% rain — N 6 A
SUN Nov. 15 Partly cloudy; warmer Partly cloudy; warmer
48° 30°
0% rain — N 2 A
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
51° 37°
0% rain — WSW 8 A
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
52° 37°
0% rain — S 7 A
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
54° 42°
0% rain — S 9 A
THU Nov. 19 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
57° 44°
10% rain — WSW 8 B
FRI Nov. 20 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
58° 45°
20% rain — SSE 3 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 Zeeland about 5,000 feet above the ground was over Canada three days ago, and over the northern Plains a day ago, about 2,180 miles back along its path. Near the ground the air came from British Columbia; at 10,000 feet, from the open Pacific. It has stayed over land, which is why it feels dry. 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 2012 Nov. 11, 2012

The hottest this week has been

72° on Nov. 11, 2012, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1996. Next is 71° in 2010.

71°
72°
20102012
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Holland Tulip City Airport record since 1996.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Zeeland stands on

Zeeland’s center stands about 650 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 590 ft to 710 ft, a difference of 120 ft: gently rolling country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Beach Hill, about 850 ft, 12 miles south-southeast.

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

Zeeland, cut in half from west to east

A section west to east, 24 miles through the town center
600 ft700 ft800 ft ZEELAND650 ftLow point570 ftPark610 ftHolland620 ftJamestown810 ft ← WJamestown · E →

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

Coldwater Shale

Shale. Age: Carboniferous, 324 to 359 million years old. About 14 mi of the line.

Marshall Sandstone

Sandstone. Age: Carboniferous, 324 to 359 million years old. About 8 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 Zeeland’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Zeeland reaches Lake Michigan by way of the Macatawa: about 18 river miles. From there it moves on through the Great Lakes, over Niagara Falls and down the St. Lawrence to the Atlantic.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Zeeland≈ 18 mi · Lake Michigan
FROM THE CENTER OF ZEELAND ≈ 18 mi to Lake Michigan and the St. Lawrence Macatawa

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

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Zeeland’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1996 · Holland Tulip City Airport, 6 mi southwest

Zeeland has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 82° in July; winter nights fall to about 20° in January. About 35 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

32°20°34°21°44°28°57°37°69°48°78°58°82°62°80°60°73°52°61°43°48°34°37°26° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 123 TODAY ZEELAND 34.8 in rain a year
Normal high to low, by month Rain by month Freezing
July, average82° / 62°high / low, the warmest month
January, average32° / 20°high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year34.8 inwettest months: October and May
Hottest on record102°FJuly 6, 2012
Coldest on record−14°FFebruary 20, 2015
Wettest day on record4.03 inJune 7, 2008
90° days a year9none reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°122and 43 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 18, to the last in spring, about April 27 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingJan. 6 to Feb. 7; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingNov. 20 to April 1; normal lows fall below 32°
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Zeeland normally reaches 48° and falls to 34°. The record high is 62°, in 2009; the record low 9°, in 1996. The most rain on this date, 0.45 in, fell in 2021.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high32°34°44°57°69°78°82°80°73°61°48°37°
Normal low20°21°28°37°48°58°62°60°52°43°34°26°
Rain, inches1.871.772.073.503.763.452.803.062.954.223.202.11

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1996 at Holland Tulip City Airport, 6 miles southwest. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Zeeland on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Wyoming MI · 14 MI 14 miles northeast Grand Rapids MI · 18 MI 18 miles northeast Milwaukee WI · 103 MI 103 miles west Chicago IL · 111 MI 111 miles southwest Detroit MI · 148 MI 148 miles east Madison WI · 177 MI 177 miles west
FORECASTCITY
Map of Zeeland, Michigan. Explore the plate
MICHIGAN · OTTAWA

Zeeland

12,261 people, 650 ft above sea level in Ottawa County.

650 ftElevation
12,261People
34 sq miLand
Clear 42°
ClearDew point 33°
1

Today in Zeeland

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now overcast 40° 0%
9p mostly cloudy night 37° 1%
12a mostly cloudy night 36° 0%
3a mostly cloudy night 35° 1%
6a mostly cloudy night 34° 1%
9a mostly cloudy day 37° 1%
Clear
NEXT RAINNone this week
→
Sat0%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
31
40
A
Sun0%
Partly cloudy; warmer Partly cloudy; warmer
30
48
A
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
37
51
A
Tue0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
37
52
A
Wed0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
42
54
A
Thu10%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
44
57
B
Fri20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
45
58
B
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK IN 2012 · NOV. 11, 2012

72°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1996.

2

What Zeeland stands on

Zeeland’s center stands about 650 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 590 ft to 710 ft, a difference of 120 ft: gently rolling country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Beach Hill, about 850 ft, 12 miles south-southeast.

Zeeland, west to east Zeeland650 ft ← WE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center650 ft
Within 3 miles590 to 710 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (120 ft of relief)
High point nearbyBeach Hill, 850 ft, 12 mi south-southeast
5

Zeeland’s year

Zeeland has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 82° in July; winter nights fall to about 20° in January. About 35 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 123 34.8 in
July, average82° / 62° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average32° / 20° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year34.8 in · wettest months: October and May
Hottest on record102°F · July 6, 2012
Coldest on record−14°F · February 20, 2015
Wettest day on record4.03 in · June 7, 2008
90° days a year9 · none reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°122 · and 43 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 18, to the last in spring, about April 27 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Jan. 6 to Feb. 7; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Nov. 20 to April 1; normal lows fall below 32°
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Zeeland normally reaches 48° and falls to 34°. The record high is 62°, in 2009; the record low 9°, in 1996. The most rain on this date, 0.45 in, fell in 2021.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1996 at Holland Tulip City Airport, 6 miles southwest. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 18 mito Lake MichiganMacatawa

A raindrop that lands in Zeeland reaches Lake Michigan by way of the Macatawa: about 18 river miles. From there it moves on through the Great Lakes, over Niagara Falls and down the St. Lawrence to the Atlantic.