Editing Scales Mound, Illinois (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Charles Mound, Illinois.JPG|thumb|200px|Charles Mound, at 1235 feet the highest natural point in Illinois, is located near Scales Mound, Illinois.]]

===Location===
Scales Mound lies at the northwestern tip of Illinois in Jo Daviess County, part of the Driftless Area. Scales Mound is located at {{Coord|42|28|41|N|90|15|2|W|type:city}} (42.478098, −90.250544)<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> near the highest point in Illinois, [[Charles Mound]], and on the [[Stagecoach Trail]]. It has an annual festival, Stagecoach Trail days.

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Scales Mound has a total area of {{convert|0.63|sqmi|km2|2}}, all land.<ref name="gaz2021">{{Cite web |author=US Census Bureau |title=Gazetteer Files |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html |access-date=2022-06-29 |website=Census.gov}}</ref>

===Topography===
Scales Mound is located in a region of the U.S. Midwest known as the [[Driftless Area]], so called because it escaped glaciation during the last ice age. It covers parts of Illinois, [[Wisconsin]], [[Minnesota]] and [[Iowa]]. The Illinois section is mostly limited to Jo Daviess County and small parts of [[Whiteside County, Illinois|Whiteside]] and [[Carroll County, Illinois|Carroll County]] in northwest Illinois. The topography of the area is characterized by hilly terrain and wooded ridges. Common features found in the Scales Mound area include [[canyon]]s, [[Cliff|bluffs]], [[ravine]]s and [[palisade]]s.<ref name=driftless>Suloway, Liane, Joselyn, Mark, and Brown, Patrick W. "[http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cwe/rra/site1.html Driftless Area]", ''Inventory of Resource Rich Areas in Illinois: An Evaluation of Ecological Resources'', Illinois Natural History Survey, 1996, Center for Wildlife Ecology, accessed May 17, 2008.</ref> Near Charles Mound, the highest point in Illinois at 1235 feet, Scales Mound is said to be "At the Top of Illinois".<ref>Galena Jo Daviess Visitors Guide, 2012</ref>

===Climate===
{{Clear}}
{{Weather box
|location = Scales Mound, Illinois
|single line = Y
|Jan high C = −3
|Feb high C = 1
|Mar high C = 7
|Apr high C = 15
|May high C = 22
|Jun high C = 27
|Jul high C = 29
|Aug high C = 27
|Sep high C = 23
|Oct high C = 17
|Nov high C = 8
|Dec high C = 1
|Jan low C = −16
|Feb low C = −12
|Mar low C = −6
|Apr low C = 0
|May low C = 6
|Jun low C = 12
|Jul low C = 14
|Aug low C = 13
|Sep low C = 8
|Oct low C = 1
|Nov low C = −4
|Dec low C = −11
|Jan precipitation mm = 28.4
|Feb precipitation mm = 31.5
|Mar precipitation mm = 65.5
|Apr precipitation mm = 85.9
|May precipitation mm = 90.7
|Jun precipitation mm = 128.8
|Jul precipitation mm = 73.7
|Aug precipitation mm = 113
|Sep precipitation mm = 92.2
|Oct precipitation mm = 63.8
|Nov precipitation mm = 68.8
|Dec precipitation mm = 45
|source 1 = weather.com<ref name=worldweather >{{cite web
| url = http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIL1056?from=search| title = Monthly Averages for Scales Mound, IL | accessdate = February 29, 2008}}</ref>
|date=August 2010
}}