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Shaded-relief map of Jackson, Missouri: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
MISSOURI · CAPE GIRARDEAU COUNTY

Jackson

15,929 people, 470 ft above sea level in Cape Girardeau County.

470 ftElevation, city center
15,929People, 2024 estimate
11 sq miLand area
Clear 44°
Clear now Dew point 24° · N 5 mph · high 45°
City of Jackson River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Jackson 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 Jackson

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 4:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Cape Girardeau Regional Airport (KCGI) · 4:53 PM
Clear
44° Clear Feels like 42° · high of 45° near 5 PM
WindN 5 mphno gusts
Humidity45%rising to 96% by morning
Pressure30.28 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 24° · Dry41° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Clear
Not this weeknone in the forecast for a week
LIKELY AMOUNT—nothing expected
LAST RAINNov. 40.15 in · 10 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Cape Girardeau County
NWS Paducah and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 5:16 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 6:36 AM4:49 PM ↓
10 h 12 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 26% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
14
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
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
clear day
partly cloudy day
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
clear day
TEMPERATURE °F
45°
27°
56°
30°
57°
31°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
0
0
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3
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HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 26 to 38° ↑ Humid air returns More humid: 38° by Tuesday

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 57° / 37°
SAT Nov. 14 Sunny Sunny
45° 25°
0% rain — N 0 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
56° 26°
0% rain — NE 0 A
MON Nov. 16 Sunny Sunny
58° 27°
0% rain — ENE 1 A
TUE Nov. 17 Sunny Sunny
60° 30°
0% rain — ESE 5 A
WED Nov. 18 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
63° 37°
0% rain — SSE 5 B
THU Nov. 19 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
66° 42°
0% rain — S 3 B
FRI Nov. 20 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
70° 44°
0% rain — SSE 3 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 Jackson about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the open Pacific three days ago, and over the central Plains a day ago, about 3,350 miles back along its path. It came down from about 14,500 feet up, warming and drying as it sank. Near the ground the air came from British Columbia; at 10,000 feet, from the northern Rockies. It feels dry all the same. 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 2015 Nov. 17–18, 2015

The wettest two days this week has seen

3.59 inches of rain fell in two days, the most for this week of the year since records began in 1960. The next wettest, 2.87 inches, fell in 2011.

2.87″
3.59″
20112015
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Cape Girardeau Faa Airport record since 1960.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Jackson stands on

Jackson’s center stands about 470 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 390 ft to 580 ft, a difference of 190 ft: gently rolling country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Grassy Knob, about 810 ft, 7 miles east.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Decorah Group, Plattin Group (limestone), from the Middle Ordovician, 459 to 471 million years old.

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

Chaffee to Shawneetown, cut in half

A section south to north, 24 miles through the town center
300 ft400 ft500 ft600 ft JACKSON470 ftLow point330 ftHubble Creekabout 360 ftGordonville440 ftHigh point of the line670 ft ← S · ChaffeeShawneetown · N →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 57×. 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

Decorah Group, Plattin Group

Limestone. Age: Middle Ordovician, 459 to 471 million years old. About 7 mi of the line.

Joachim Dolomite, Dutchtown Formation

Dolostone, limestone, shale. Age: Middle Ordovician, 459 to 471 million years old. About 6 mi of the line.

Leemon Formation, Maquoketa Group, Cape Limestone, Kimmswick Limestone, Noix-Cyrene Limestone, Maquoketa Shale

Limestone. Age: Middle Ordovician to Late Ordovician, 445 to 471 million years old. About 6 mi of the line.

Holocene series

Clay, silt, sand. Age: Holocene, less than 12,000 years old. About 3 mi of the line.

St. Peter Sandstone, Everton Formation

Dolostone, sandstone, limestone. Age: Early Ordovician to Middle Ordovician, 459 to 487 million years old. About 2 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 Jackson’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Jackson reaches the Gulf of America by way of Goose Creek, Hubble Creek, the Castor River Diversion Channel and the Mississippi: about 1,040 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Jackson≈ 1,040 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF JACKSON ≈ 1,040 mi to the Gulf of America Goose Creek → Hubble Creek → Castor River Diversion Channel → Mississippi

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

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Jackson’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1960 · Cape Girardeau Faa Airport, 12 mi south-southeast

Jackson has a humid subtropical climate. Summer afternoons average 89° in July; winter nights fall to about 26° in January. About 48 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

