Downs, Illinois Weather
Downs, Illinois — live current conditions, hourly and 7-day forecasts, NWS alerts, radar and satellite imagery, soil and crop conditions for Downs, McLean County.
Full aviation weather for Downs is published on the Central Illinois Regional Airport at Bloomington-Normal (KBMI) page, 10 km away. It carries the current METAR decoded into plain language — surface wind, visibility, cloud layers and ceiling, temperature and dewpoint, and altimeter setting — alongside the raw observation as transmitted. 2 airfields within reach of Downs have their own pages, listed below.
The Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) is shown across its full validity period, with each change group broken out so you can see when conditions are expected to shift. Flight category is derived automatically — VFR, MVFR, IFR or LIFR — from reported ceiling and visibility, with runway details and field elevation alongside. Observations update roughly hourly and forecasts several times a day.
Other airports near Downs: Logan County Airport (KAAA) 48 km
Conditions reported at KBMI describe the airfield itself. Weather 10 km away can differ, particularly in terrain or near the coast. For conditions at Downs specifically, see the current conditions and forecast above.
Soil conditions, frost risk and crop weather for Downs.
About Downs, Illinois
Downs lies a quiet testament to the rolling Illinois prairie, where the land stretches out in broad, generous strokes under a sky that seems to hold an infinite capacity for light. It lies 8.8 miles south-east of Bloomington, IL (from Bloomington, IL: bearing 133°T), and is situated 7.1 miles south-south-east of McGaw Park. The fields, a patchwork of ripening corn and the deep green of soybeans, speak of the season's steady work, their straight furrows disappearing toward horizons softened by a haze that catches the afternoon sun. A gentle rise and fall characterizes the terrain, the kind of subtle topography that suggests the slow, persistent sculpting of glaciers long past, now softened by the wind and the patient tread of tractors. The air here carries a faint, sweet scent of earth and growing things, a clean, open aroma that fills the lungs and seems to echo the vastness of the surrounding landscape. The history of Downs is deeply entwined with the rich agricultural heritage of McLean County, a place where the fertile soil has long been the primary engine of its economy. Early settlers were drawn by this very richness, establishing farms that have been passed down through generations, forming the bedrock of the community. While agriculture remains its heart, the quiet hum of local businesses provides the essential services that allow Downs to thrive. The town’s character is shaped by this enduring connection to the land and the self-reliance it fosters, a quiet pride evident in the well-tended homes and the friendly nods exchanged between neighbors. The rhythm of life in Downs is dictated by the seasons, by the planting and the harvest, a steady, predictable pulse that resonates through the community.
Live animated radar for Downs and surroundings — RainViewer.
NOAA GOES-16 GEOCOLOR — live animated loop updated every 10 minutes. Shows cloud cover, storm systems and weather patterns across the continental US.
Source: NOAA/NESDIS GOES-East · Public domain · Auto-updates on page reload
| Location | Downs, McLean County, Illinois |
| Coordinates | 40.39698°N, 88.870629°W |
| Timezone | Central Time (America/Chicago) |
| ZIP Code(s) | 61736, 61705 |
| Area Code | 309 |
| Page generated | September 2026 |
| Weather data | Open-Meteo (open-source), NOAA National Weather Service |
About This Downs, Illinois Weather Page
This page provides live weather conditions and forecasts for Downs, Illinois, including current conditions, a 24-hour hourly forecast, 7-day outlook, NWS extended text forecast, precipitation radar and NOAA GOES-16 satellite imagery. Aviation weather — live METAR observations and TAF forecasts — is published separately on the pages for the nearest reporting airports, linked from the aviation section above. Additional sections may include tide predictions, wave height, wave direction and sea-surface temperature, a barometric pressure trend, and a solunar-based fishing forecast with a fishing-conditions rating for coastal localities, and soil temperature, crop weather and live USGS river gauge data for agricultural areas near a monitored waterway. All data updates automatically on every page visit.
Location data for Downs includes coordinates 40.396980°N, 88.870629°W, situated in McLean County. ZIP code 61736, 61705. Telephone area code: 309. Timezone: Central Time (America/Chicago).
Weather data is sourced from the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) and the open-source Open-Meteo API. River and stream data is sourced from the USGS National Water Information System. Tide predictions are sourced from NOAA CO-OPS; marine and solunar data are modeled from Open-Meteo and public sunrise/moon calculations and should be treated as a general guide alongside on-the-water conditions. Radar is provided by RainViewer. Satellite imagery is sourced from NOAA/NESDIS GOES-East and is public domain.
