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

Sauk City

3,471 people, 750 ft above sea level in Sauk County.

750 ftElevation, city center
3,471People, 2024 estimate
2 sq miLand area
Sunny 44°
Sunny now Dew point 26° · NNW 5 mph · high 42°
City of Sauk City River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Sauk City 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 Sauk City

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 3:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Dane County Regional-Truax Field (KMSN) · 3:53 PM
Sunny
44° Sunny Feels like 42° · high of 42° near 4 PM
WindNNW 5 mphno gusts
Humidity49%rising to 96% by morning
Pressure30.27 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 26° · Dryabout the same for three days
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Friday40% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 40.08 in · 10 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Sauk County
NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 4:17 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 6:50 AM4:36 PM ↓
9 h 45 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 26% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
12
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
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly sunny
clear day
clear day
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
clear night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
partly cloudy day
mostly clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
TEMPERATURE °F
42°
26°
46°
30°
50°
35°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
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0
2
6
8
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HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 24 to 33°

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 46° / 29°
SAT Nov. 14 Sunny Sunny
42° 24°
0% rain — NNW 5 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
50° 27°
0% rain — NW 0 A
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
52° 32°
0% rain — SW 8 A
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
56° 36°
0% rain — S 9 A
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
56° 45°
20% rain — S 13 B
THU Nov. 19 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
59° 40°
20% rain — WSW 7 C
FRI Nov. 20 Chance of showers Chance of showers
59° 48°
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 Sauk City 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 9,800 feet up, warming and drying as it sank. Near the ground the air came from British Columbia; at 10,000 feet, from the Pacific Northwest. 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. 14, 1959

The coldest this week has been

−3° on Nov. 14, 1959, the coldest reading for this week of the year since 1893. Next is −3° in 1986.

−3°
−3°
19861959
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Baraboo Wwtp record since 1893.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Sauk City stands on

Sauk City’s center stands about 750 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 720 ft to 1,110 ft, a difference of 390 ft: rolling country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Sauk Point, about 1,630 ft, 11 miles north-northeast.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Cambrian, undivided (sandstone), from the Cambrian, 487 to 542 million years old.

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

Cross Plains to Baraboo, cut in half

A section south to north, 24 miles through the town center
750 ft1,000 ft1,250 ft1,500 ft SAUK CITY750 ftCross Plains930 ftBerry1,100 ftPrairie du Sac790 ftHigh point of the line1,550 ft ← S · Cross PlainsBaraboo · N →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 23×. 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

Cambrian, undivided

Sandstone. Age: Cambrian, 487 to 542 million years old. About 15 mi of the line.

Prairie du Chien Group

Dolostone. Age: Early Ordovician, 471 to 487 million years old. About 6 mi of the line.

Barron Quartzite

Quartzite. Age: Paleoproterozoic, 1.6 to 2.5 billion years old. About 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 Sauk City’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Sauk City reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Wisconsin and the Mississippi: about 1,700 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Sauk City≈ 1,700 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF SAUK CITY ≈ 1,700 mi to the Gulf of America Wisconsin → Mississippi

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

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Sauk City’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1893 · Baraboo Wwtp, 13 mi north

Sauk City has a warm-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 83° in July; winter nights fall to about 10° in January. A normal year brings about 43 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 39 inches of water.

28°10°32°13°44°23°57°34°70°46°79°56°83°60°81°58°74°50°61°38°46°28°33°17° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY SAUK CITY 38.9 in rain and snowmelt
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average83° / 60°high / low, the warmest month
January, average28° / 10°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow38.9 inwettest months: June and July
Snow a year42.7 insnowiest: January
Hottest on record103°FJuly 7, 2012
Coldest on record−45°FJanuary 30, 1951
Wettest day on record7.78 inJuly 18, 1993
Snowiest day on record13.0 inMarch 5, 1959
90° days a year11very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°170and 57 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeWarm-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfb

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Sept. 29, to the last in spring, about May 17 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingDec. 18 to Feb. 16; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingNov. 2 to April 11; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchJune through August: 14.9 of the year’s 38.9 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Sauk City normally reaches 46° and falls to 28°. The record high is 72°, in 1999; the record low −3°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 1.16 in, fell in 1956.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high28°32°44°57°70°79°83°81°74°61°46°33°
Normal low10°13°23°34°46°56°60°58°50°38°28°17°
Rain and melt, in1.351.362.214.164.285.584.794.533.852.912.201.68
Snow, inches11.310.15.92.60.00.00.00.00.00.42.110.3
Record high60° (2025)72° (2024)84° (1986)92° (1980)96° (2018)102° (1988)103° (2012)102° (1988)99° (1955)92° (1963)76° (1999)68° (2021)
Record low−45° (1951)−41° (1996)−34° (1962)−2° (1982)19° (1996)31° (1996)38° (1996)34° (1986)20° (1949)10° (1988)−17° (1977)−35° (1983)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1893 at Baraboo Wwtp, 13 miles north. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Sauk City on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Madison WI · 20 MI 20 miles southeast Sun Prairie WI · 26 MI 26 miles east Milwaukee WI · 90 MI 90 miles east Aurora IL · 128 MI 128 miles southeast Naperville IL · 132 MI 132 miles southeast Chicago IL · 144 MI 144 miles southeast
FORECASTCITY
Map of Sauk City, Wisconsin. Explore the plate
WISCONSIN · SAUK

Sauk City

3,471 people, 750 ft above sea level in Sauk County.

750 ftElevation
3,471People
2 sq miLand
Sunny 44°
SunnyDew point 26°
1

Today in Sauk City

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now clear day 42° 0%
7p clear night 36° 0%
10p clear night 32° 0%
1a mostly clear night 30° 0%
4a partly cloudy night 28° 0%
7a partly cloudy day 27° 0%
Rain
NEXT RAINFriday · 40%
→
Sat0%
Sunny Sunny
24
42
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
27
50
A
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
32
52
A
Tue0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
36
56
A
Wed20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
45
56
B
Thu20%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
40
59
C
Fri40%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
48
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. 14, 1959

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

2

What Sauk City stands on

Sauk City’s center stands about 750 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 720 ft to 1,110 ft, a difference of 390 ft: rolling country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Sauk Point, about 1,630 ft, 11 miles north-northeast.

Sauk City, south to north Sauk City750 ft ← SN → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 44×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center750 ft
Within 3 miles720 to 1,110 ft
Lie of the landRolling (390 ft of relief)
High point nearbySauk Point, 1,630 ft, 11 mi north-northeast
Rock at the surfaceCambrian, undivided
Its ageCambrian, 487 to 542 million years old
5

Sauk City’s year

Sauk City has a warm-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 83° in July; winter nights fall to about 10° in January. A normal year brings about 43 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 39 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 38.9 in
July, average83° / 60° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average28° / 10° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow38.9 in · wettest months: June and July
Snow a year42.7 in · snowiest: January
Hottest on record103°F · July 7, 2012
Coldest on record−45°F · January 30, 1951
Wettest day on record7.78 in · July 18, 1993
Snowiest day on record13.0 in · March 5, 1959
90° days a year11 · very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°170 · and 57 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeWarm-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfb
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Sept. 29, to the last in spring, about May 17 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Dec. 18 to Feb. 16; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Nov. 2 to April 11; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · June through August: 14.9 of the year’s 38.9 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Sauk City normally reaches 46° and falls to 28°. The record high is 72°, in 1999; the record low −3°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 1.16 in, fell in 1956.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1893 at Baraboo Wwtp, 13 miles north. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,700 mito the Gulf of AmericaWisconsin → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Sauk City reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Wisconsin and the Mississippi: about 1,700 river miles.