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Shaded-relief map of Bingham Lake, Minnesota: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
MINNESOTA · COTTONWOOD COUNTY

Bingham Lake

133 people, 1,420 ft above sea level in Cottonwood County.

1,420 ftElevation, city center
133People, 2024 estimate
1 sq miLand area
Clear 31°
Clear now Dew point 22° · SE 7 mph · high 35°
City of Bingham Lake River Interstate 2 miles
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The Bingham Lake plate. Relief from Copernicus GLO-30; rivers and lakes from USGS NHD; watersheds from the USGS Watershed Boundary Dataset; roads and city limits from Census TIGER 2024.

MILE1
TODAY

Today in Bingham Lake

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 5:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Windom Municipal Airport (KMWM) · 6:35 PM
Clear
31° Clear Feels like 25° · high of 35° near 6 PM
WindSE 7 mphno gusts
Humidity69%rising to 92% by morning
Pressure30.23 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 22° · Dry41° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Friday80% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 50.08 in · 9 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Cottonwood County
NWS Sioux Falls and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 6:46 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:13 AM4:55 PM ↓
9 h 42 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 27% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
43
GOODAir quality index · fine particles
Tomorrow: None, good. No pollen source yet.

The next three days, hour by hour

Sky: clear, cloudy, night Rain likely National Blend of Models
SATURDAY, NOV. 14
SUNDAY, NOV. 15
MONDAY, NOV. 16
TUESDAY, NOV. 17
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
clear day
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
TEMPERATURE °F
35°
27°
46°
35°
52°
39°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
6
7
7
7
8
12
13
12
10
12
13
14
15
17
18
17
14
14
15
15
17
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20
18
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 25 to 41° More humid: 40° by Tuesday

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 44° / 26°
SAT Nov. 14 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
35° 27°
0% rain — S 6 A
SUN Nov. 15 Partly cloudy; warmer Partly cloudy; warmer
48° 34°
0% rain — S 12 A
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
54° 39°
0% rain — SSW 17, gusts 28 B
TUE Nov. 17 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
54° 44°
0% rain — S 16, gusts 28 B
WED Nov. 18 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
56° 42°
20% rain — S 13 C
THU Nov. 19 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
51° 37°
10% rain — WNW 2 C
FRI Nov. 20 Showers likely Showers likely
55° 45°
80% rain 0.2–1.0″ SSE 12 C
How sure are we? AModels agree: highs within 4° BSome spread: within 8° CWide spread: check back
Range from the National Blend of Models percentiles · graded on Forecast Scores
AIR MAIL

Where today’s air came from

The air arriving over Bingham Lake about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the Canadian Prairies three days ago, and over the central Plains a day ago, about 1,470 miles back along its path. Most of the nine paths traced from around the city agree. It has stayed over land, which is why it feels dry. Traced back 72 hours through NOAA’s hourly RAP analyses and the GFS beyond them, nine paths at each of three heights.

THIS WEEK IN 1999 Nov. 13, 1999

The hottest this week has been

80° on Nov. 13, 1999, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1905. Next is 73° in 2001.

73°
80°
20011999
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Windom record since 1905.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Bingham Lake stands on

Bingham Lake’s center stands about 1,420 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,340 ft to 1,460 ft, a difference of 120 ft: gently rolling country.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Undifferentiated (conglomerate, sandstone, mudstone), from the Late Cretaceous, 72 to 100 million years old.

The section below crosses 2 rock units mapped at the surface.

Wilder to Darfur, cut in half

A section southwest to northeast, 24 miles through the town center
1,200 ft1,300 ft1,400 ft BINGHAM LAKE1,420 ftHigh point of the line1,480 ftWindom1,400 ftLow point1,160 ft ← SW · WilderDarfur · NE →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 60×. The colored band under the surface is the rock the state geologic map shows at the surface, not a picture of what lies beneath.

Rock at the surface along the line

Undifferentiated

Conglomerate, sandstone, mudstone. Age: Late Cretaceous, 72 to 100 million years old. About 14 mi of the line.

Sioux Quartzite

Quartzite, mudstone. Age: Paleoproterozoic, 1.6 to 2 billion years old. About 10 mi of the line.

From the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation (Horton and others, 2017), the states’ geologic maps joined at a common scale.

Heights from Copernicus GLO-90 (a surface model: it includes buildings and tree canopy); summits from USGS GNIS; rivers from USGS NHDPlus HR; rock from the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation.

MILE3
THE WATER

Where Bingham Lake’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Bingham Lake reaches the Gulf of America by way of the South Fork Watonwan, the Watonwan, the Blue Earth, the Minnesota and the Mississippi: about 2,040 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Bingham Lake≈ 2,040 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF BINGHAM LAKE ≈ 2,040 mi to the Gulf of America South Fork Watonwan → Watonwan → Blue Earth → Minnesota → Mississippi

Lake on the way: Lake Pepin.

