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Shaded-relief map of Lima, Wisconsin: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
WISCONSIN · GRANT COUNTY

Lima

774 people, 990 ft above sea level in Grant County.

990 ftElevation, city center
774People, 2024 estimate
36 sq miLand area
Clear 39°
Clear now Dew point 29° · Calm · high 37°
City of Lima River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Lima 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 Lima

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 5:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Platteville Municipal Airport (KPVB) · 5:35 PM
Clear
39° Clear Feels like 39° · high of 37° near 5 PM
WindCalmno gusts
Humidity67%rising to 100% by morning
Pressure30.30 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 29° · Dryabout the same for three days
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Mostly sunny
Thursday30% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 120.1 in · 2 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Grant County
NWS La Crosse and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 5:47 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 6:52 AM4:40 PM ↓
9 h 47 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 26% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
25
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
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
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
clear day
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
clear day
mostly sunny
partly cloudy day
mostly clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
clear day
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
TEMPERATURE °F
37°
26°
46°
30°
48°
35°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
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0
5
9
9
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HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 24 to 36°

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
37° 25°
0% rain — NNW 0 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
49° 28°
0% rain — N 0 A
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
51° 34°
0% rain — SSW 7 A
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
54° 38°
0% rain — S 9 A
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
56° 46°
20% rain — S 13 B
THU Nov. 19 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
59° 42°
30% rain — WSW 5 C
FRI Nov. 20 Chance of showers Chance of showers
59° 50°
40% rain up to 0.2″ SSE 8 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 Lima about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the open Pacific three days ago, and over the northern Plains a day ago, about 2,870 miles back along its path. It came down from about 11,700 feet up, warming and drying as it sank. Near the ground the air came from British Columbia; at 10,000 feet, from the Canadian Prairies. 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 1959 Nov. 17, 1959

The coldest this week has been

−3° on Nov. 17, 1959, the coldest reading for this week of the year since 1893. Next is −1° in 1986.

−1°
−3°
19861959
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Lancaster 4 WSW record since 1893.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Lima stands on

Lima’s center stands about 990 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 860 ft to 1,110 ft, a difference of 250 ft: rolling country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Platte Mounds, about 1,470 ft, 5 miles southeast.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Sinnipee Group (dolostone), from the Ordovician, 445 to 487 million years old.

The section below crosses 3 rock units mapped at the surface.

Paris to Montfort, cut in half

A section southwest to northeast, 24 miles through the town center
600 ft800 ft1,000 ft1,200 ft LIMA990 ftLow point630 ftLittle Platte Riverabout 740 ftLivingston1,140 ftHigh point of the line1,210 ft ← SW · ParisMontfort · NE →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 34×. 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

Sinnipee Group

Dolostone. Age: Ordovician, 445 to 487 million years old. About 19 mi of the line.

Ancell Group

Sandstone. Age: Ordovician, 445 to 487 million years old. About 5 mi of the line.

Prairie du Chien Group

Dolostone. Age: Early Ordovician, 471 to 487 million years old. About 0.4 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 Lima’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Lima reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Little Platte, the Platte and the Mississippi: about 1,600 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Lima≈ 1,600 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF LIMA ≈ 1,600 mi to the Gulf of America Little Platte → Platte → Mississippi

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

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Lima’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1893 · Lancaster 4 WSW, 15 mi west

Lima has a warm-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 81° in July; winter nights fall to about 9° in January. A normal year brings about 37 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 38 inches of water.

