FORECAST CITY
Sign in
Shaded-relief map of Blooming Prairie, Minnesota: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
MINNESOTA · STEELE COUNTY

Blooming Prairie

1,938 people, 1,300 ft above sea level in Steele County.

1,300 ftElevation, city center
1,938People, 2024 estimate
1 sq miLand area
Clear 34°
Clear now Dew point 23° · E 5 mph · high 36°
City of Blooming Prairie River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Blooming Prairie 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 Blooming Prairie

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 5:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Waseca Municipal Airport (KACQ) · 5:55 PM
Clear
34° Clear Feels like 30° · high of 36° near 6 PM
WindE 5 mphno gusts
Humidity64%rising to 92% by morning
Pressure30.28 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 23° · Dry39° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Friday80% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 50.27 in · 9 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Steele County
NWS Twin Cities/Chanhassen and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 6:19 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:05 AM4:47 PM ↓
9 h 42 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 27% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
26
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
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly sunny
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
clear day
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
TEMPERATURE °F
36°
27°
46°
33°
51°
40°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
3
3
3
3
5
8
9
8
8
9
10
11
12
14
16
15
12
12
12
12
13
16
18
16
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 23 to 39° More humid: 38° by Tuesday

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 42° / 25°
SAT Nov. 14 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
36° 27°
0% rain — ESE 3 A
SUN Nov. 15 Partly cloudy; warmer Partly cloudy; warmer
47° 33°
0% rain — S 8 A
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
52° 39°
0% rain — SSW 14, gusts 25 B
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
54° 43°
0% rain — S 14 A
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
55° 45°
20% rain — S 13 B
THU Nov. 19 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
52° 39°
20% rain — WNW 2 C
FRI Nov. 20 Showers likely Showers likely
55° 46°
80% rain 0.09–0.9″ SE 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 Blooming Prairie about 5,000 feet above the ground was over British Columbia three days ago, and over the northern Plains a day ago, about 1,900 miles back along its path. It rose from near the ground on the way. 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

73° on Nov. 13, 1999, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1937. Next is 73° in 2012.

73°
73°
20121999
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Austin Waste Water Treatment Facility record since 1937.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Blooming Prairie stands on

Blooming Prairie’s center stands about 1,300 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,250 ft to 1,310 ft, a difference of 60 ft: gently rolling country.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Middle Devonian (dolostone, limestone, shale), from the Middle Devonian, 384 to 394 million years old.

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

Blooming Prairie, cut in half from west to east

A section west to east, 24 miles through the town center
1,200 ft1,300 ft BLOOMING PRAIRIE1,300 ftLow point1,200 ftWestfield1,260 ftHigh point of the line1,360 ft ← W · GenevaE →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 64×. 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

Upper Ordovician

Limestone, dolostone. Age: Late Ordovician, 445 to 459 million years old. About 18 mi of the line.

Middle Devonian

Dolostone, limestone, shale. Age: Middle Devonian, 384 to 394 million years old. About 7 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 Blooming Prairie’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Blooming Prairie reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Cedar River, the Iowa and the Mississippi: about 1,750 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Blooming Prairie≈ 1,750 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF BLOOMING PRAIRIE ≈ 1,750 mi to the Gulf of America Cedar River → Iowa → Mississippi

1,410 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.

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

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Blooming Prairie’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1937 · Austin Waste Water Treatment Facility, 15 mi south-southeast

Blooming Prairie has a warm-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 81° in July; winter nights fall to about 5° in January. A normal year brings about 43 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 36 inches of water.