Traced down the USGS NHDPlus V2.1 river network from the Census center point of Bingham Lake; river miles along the main stem, rounded.

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Bingham Lake’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1905 · Windom, 4 mi west-southwest

Bingham Lake has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 84° in July; winter nights fall to about 8° in January. A normal year brings about 44 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 32 inches of water.

25°8°30°12°43°24°58°36°71°48°80°59°84°64°81°61°75°52°61°39°44°25°30°14° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY BINGHAM LAKE 31.7 in rain and snowmelt
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average84° / 64°high / low, the warmest month
January, average25° / 8°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow31.7 inwettest months: June and May
Snow a year43.5 insnowiest: February
Hottest on record105°FAugust 1, 1988
Coldest on record−36°FJanuary 7, 1988
Wettest day on record8.84 inSeptember 23, 2010
Snowiest day on record15.5 inDecember 24, 2009
90° days a year13very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°163and 72 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 3, to the last in spring, about May 3 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingDec. 10 to Feb. 21; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingOct. 30 to April 7; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchMay through July: 13.1 of the year’s 31.7 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Bingham Lake normally reaches 44° and falls to 26°. The record high is 68°, in 1953; the record low −13°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 1.53 in, fell in 1909.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high25°30°43°58°71°80°84°81°75°61°44°30°
Normal low8°12°24°36°48°59°64°61°52°39°25°14°
Rain and melt, in0.890.831.763.214.484.733.933.693.202.451.501.07
Snow, inches8.49.07.34.20.10.00.00.00.00.95.28.4
Record high65° (1981)67° (2024)85° (2025)94° (1910)100° (2018)103° (1988)104° (1947)105° (1988)100° (1976)93° (2023)81° (2020)67° (1939)
Record low−36° (1988)−32° (1917)−30° (1948)6° (1997)20° (1967)30° (1915)41° (1947)30° (1908)18° (1913)6° (1913)−17° (1977)−30° (1917)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1905 at Windom, 4 miles west-southwest. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Bingham Lake on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Sioux Falls SD · 88 MI 88 miles west Minneapolis MN · 114 MI 114 miles northeast St. Paul MN · 120 MI 120 miles northeast Des Moines IA · 177 MI 177 miles southeast
FORECASTCITY
Map of Bingham Lake, Minnesota. Explore the plate
MINNESOTA · COTTONWOOD

Bingham Lake

133 people, 1,420 ft above sea level in Cottonwood County.

1,420 ftElevation
133People
1 sq miLand
Clear 31°
ClearDew point 22°
1

Today in Bingham Lake

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now clear night 35° 0%
9p partly cloudy night 31° 0%
12a partly cloudy night 29° 0%
3a mostly clear night 28° 0%
6a partly cloudy night 27° 0%
9a partly cloudy day 33° 0%
Rain
NEXT RAINFriday · 80%
→
Sat0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
27
35
A
Sun0%
Partly cloudy; warmer Partly cloudy; warmer
34
48
A
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
39
54
B
Tue0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
44
54
B
Wed20%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
42
56
C
Thu10%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
37
51
C
Fri80%
Showers likely Showers likely
45
55
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK IN 1999 · NOV. 13, 1999

80°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1905.

2

What Bingham Lake stands on

Bingham Lake’s center stands about 1,420 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,340 ft to 1,460 ft, a difference of 120 ft: gently rolling country.

Bingham Lake, southwest to northeast Bingham Lake1,420 ft ← SWNE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 114×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,420 ft
Within 3 miles1,340 to 1,460 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (120 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceUndifferentiated
Its ageLate Cretaceous, 72 to 100 million years old
5

Bingham Lake’s year

Bingham Lake has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 84° in July; winter nights fall to about 8° in January. A normal year brings about 44 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 32 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 31.7 in
July, average84° / 64° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average25° / 8° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow31.7 in · wettest months: June and May
Snow a year43.5 in · snowiest: February
Hottest on record105°F · August 1, 1988
Coldest on record−36°F · January 7, 1988
Wettest day on record8.84 in · September 23, 2010
Snowiest day on record15.5 in · December 24, 2009
90° days a year13 · very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°163 · and 72 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 3, to the last in spring, about May 3 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Dec. 10 to Feb. 21; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Oct. 30 to April 7; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · May through July: 13.1 of the year’s 31.7 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Bingham Lake normally reaches 44° and falls to 26°. The record high is 68°, in 1953; the record low −13°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 1.53 in, fell in 1909.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1905 at Windom, 4 miles west-southwest. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 2,040 mito the Gulf of AmericaSouth Fork Watonwan → Watonwan → Blue Earth → Minnesota → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Bingham Lake reaches the Gulf of America by way of the South Fork Watonwan, the Watonwan, the Blue Earth, the Minnesota and the Mississippi: about 2,040 river miles.

Lake on the way: Lake Pepin.