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

Elkton

317 people, 970 ft above sea level in Clay County.

970 ftElevation, city center
317People, 2024 estimate
36 sq miLand area
Sunny 44°
Sunny now Dew point 25° · SSE 16 mph · high 41°
City of Elkton River Interstate 2 miles
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The Elkton 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 Elkton

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 12:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Hector International Airport (KFAR) · 12:53 PM
Sunny
44° Sunny Feels like 37° · high of 41° near 2 PM
WindSSE 16 mphgusts 26
Humidity47%falling to 57% this afternoon
Pressure30.18 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 25° · Dry43° by Monday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Wednesday40% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 40.06 in · 10 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Clay County
NWS Grand Forks and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 1:46 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:27 AM4:53 PM ↓
9 h 26 m of daylight, 3 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 25% 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
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mostly sunny
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mostly sunny
clear day
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partly cloudy night
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mostly sunny
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TEMPERATURE °F
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CHANCE OF RAIN
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WIND, MPH
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HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 26 to 43° More humid: 43° by Tuesday

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 39° / 22°
SAT Nov. 14 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
41° 29°
0% rain — SSE 16, gusts 28 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
50° 37°
0% rain — S 17, gusts 31 B
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
56° 39°
0% rain — SSW 14, gusts 26 B
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
54° 42°
0% rain — SSE 14 B
WED Nov. 18 Chance of showers Chance of showers
52° 37°
40% rain up to 0.08″ S 9 C
THU Nov. 19 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
45° 32°
20% rain — NNW 7 C
FRI Nov. 20 Chance of showers Chance of showers
44° 34°
50% rain up to 0.6″ E 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 Elkton about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the open Pacific three days ago, and over the Canadian Prairies a day ago, about 2,330 miles back along its path. It came down from about 11,100 feet up, warming and drying as it sank. Near the ground the air came from British Columbia; at 10,000 feet, from the Canadian Prairies. It feels dry all the same. 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 1953 Nov. 17, 1953

The hottest this week has been

73° on Nov. 17, 1953, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1881. Next is 68° in 1934.

68°
73°
19341953
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Fargo Area threaded record since 1881.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Elkton stands on

Elkton’s center stands about 970 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 930 ft to 1,050 ft, a difference of 120 ft: gently rolling country.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Granitic intrusion, from the Neoarchean, 2.5 to 2.8 billion years old.

The section below crosses 3 rock units mapped at the surface.

Moorhead to Tansem, cut in half

A section northwest to southeast, 24 miles through the town center
1,000 ft1,200 ft ELKTON970 ftLow point910 ftSouth Branch Buffalo Riverabout 930 ftHigh point of the line1,390 ft ← NW · MoorheadTansem · SE →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 40×. 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

Granitic intrusion

Granitic. Age: Neoarchean, 2.5 to 2.8 billion years old. About 13 mi of the line.

Mafic metavolcanic rocks

Metabasalt, greenstone. Age: Neoarchean, 2.5 to 2.8 billion years old. About 11 mi of the line.

Volcaniclastic rocks of felsic to intermediate composition

Felsic-volcanic. Age: Neoarchean, 2.5 to 2.8 billion years old. About 0.5 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 Elkton’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Elkton reaches Hudson Bay by way of Stony Creek, the South Branch Buffalo, the Buffalo, the Red River of the North and the Nelson: about 1,130 river miles. Past the border it runs north through Canada to Hudson Bay.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Elkton≈ 1,130 mi · Hudson Bay
FROM THE CENTER OF ELKTON ≈ 1,130 mi to Hudson Bay Stony Creek → South Branch Buffalo → Buffalo → Red River of the North → Nelson

Lake on the way: Lake Winnipeg.

420 miles of the trip are on the Red River of the North.

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

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Elkton’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1881 · Fargo Hector International Airport, 19 mi northwest

Elkton has a warm-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 82° in July; winter nights fall to about 0° in January. A normal year brings about 51 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 24 inches of water.