22°5°27°9°39°23°55°35°67°47°78°58°81°61°79°59°72°50°58°38°42°25°28°13° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY 36.2 in rain and snowmelt
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average81° / 61°high / low, the warmest month
January, average22° / 5°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow36.2 inwettest months: June and May
Snow a year43.4 insnowiest: January
Hottest on record102°FJuly 24, 1940
Coldest on record−42°FJanuary 15, 1963
Wettest day on record5.95 inJuly 9, 2026
Snowiest day on record16.0 inMarch 19, 2005
90° days a year6very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°165and 80 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeWarm-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfb

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Sept. 29, to the last in spring, about May 2 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingDec. 4 to March 2; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingOct. 29 to April 8; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchMay through July: 14.9 of the year’s 36.2 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Blooming Prairie normally reaches 42° and falls to 25°. The record high is 69°, in 1964; the record low −10°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 0.37 in, fell in 1973.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high22°27°39°55°67°78°81°79°72°58°42°28°
Normal low5°9°23°35°47°58°61°59°50°38°25°13°
Rain and melt, in1.121.102.033.674.995.074.854.073.602.631.841.25
Snow, inches11.010.47.52.20.30.00.00.00.00.42.39.3
Record high62° (1944)71° (2024)82° (2025)91° (1952)100° (2013)100° (2011)102° (1940)101° (2023)97° (2023)92° (1997)79° (2020)65° (2021)
Record low−42° (1963)−34° (1996)−34° (1962)5° (2018)22° (2005)31° (1945)41° (1967)34° (1958)20° (1942)10° (1952)−25° (1977)−33° (1950)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1937 at Austin Waste Water Treatment Facility, 15 miles south-southeast, 100 ft lower. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Blooming Prairie on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Austin MN · 14 MI 14 miles south Rochester MN · 30 MI 30 miles east St. Paul MN · 75 MI 75 miles north Minneapolis MN · 76 MI 76 miles north Sioux Falls SD · 185 MI 185 miles west Madison WI · 190 MI 190 miles east
FORECASTCITY
Map of Blooming Prairie, Minnesota. Explore the plate
MINNESOTA · STEELE

Blooming Prairie

1,938 people, 1,300 ft above sea level in Steele County.

1,300 ftElevation
1,938People
1 sq miLand
Clear 34°
ClearDew point 23°
1

Today in Blooming Prairie

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly clear night 36° 0%
9p partly cloudy night 30° 0%
12a partly cloudy night 28° 0%
3a partly cloudy night 27° 0%
6a partly cloudy night 27° 0%
9a mostly sunny 33° 0%
Rain
NEXT RAINFriday · 80%
→
Sat0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
27
36
A
Sun0%
Partly cloudy; warmer Partly cloudy; warmer
33
47
A
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
39
52
B
Tue0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
43
54
A
Wed20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
45
55
B
Thu20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
39
52
C
Fri80%
Showers likely Showers likely
46
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

73°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1937.

2

What Blooming Prairie stands on

Blooming Prairie’s center stands about 1,300 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,250 ft to 1,310 ft, a difference of 60 ft: gently rolling country.

Blooming Prairie, west to east Blooming Prairie1,300 ftHigh point1,360 ft ← WE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,300 ft
Within 3 miles1,250 to 1,310 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (60 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceMiddle Devonian
Its ageMiddle Devonian, 384 to 394 million years old
5

Blooming Prairie’s year

Blooming Prairie has a warm-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 81° in July; winter nights fall to about 5° in January. A normal year brings about 43 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 36 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 36.2 in
July, average81° / 61° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average22° / 5° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow36.2 in · wettest months: June and May
Snow a year43.4 in · snowiest: January
Hottest on record102°F · July 24, 1940
Coldest on record−42°F · January 15, 1963
Wettest day on record5.95 in · July 9, 2026
Snowiest day on record16.0 in · March 19, 2005
90° days a year6 · very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°165 · and 80 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeWarm-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfb
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Sept. 29, to the last in spring, about May 2 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Dec. 4 to March 2; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Oct. 29 to April 8; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · May through July: 14.9 of the year’s 36.2 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Blooming Prairie normally reaches 42° and falls to 25°. The record high is 69°, in 1964; the record low −10°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 0.37 in, fell in 1973.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1937 at Austin Waste Water Treatment Facility, 15 miles south-southeast, 100 ft lower. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,750 mito the Gulf of AmericaCedar River → Iowa → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Blooming Prairie reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Cedar River, the Iowa and the Mississippi: about 1,750 river miles.

1,410 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.