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Shaded-relief map of Hamlin, Minnesota: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
MINNESOTA · LAC QUI PARLE COUNTY

Hamlin

146 people, 1,070 ft above sea level in Lac qui Parle County.

1,070 ftElevation, city center
146People, 2024 estimate
36 sq miLand area
Sunny 44°
Sunny now Dew point 31° · SSE 14 mph · high 43°
City of Hamlin River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Hamlin 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 Hamlin

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 11:00 AM CST
RIGHT NOW Madison-Lac Qui Parle County Airport (KDXX) · 12:35 PM
Sunny
44° Sunny Feels like 37° · high of 43° near 3 PM
WindSSE 14 mphno gusts
Humidity60%falling to 62% this afternoon
Pressure30.21 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 31° · Dry45° by Monday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Friday80% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 40.3 in · 10 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Lac qui Parle County
NWS Twin Cities/Chanhassen and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 12:46 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:20 AM4:57 PM ↓
9 h 36 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 24% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
35
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
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
clear day
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
TEMPERATURE °F
39°
30°
50°
39°
55°
42°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
12
10
9
8
8
8
9
12
14
14
12
12
12
13
14
16
16
13
10
10
10
11
13
15
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 30 to 34° ↑ Humid air returns More humid: 45° 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° / 23°
SAT Nov. 14 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
43° 29°
0% rain — SSE 12 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
53° 38°
0% rain — S 13 B
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
57° 41°
0% rain — SSW 15 B
TUE Nov. 17 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
56° 44°
0% rain — S 14 B
WED Nov. 18 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
58° 41°
20% rain — S 9 C
THU Nov. 19 Partly cloudy; cooler Partly cloudy; cooler
50° 35°
10% rain — NNW 5 C
FRI Nov. 20 Showers likely Showers likely
52° 40°
80% rain 0.1–1.1″ ESE 10 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 Hamlin about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the Canadian Prairies three days ago, and over the central Plains a day ago, about 1,050 miles back along its path. Most of the nine paths traced from around the city agree. Near the ground the air came from Canada; at 10,000 feet, from the open Pacific. 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 1966 Nov. 12, 1966

The coldest this week has been

−11° on Nov. 12, 1966, the coldest reading for this week of the year since 1940. Next is −7° in 2014.

−7°
−11°
20141966
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Madison Wwtp record since 1940.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Hamlin stands on

Hamlin’s center stands about 1,070 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,050 ft to 1,100 ft, a difference of 50 ft: nearly flat ground.

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.

Manfred to Lac qui Parle, cut in half

A section west to east, 24 miles through the town center
1,000 ft1,100 ft HAMLIN1,070 ftHigh point of the line1,170 ftLac qui Parle Riverabout 1,010 ft ← W · ManfredLac qui Parle · E →

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

Undifferentiated

Conglomerate, sandstone, mudstone. Age: Late Cretaceous, 72 to 100 million years old. About 15 mi of the line.

Granitoid gneiss with dioritic to amphibolitic enclaves

Orthogneiss. Age: Paleoarchean to Mesoarchean, 2.8 to 3.6 billion years old. About 9 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 Hamlin’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Hamlin reaches the Gulf of America by way of the West Branch Lac qui Parle, the Lac qui Parle, the Minnesota and the Mississippi: about 2,150 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Hamlin≈ 2,150 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF HAMLIN ≈ 2,150 mi to the Gulf of America West Branch Lac qui Parle → Lac qui Parle → Minnesota → Mississippi

Lake on the way: Lake Pepin.

1,750 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.

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

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Hamlin’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1940 · Madison Wwtp, 5 mi north

Hamlin has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 83° in July; winter nights fall to about 3° in January. A normal year brings about 47 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 26 inches of water.