18°0°23°4°36°18°54°32°69°44°78°56°82°60°81°57°72°48°56°35°38°21°24°7° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY ELKTON 24.0 in rain and snowmelt
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average82° / 60°high / low, the warmest month
January, average18° / 0°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow24.0 inwettest months: June and May
Snow a year51.4 insnowiest: December
Hottest on record114°FJuly 6, 1936
Coldest on record−48°FJanuary 8, 1887
Wettest day on record4.72 inAugust 8, 1943
Snowiest day on record16.3 inJanuary 22, 1982
90° days a year11very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°172and 93 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeWarm-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfb

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 2, to the last in spring, about May 11 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingNov. 26 to March 9; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingOct. 23 to April 17; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchMay through July: 10.4 of the year’s 24.0 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Elkton normally reaches 39° and falls to 22°. The record high is 66°, in 1939; the record low −9°, in 1919. The most rain on this date, 1.26 in, fell in 1909.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high18°23°36°54°69°78°82°81°72°56°38°24°
Normal low0°4°18°32°44°56°60°57°48°35°21°7°
Rain and melt, in0.710.691.251.543.094.293.072.602.682.170.970.89
Snow, inches10.38.19.24.10.00.00.00.00.01.26.811.7
Record high55° (2012)66° (1958)80° (1910)100° (1980)104° (1934)104° (1933)114° (1936)106° (1976)102° (1959)97° (2015)74° (2020)65° (1939)
Record low−48° (1887)−47° (1888)−34° (1948)−13° (1881)14° (1890)28° (1888)36° (1967)32° (1886)17° (1883)−4° (1919)−27° (1905)−36° (1887)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1881 from the Fargo Area threaded record (Fargo Hector International Airport, 19 miles northwest). NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Elkton on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Moorhead MN · 14 MI 14 miles northwest Fargo ND · 18 MI 18 miles northwest Plymouth MN · 189 MI 189 miles southeast Brooklyn Park MN · 189 MI 189 miles southeast Blaine MN · 192 MI 192 miles southeast Minneapolis MN · 198 MI 198 miles southeast
FORECASTCITY
Map of Elkton, Minnesota. Explore the plate
MINNESOTA · CLAY

Elkton

317 people, 970 ft above sea level in Clay County.

970 ftElevation
317People
36 sq miLand
Sunny 44°
SunnyDew point 25°
1

Today in Elkton

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly sunny 40° 0%
4p mostly sunny 39° 0%
7p partly cloudy night 35° 0%
10p partly cloudy night 34° 0%
1a partly cloudy night 32° 0%
4a mostly clear night 31° 0%
Rain
NEXT RAINWednesday · 40%
→
Sat0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
29
41
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
37
50
B
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
39
56
B
Tue0%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
42
54
B
Wed40%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
37
52
C
Thu20%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
32
45
C
Fri50%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
34
44
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK IN 1953 · NOV. 17, 1953

73°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1881.

2

What Elkton stands on

Elkton’s center stands about 970 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 930 ft to 1,050 ft, a difference of 120 ft: gently rolling country.

Elkton, northwest to southeast Elkton970 ftSouth Branch Buffalo Riverabout 930 ft ← NWSE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 76×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center970 ft
Within 3 miles930 to 1,050 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (120 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceGranitic intrusion
Its ageNeoarchean, 2.5 to 2.8 billion years old
5

Elkton’s year

Elkton has a warm-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 82° in July; winter nights fall to about 0° in January. A normal year brings about 51 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 24 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 24.0 in
July, average82° / 60° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average18° / 0° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow24.0 in · wettest months: June and May
Snow a year51.4 in · snowiest: December
Hottest on record114°F · July 6, 1936
Coldest on record−48°F · January 8, 1887
Wettest day on record4.72 in · August 8, 1943
Snowiest day on record16.3 in · January 22, 1982
90° days a year11 · very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°172 · and 93 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeWarm-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfb
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 2, to the last in spring, about May 11 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Nov. 26 to March 9; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Oct. 23 to April 17; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · May through July: 10.4 of the year’s 24.0 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Elkton normally reaches 39° and falls to 22°. The record high is 66°, in 1939; the record low −9°, in 1919. The most rain on this date, 1.26 in, fell in 1909.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1881 from the Fargo Area threaded record (Fargo Hector International Airport, 19 miles northwest). NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,130 mito Hudson BayStony Creek → South Branch Buffalo → Buffalo → Red River of the North → Nelson

A raindrop that lands in Elkton reaches Hudson Bay by way of Stony Creek, the South Branch Buffalo, the Buffalo, the Red River of the North and the Nelson: about 1,130 river miles. Past the border it runs north through Canada to Hudson Bay.

Lake on the way: Lake Winnipeg.

420 miles of the trip are on the Red River of the North.