25°9°30°13°43°25°57°36°68°48°77°58°81°62°79°60°72°52°59°39°44°27°31°16° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY LIMA 38.5 in rain and snowmelt
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average81° / 62°high / low, the warmest month
January, average25° / 9°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow38.5 inwettest months: June and July
Snow a year37.4 insnowiest: January
Hottest on record108°FJuly 14, 1936
Coldest on record−31°FFebruary 3, 1996
Wettest day on record6.17 inJuly 26, 1940
Snowiest day on record13.0 inJanuary 3, 1986
90° days a year4on average, 1991–2020
Nights at or below 32°150and 68 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeWarm-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfb

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 10, to the last in spring, about April 27 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingDec. 11 to Feb. 22; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingNov. 3 to April 4; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchMay through July: 15.4 of the year’s 38.5 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Lima normally reaches 44° and falls to 28°. The record high is 72°, in 1999; the record low 2°, in 1986. The most rain on this date, 0.81 in, fell in 1902.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high25°30°43°57°68°77°81°79°72°59°44°31°
Normal low9°13°25°36°48°58°62°60°52°39°27°16°
Rain and melt, in1.201.291.993.804.395.935.033.864.032.902.371.70
Snow, inches10.08.94.91.60.20.00.00.00.00.52.68.7
Record high60° (1897)71° (2024)84° (1986)95° (1980)104° (1934)100° (1988)108° (1936)103° (1988)100° (1939)92° (1963)77° (1915)68° (2021)
Record low−31° (1963)−31° (1996)−22° (1962)6° (1982)23° (1908)35° (1945)42° (1901)34° (1915)20° (1899)3° (1925)−15° (1977)−27° (1983)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1893 at Lancaster 4 WSW, 15 miles west. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Lima on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Dubuque IA · 25 MI 25 miles southwest Madison WI · 57 MI 57 miles east Milwaukee WI · 129 MI 129 miles east Chicago IL · 159 MI 159 miles southeast St. Paul MN · 197 MI 197 miles northwest
FORECASTCITY
Map of Lima, Wisconsin. Explore the plate
WISCONSIN · GRANT

Lima

774 people, 990 ft above sea level in Grant County.

990 ftElevation
774People
36 sq miLand
Clear 39°
ClearDew point 29°
1

Today in Lima

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now clear night 37° 0%
8p clear night 33° 0%
11p clear night 30° 0%
2a partly cloudy night 27° 0%
5a partly cloudy night 27° 0%
8a mostly sunny 29° 0%
Mostly sunny
NEXT RAINThursday · 30%
→
Sat0%
Sunny Sunny
25
37
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
28
49
A
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
34
51
A
Tue0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
38
54
A
Wed20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
46
56
B
Thu30%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
42
59
C
Fri40%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
50
59
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK IN 1959 · NOV. 17, 1959

−3°, the coldest this week of the year has been since 1893.

2

What Lima stands on

Lima’s center stands about 990 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 860 ft to 1,110 ft, a difference of 250 ft: rolling country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Platte Mounds, about 1,470 ft, 5 miles southeast.

Lima, southwest to northeast Lima990 ftLittle Platte Riverabout 740 ft ← SWNE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 64×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center990 ft
Within 3 miles860 to 1,110 ft
Lie of the landRolling (250 ft of relief)
High point nearbyPlatte Mounds, 1,470 ft, 5 mi southeast
Rock at the surfaceSinnipee Group
Its ageOrdovician, 445 to 487 million years old
5

Lima’s year

Lima has a warm-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 81° in July; winter nights fall to about 9° in January. A normal year brings about 37 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 38 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 38.5 in
July, average81° / 62° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average25° / 9° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow38.5 in · wettest months: June and July
Snow a year37.4 in · snowiest: January
Hottest on record108°F · July 14, 1936
Coldest on record−31°F · February 3, 1996
Wettest day on record6.17 in · July 26, 1940
Snowiest day on record13.0 in · January 3, 1986
90° days a year4 · on average, 1991–2020
Nights at or below 32°150 · and 68 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeWarm-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfb
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 10, to the last in spring, about April 27 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Dec. 11 to Feb. 22; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Nov. 3 to April 4; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · May through July: 15.4 of the year’s 38.5 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Lima normally reaches 44° and falls to 28°. The record high is 72°, in 1999; the record low 2°, in 1986. The most rain on this date, 0.81 in, fell in 1902.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1893 at Lancaster 4 WSW, 15 miles west. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,600 mito the Gulf of AmericaLittle Platte → Platte → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Lima reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Little Platte, the Platte and the Mississippi: about 1,600 river miles.