Benson, Illinois Weather
Cicadas claim the scorching afternoon. Day 14 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Benson weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJul 4Light Showers62%0.73″85°69°—
- SundayJul 5Drizzle20%0.03″81°68°-4°
- MondayJul 6Overcast——80°62°-1°
- TuesdayJul 7Overcast——80°59°0°
- WednesdayJul 8Overcast11%—82°63°+2°
- ThursdayJul 9Thunderstorm38%0.37″81°69°-1°
- FridayJul 10Overcast38%—77°64°-4°
AQI 30 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI down 9 over the last 6 hours (gradual decline). PM2.5 at 5.8 µg/m³ (AQI 32) with a 0.91 fine-to-coarse ratio and 4 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in calm air, not road dust.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 5.8 µg/m³ (AQI 32) with a 0.91 fine-to-coarse ratio and 4 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in calm air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.91
- Wind
- calm
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- stagnant smoke
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
If the first of July be rainy weather, 'twill rain more or less for four weeks together.
- Moonrise
- 10:52 PM
- Moonset
- 10:02 AM
- In sign
- ♓︎ Pisces
Cicadas claim the scorching afternoon
Benson at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 4°F above the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: April 21 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jul 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest early potatoes. Begin drying onions on the surface.
ZIP code: 61516
16-Day Forecast — Benson
- Sat85°69°62%
- Sun81°68°20%
- Mon80°62°9%
- Tue80°59°4%
- Wed82°63°11%
- Thu81°69°38%
- Fri77°64°38%
- Sat81°65°19%
- Sun70°59°8%
- Mon73°55°7%
- Tue75°60°13%
- Wed78°62°19%
- Thu81°64°19%
- Fri80°69°26%
- Sat85°69°26%
- Sun83°72°32%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of July 4, the growing season is at its peak — frost is months away. Continue succession-planting beans and summer squash. Start fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) from seed indoors for transplanting in late summer.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Benson
SPC has placed Benson in the Slight Risk category for severe thunderstorms today.
- TODAYSLGTSlight Risk
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- DAY 3TSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
Scattered severe storms possible. A few tornadoes, hail, and damaging wind gusts possible.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook. Outlooks are re-issued multiple times per day; this page reflects the most recent SPC polygons covering the city’s coordinates.
ZIP codes in Benson
- 61516