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Ponderosa Lake
71°F
Ponderosa Lake
Essex, IL · Kankakee County
71°F water149 acres
Right Now
79°
Cloudy
Water
71°
Wind
5 mph
SW
Gusts
11 mph
Pressure
29.80
steady
LakeMonster planner
Plan Ponderosa Lake
Ponderosa Lake
Warm water pushes the plan toward oxygen, shade, depth changes, and low light. The planning constraint is weak timing.
Best first move
Scout the first break or defined cover closest to a feeding flat.
keep shade, oxygen, and a nearby depth change in the plan A workable forecast window starts near 7am with about 11 mph wind.
8 lake data sources in this readSee dataHideLatest source updated Jul 21, 5:20 AM CDT
- Current water temp
- 71°F
- Water temp history
- 500 readings
- Hourly weather
- 224 hours
- Solunar timing
- 2/5
- Satellite imagery
- 163 captures
- Thermal imagery
- 80 captures
- Map structure
- available
- Nearby lakes
- 3 options
The quick read is a planning aid, not a safety or access determination. The assistant will state uncertainty when the page does not contain a specific observation.
Forecast - Tue, Jul 21
High / Low
83° / 67°
Wind
10 mph
gusts 27 mph
Precip
45%
UV
8
Sunrise
5:38 AM
Sunset
8:20 PM
7-Day Weather Outlook
Every forecast metric for the week ahead, plus best days for fishing, boating, swimming, and paddling.
9 day forecast
Best Days This Week
Quick recommendations based on wind, precip, pressure, solunar, and temperature.
Best for Fishing
Wed, Jul 29
65/100
Wed, Jul 29 scores 65/100: Solunar 4/5, Rain 0%.
Best for Boating
Thu, Jul 23
90/100
Thu, Jul 23 scores 90/100: Wind 4 mph, Rain 0%.
Best for Swimming
Wed, Jul 29
80/100
Wed, Jul 29 scores 80/100: Air 81°F, Rain 0%.
Best for Paddling
Thu, Jul 23
85/100
Thu, Jul 23 scores 85/100: Wind 4 mph, Rain 0%.
Temperature Range
High Low
Precip & Wind
Rain % Wind mph
Daily Breakdown
Swipe to see all 9 days
| Metric | Tue21 | Wed22 | Thu23 | Fri24 | Sat25 | Sun26 | Mon27 | Tue28 | Wed29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Condition | Thunderstorms | Partly Cloudy | Partly Cloudy | Partly Cloudy | Mostly Clear | Partly Cloudy | Mostly Clear | Clear | Partly Cloudy |
| High / Low | 83°/67° | 73°/58° | 77°/55° | 78°/58° | 82°/59° | 89°/66° | 93°/73° | 90°/73° | 81°/67° |
| Precip | 45% | 14% | 0% | 21% | 0% | 37% | 47% | 51% | 0% |
| Wind | 16 mphgust 27 | 9 mphgust 16 | 4 mphgust 8 | 5 mphgust 11 | 5 mphgust 10 | 8 mphgust 16 | 10 mphgust 23 | 9 mphgust 16 | 10 mphgust 17 |
| Pressure | 29.77" stable | 30.01" rising | 30.17" rising | 30.10" falling | 30.00" falling | 29.88" falling | 29.72" falling | 29.76" rising | 29.88" rising |
| UV Index | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 6 |
| Sunrise | 5:38 AM | 5:39 AM | 5:40 AM | 5:41 AM | 5:41 AM | 5:42 AM | 5:43 AM | 5:44 AM | 5:45 AM |
| Sunset | 8:20 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:12 PM |
| Bite Rating | 2/5first quarter | 2/5first quarter | 3/5first quarter | 2/5waxing gibbous | 2/5waxing gibbous | 3/5waxing gibbous | 3/5waxing gibbous | 4/5FULL | 4/5FULL |
Today Read
Ponderosa LakeWind read
Moderate
10 mph avg
Water read
71°
Warm-water bite
Air range
67° / 83°
today
Precip
45%
watch timing
Today's forecast for Ponderosa Lake has moderate wind, 67F to 83F air temperatures, 45% chance of precipitation, and 71F water.
Fishing Forecast
first quarter
2/5
Major
6:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Minor
1:22 PM - 2:52 PM
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July 16, 2026
Water Temperature History
Current
72°
Jul 19
Low
33°
Nov 30
Average
58°
Last 12 Months
Warmest avg: June (75°F)
Coolest avg: December (35°F)
Rapid warming: April → May (+12°F)
Sharpest cooling: October → November (-18°F)
Weather Forecast
Wind speed, gusts, and pressure trends for trip timing.
7 day view
Hourly Wind Forecast
Swipe days or tap points
21
12am - 11pm
Wind SpeedWind Gust
Tap pointsPeak Wind
16 mph
1pm
Peak Gust
27 mph
highest gust
Pressure
29.69 inHg
falling
Visibility
11 mi
93% clouds
Tap chart for details, swipe left or right for different days.Tap chart for details • Swipe for different days
Daily Pressure Forecast
Pressure stability helps plan windows
Pressure
Tap for detailsTap chart points for pressure details
Nearby Lakes
Fishing Forecast
2/5first quarter
Major6:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Minor1:22 PM - 2:52 PM
Water at 71°F -- warm-water species active.
Nearby Lakes
Lake facts
About Ponderosa Lake
Direct answers from the lake profile and latest available condition data. Verify access, regulations, weather alerts, and safety conditions with local authorities.
The latest available LakeMonster reading for Ponderosa Lake, updated Jul 21, 2026, shows 71°F surface water temperature, cloudy, 5 mph wind. Conditions can vary across the lake and change quickly, so check local weather, access notices, and on-water observations before acting.
Ponderosa Lake has 149 acres based on the latest lake profile available to LakeMonster.
Ponderosa Lake is listed in Essex, Kankakee County, IL. Check the responsible local or state agency for current access rules, permits, closures, and boating restrictions.