43°26°48°30°58°37°69°47°78°58°87°66°89°69°88°66°82°58°71°46°57°37°46°30° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 12 TODAY JACKSON 47.9 in rain a year
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average89° / 69°high / low, the warmest month
January, average43° / 26°high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year47.9 inwettest months: May and April
Hottest on record107°FJune 29, 2012
Coldest on record−18°FJanuary 11, 1977
Wettest day on record11.5 inMarch 18, 2008
Snowiest day on record24.0 inFebruary 25, 1979
90° days a year48about 1 of them 100° or more
Nights at or below 32°90and 13 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHumid subtropicalKöppen Cfa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 25, to the last in spring, about April 7 (median dates)
2Lows below freezingDec. 2 to Feb. 25; normal lows fall below 32°
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Jackson normally reaches 57° and falls to 37°. The record high is 80°, in 1964; the record low 13°, in 1986. The most rain on this date, 1.34 in, fell in 2011.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high43°48°58°69°78°87°89°88°82°71°57°46°
Normal low26°30°37°47°58°66°69°66°58°46°37°30°
Rain, inches3.513.314.695.185.273.803.873.233.613.574.253.62
Record high73° (1967)79° (2024)85° (2026)91° (1989)97° (1996)107° (2012)106° (2012)105° (1964)101° (2026)94° (2019)84° (2016)76° (1982)
Record low−18° (1977)−14° (2015)−8° (2015)18° (2007)30° (1968)43° (1972)49° (1962)45° (1986)33° (1999)22° (2022)8° (2014)−11° (1989)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1960 at Cape Girardeau Faa Airport, 12 miles south-southeast, 140 ft lower. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Jackson on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Cape Girardeau MO · 7 MI 7 miles southeast Carbondale IL · 33 MI 33 miles northeast St. Louis MO · 92 MI 92 miles north Clarksville TN · 139 MI 139 miles southeast Nashville TN · 180 MI 180 miles southeast Columbia MO · 181 MI 181 miles northwest
FORECASTCITY
Map of Jackson, Missouri. Explore the plate
MISSOURI · CAPE GIRARDEAU

Jackson

15,929 people, 470 ft above sea level in Cape Girardeau County.

470 ftElevation
15,929People
11 sq miLand
Clear 44°
ClearDew point 24°
1

Today in Jackson

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now clear night 45° 0%
8p clear night 37° 0%
11p clear night 33° 0%
2a clear night 30° 0%
5a clear night 28° 0%
8a mostly sunny 33° 0%
Clear
NEXT RAINNone this week
→
Sat0%
Sunny Sunny
25
45
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
26
56
A
Mon0%
Sunny Sunny
27
58
A
Tue0%
Sunny Sunny
30
60
A
Wed0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
37
63
B
Thu0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
42
66
B
Fri0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
44
70
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK IN 2015 · NOV. 17–18, 2015

3.59 inches in two days, the most for this week since 1960.

2

What Jackson stands on

Jackson’s center stands about 470 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 390 ft to 580 ft, a difference of 190 ft: gently rolling country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Grassy Knob, about 810 ft, 7 miles east.

Jackson, south to north Jackson470 ftHubble Creekabout 360 ft ← SN → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 108×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center470 ft
Within 3 miles390 to 580 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (190 ft of relief)
High point nearbyGrassy Knob, 810 ft, 7 mi east
Rock at the surfaceDecorah Group, Plattin Group
Its ageMiddle Ordovician, 459 to 471 million years old
5

Jackson’s year

Jackson has a humid subtropical climate. Summer afternoons average 89° in July; winter nights fall to about 26° in January. About 48 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 12 47.9 in
July, average89° / 69° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average43° / 26° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year47.9 in · wettest months: May and April
Hottest on record107°F · June 29, 2012
Coldest on record−18°F · January 11, 1977
Wettest day on record11.5 in · March 18, 2008
Snowiest day on record24.0 in · February 25, 1979
90° days a year48 · about 1 of them 100° or more
Nights at or below 32°90 · and 13 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHumid subtropical · Köppen Cfa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 25, to the last in spring, about April 7 (median dates)
2Lows below freezing · Dec. 2 to Feb. 25; normal lows fall below 32°
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Jackson normally reaches 57° and falls to 37°. The record high is 80°, in 1964; the record low 13°, in 1986. The most rain on this date, 1.34 in, fell in 2011.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1960 at Cape Girardeau Faa Airport, 12 miles south-southeast, 140 ft lower. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,040 mito the Gulf of AmericaGoose Creek → Hubble Creek → Castor River Diversion Channel → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Jackson reaches the Gulf of America by way of Goose Creek, Hubble Creek, the Castor River Diversion Channel and the Mississippi: about 1,040 river miles.