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Sterling, Illinois

City in Whiteside County, Illinois

Air quality

The air at Sterling

Index 9, good, led by fine particles. Read at 10 PM from its reporting area, Clinton (IA), 26 miles off.

9Good
  • Fine particles (PM2.5)9Good-
  • Ozone8Good-

The days ahead

Yesterday measured 30, good.

Smoke, the next 45 hours

No smoke near the ground through Sat 7 PM.

FriSat

Precipitation

What has fallen at Sterling

0.44 in in the last 24 hours, and none in the 2 days before, to Thu 10 PM. Measured by radar and rain gauges, as water.

Last 24 hours
0.44in
Last 3 days
0.44in

Visibility

How far you can see at Sterling, the next 45 hours

Visibility stays 8 miles or more through Sat 7 PM, lowest 8 miles Sat 7 AM.

FriSat

On the radar over Sterling, IllinoisReflectivityStorm topsRain rateRain, last 24 hoursForecast temperatureForecast rain totalEvery picture

What is measuring near here

The 6 instruments nearest Sterling, how far away each one is, how high it stands, and what kind of measurement it makes. The nearest is 0.5 miles away.

measured now4 instruments

measured daily2 instruments

Sterling 0.5 SSWIL-WD-4

In a volunteer observer's own ground/0.5 mi away/686 ft/4 ft above here

precip, snowfall, snow depth

Rank-

Dixon WWTPDXNI2

At a water treatment plant/9.6 mi away/650 ft/32 ft below here

snowfall, snow depth, precip, high, low

Rank-

Station report

The weather at Sterling Rockfal, drawn

The nearest airport reporting now, 3.9 mi from Sterling, Illinois. From its report of Oct 15, 2026, 10:56 PM local time: 3 of its 6 sheets.

The sky

Overcast at 1,200 ft; the ceiling is 1,200 ft; visibility 10 mi or more.

Section of the sky over Sterling Rockfal, height above the station to scale: overcast cloud with its base at 1,200 feet, the ceiling at 1,200 feet, and visibility of 10 mi or more.1122334455667788AABBCCDDEE© 2026 STORM STATION 247THE FIELD BOOKSTATION REPORT SQIFIG. A THE SKY OVER STERLING ROCKFALSECTION, HEIGHT ABOVE THE STATION TO SCALE, EACH LAYER AT THE HEIGHT OF ITS BASE AS REPORTED; COVER IN EIGHTHS OF THE SKY; TOPS NOT MEASUREDFT ABOVE THE STATION05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,000ETAGESLOWTHE STATIONTHE CEILOMETER READS TO 12,000 FT, ABOVE THIS SHEETOVC 1,200 FTOVERCAST, 8 EIGHTHS OF THE SKYCEILING 1,200 FTVISIBILITY, MILES: 10 MI OR MORE0510TITLESterling Rockfal, the skySTATION REPORT · ASOS SQITYPESECTIONSCALEHEIGHT TO SCALEREVAS REPORTED SHEET 1 of 6DATE2026-10-16IDSR-SQI-1DRAWN AS linework on paperSOURCES FB-SKY-001, FB-SKY-017, FB-SKY-016, FB-SKY-018

The air

55.0 F with a dew point of 52.0 F, 90 per cent relative humidity. Air lifted from the station would cool to its dew point, where cloud forms, about 700 ft up; the lowest cloud reported is at 1,200 ft.

Chart of the air at Sterling Rockfal: temperature 55.0 degrees Fahrenheit and dew point 52.0, 90 per cent relative humidity; air lifted from the station cools along the dry rate and meets its dew point about 700 feet above the station, against the lowest cloud reported at 1,200 feet; height to scale.1122334455667788AABBCCDDEE© 2026 STORM STATION 247THE FIELD BOOKSTATION REPORT SQIFIG. B THE AIR AT STERLING ROCKFALTHE REPORTED TEMPERATURE AND DEW POINT, AND AIR LIFTED FROM THE STATION WITHOUT MIXING UNTIL IT SATURATES; HEIGHT ABOVE THE STATION TO SCALEFT ABOVE THE STATION01,0002,0003,00040 F50 F60 F70 FSATURATES 700 FT ABOVE THE STATION, AT 51.3 FLOWEST CLOUD REPORTED, OVC 1,200 FTTEMPERATURE 55.0 FDEW POINT 52.0 FSPREAD 3.0 FRELATIVE HUMIDITY 90 PER CENTTHE AIR COOLS ABOUT 5.4 F EACH 1,000 FT IT RISES, AND ITS DEW POINT ABOUT 1 FSOLID: THE LIFTED AIR'S TEMPERATURE; DASHED: ITS DEW POINTTITLESterling Rockfal, the airSTATION REPORT · ASOS SQITYPECHARTSCALEHEIGHT TO SCALEREVAS REPORTED SHEET 2 of 6DATE2026-10-16IDSR-SQI-2DRAWN AS linework on paperSOURCES FB-WAT-020, FB-WAT-002, FB-ENG-011, FB-ENG-005

The wind

From the west northwest (290 degrees) at 23 mph, gusting 26 mph: force 5, a fresh breeze on the Beaufort scale. The strongest gust today was 26 mph.

Plan of the wind at Sterling Rockfal, north up: blowing from 290 degrees, the west northwest, at 23 miles an hour, gusting 26; beside it the Beaufort scale from calm to hurricane force, force 5, fresh breeze, marked.1122334455667788AABBCCDDEE© 2026 STORM STATION 247THE FIELD BOOKSTATION REPORT SQIFIG. C THE WIND AT STERLING ROCKFALPLAN, NORTH UP: THE WIND AS REPORTED, AND WHERE IT SITS ON THE BEAUFORT SCALENESWTHE STATIONFROM 290°BEAUFORT FORCELEAST WIND, MPH0CALM01LIGHT AIR12LIGHT BREEZE43GENTLE BREEZE84MODERATE BREEZE135FRESH BREEZE19NOW, 23 MPH6STRONG BREEZE25GUST, 26 MPH7NEAR GALE328GALE399STRONG GALE4710STORM5511VIOLENT STORM6412HURRICANE FORCE73TITLESterling Rockfal, the windSTATION REPORT · ASOS SQITYPEPLAN north upSCALENOT TO SCALEREVAS REPORTED SHEET 3 of 6DATE2026-10-16IDSR-SQI-3DRAWN AS linework on paperSOURCES FB-EVT-150, FB-ENG-008, FB-INS-002

The full report of Sterling Rockfal, in 6 sheets, each beside the Field Book plates that explain it

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Snow on the ground

Elsewhere in Illinois

23 places, each with its own forecast and its own instruments.

Near Sterling

The nearest places, each with its own forecast and the instruments nearest it.

Near Sterling

River and lake gauges