22°3°26°7°39°20°54°33°69°47°79°58°83°61°80°58°73°49°58°36°41°22°27°9° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY HAMLIN 25.6 in rain and snowmelt
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average83° / 61°high / low, the warmest month
January, average22° / 3°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow25.6 inwettest months: June and July
Snow a year46.9 insnowiest: December
Hottest on record110°FAugust 1, 1988
Coldest on record−36°FFebruary 9, 1994
Wettest day on record4.70 inAugust 21, 2002
Snowiest day on record19.2 inFebruary 21, 2011
90° days a year16very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°168and 76 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 1, to the last in spring, about May 2 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingDec. 2 to March 3; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingOct. 23 to April 14; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchJune through August: 10.7 of the year’s 25.6 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Hamlin normally reaches 42° and falls to 23°. The record high is 75°, in 1990; the record low −7°, in 2014. The most rain on this date, 0.46 in, fell in 2024.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high22°26°39°54°69°79°83°80°73°58°41°27°
Normal low3°7°20°33°47°58°61°58°49°36°22°9°
Rain and melt, in0.540.601.302.393.213.823.573.352.642.501.130.59
Snow, inches7.79.37.75.80.10.00.00.00.00.95.59.9
Record high67° (1981)66° (1991)84° (2012)96° (1962)102° (2018)105° (1988)110° (1988)110° (1988)100° (2023)96° (1963)81° (2020)63° (2006)
Record low−35° (1970)−36° (1994)−23° (1948)0° (1975)20° (1967)32° (1964)40° (1998)34° (2004)17° (1974)4° (2020)−18° (1964)−35° (1973)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1940 at Madison Wwtp, 5 miles north. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Hamlin on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Sioux Falls SD · 100 MI 100 miles south Fargo ND · 137 MI 137 miles north Minneapolis MN · 142 MI 142 miles east St. Paul MN · 150 MI 150 miles east
FORECASTCITY
Map of Hamlin, Minnesota. Explore the plate
MINNESOTA · LAC QUI PARLE

Hamlin

146 people, 1,070 ft above sea level in Lac qui Parle County.

1,070 ftElevation
146People
36 sq miLand
Sunny 44°
SunnyDew point 31°
1

Today in Hamlin

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly sunny 39° 0%
3p mostly sunny 43° 0%
6p mostly clear night 37° 0%
9p mostly clear night 32° 0%
12a partly cloudy night 30° 0%
3a mostly clear night 30° 0%
Rain
NEXT RAINFriday · 80%
→
Sat0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
29
43
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
38
53
B
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
41
57
B
Tue0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
44
56
B
Wed20%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
41
58
C
Thu10%
Partly cloudy; cooler Partly cloudy; cooler
35
50
C
Fri80%
Showers likely Showers likely
40
52
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK IN 1966 · NOV. 12, 1966

−11°, the coldest this week of the year has been since 1940.

2

What Hamlin stands on

Hamlin’s center stands about 1,070 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,050 ft to 1,100 ft, a difference of 50 ft: nearly flat ground.

Hamlin, west to east Hamlin1,070 ftHigh point1,170 ftLac qui Parle Riverabout 1,010 ft ← WE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,070 ft
Within 3 miles1,050 to 1,100 ft
Lie of the landNearly flat (50 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceUndifferentiated
Its ageLate Cretaceous, 72 to 100 million years old
5

Hamlin’s year

Hamlin has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 83° in July; winter nights fall to about 3° in January. A normal year brings about 47 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 26 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 25.6 in
July, average83° / 61° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average22° / 3° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow25.6 in · wettest months: June and July
Snow a year46.9 in · snowiest: December
Hottest on record110°F · August 1, 1988
Coldest on record−36°F · February 9, 1994
Wettest day on record4.70 in · August 21, 2002
Snowiest day on record19.2 in · February 21, 2011
90° days a year16 · very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°168 · and 76 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 1, to the last in spring, about May 2 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Dec. 2 to March 3; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Oct. 23 to April 14; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · June through August: 10.7 of the year’s 25.6 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Hamlin normally reaches 42° and falls to 23°. The record high is 75°, in 1990; the record low −7°, in 2014. The most rain on this date, 0.46 in, fell in 2024.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1940 at Madison Wwtp, 5 miles north. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 2,150 mito the Gulf of AmericaWest Branch Lac qui Parle → Lac qui Parle → Minnesota → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Hamlin reaches the Gulf of America by way of the West Branch Lac qui Parle, the Lac qui Parle, the Minnesota and the Mississippi: about 2,150 river miles.

Lake on the way: Lake Pepin.

1,750 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.