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

Hayward

336 people, 1,260 ft above sea level in Freeborn County.

1,260 ftElevation, city center
336People, 2024 estimate
35 sq miLand area
Clear 35°
Clear now Dew point 23° · Calm · high 35°
City of Hayward River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Hayward 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 Hayward

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 5:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Albert Lea Municipal Airport (KAEL) · 5:55 PM
Clear
35° Clear Feels like 35° · high of 35° near 6 PM
WindCalmno gusts
Humidity62%rising to 96% by morning
Pressure30.27 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. 80.04 in · 6 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Freeborn County
NWS Twin Cities/Chanhassen and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 6:19 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:05 AM4:49 PM ↓
9 h 43 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
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly clear night
mostly 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
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
TEMPERATURE °F
35°
26°
45°
32°
50°
39°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
3
3
1
2
3
7
9
7
7
8
8
9
10
12
14
13
12
12
12
12
12
15
16
15
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 25 to 39° More humid: 39° by Tuesday

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 80° / 62°
SAT Nov. 14 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
35° 26°
0% rain — SE 2 A
SUN Nov. 15 Partly cloudy; warmer Partly cloudy; warmer
48° 32°
0% rain — S 7 A
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
53° 39°
0% rain — SSW 13 A
TUE Nov. 17 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
55° 43°
0% rain — S 14, gusts 25 A
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
56° 45°
20% rain — S 14, gusts 25 B
THU Nov. 19 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
55° 40°
20% rain — WNW 2 C
FRI Nov. 20 Showers likely Showers likely
57° 48°
80% rain 0.07–0.9″ SSE 13 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 Hayward about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the Canadian Prairies three days ago, and over the northern Plains a day ago, about 1,210 miles back along its path. The nine paths traced from around the city fan out, so treat that as a best guess. Near the ground the air came from British Columbia; at 10,000 feet, from the Pacific Northwest. 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 1986 Nov. 11, 1986

The coldest this week has been

−7° on Nov. 11, 1986, the coldest reading for this week of the year since 1885. Next is −6° in 1959.

−6°
−7°
19591986
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Albert Lea 3 SE record since 1885.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Hayward stands on

Hayward’s center stands about 1,260 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,210 ft to 1,280 ft, a difference of 70 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.

Pickerel Lake to Austin, cut in half

A section west to east, 24 miles through the town center
1,200 ft1,300 ft HAYWARD1,260 ftHigh point of the line1,340 ftAlbert Lea1,220 ftLow point1,210 ft ← W · Pickerel LakeAustin · 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

Middle Devonian

Dolostone, limestone, shale. Age: Middle Devonian, 384 to 394 million years old. About 24 mi of the line.

Middle and Upper Devonian

Dolostone, limestone, shale. Age: Middle Devonian to Late Devonian, 359 to 394 million years old. About 0.6 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 Hayward’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Hayward reaches the Gulf of America by way of Albert Lea Lake, the Shell Rock, the Cedar River, the Iowa and the Mississippi: about 1,730 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Hayward≈ 1,730 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF HAYWARD ≈ 1,730 mi to the Gulf of America Albert Lea Lake → Shell Rock → Cedar River → Iowa → Mississippi

Lake on the way: Albert Lea Lake.

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 Hayward; river miles along the main stem, rounded.

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Hayward’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1885 · Albert Lea 3 SE, 4 mi southwest

Hayward has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 82° in July; winter nights fall to about 6° in January. A normal year brings about 40 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 36 inches of water.

22°6°27°10°40°23°55°35°68°48°78°59°82°63°79°60°73°51°59°38°42°25°28°13° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY HAYWARD 35.8 in rain and snowmelt
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average82° / 63°high / low, the warmest month
January, average22° / 6°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow35.8 inwettest months: June and May
Snow a year39.5 insnowiest: February
Hottest on record104°FJuly 24, 1940
Coldest on record−41°FJanuary 7, 1887
Wettest day on record7.50 inJune 15, 1978
Snowiest day on record20.0 inMarch 18, 1933
90° days a year8very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°158and 78 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 6, to the last in spring, about April 28 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingDec. 5 to March 1; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingOct. 29 to April 8; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchMay through July: 15.1 of the year’s 35.8 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Hayward normally reaches 43° and falls to 26°. The record high is 73°, in 1999; the record low −5°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 0.90 in, fell in 1902.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high22°27°40°55°68°78°82°79°73°59°42°28°
Normal low6°10°23°35°48°59°63°60°51°38°25°13°
Rain and melt, in0.890.871.943.744.855.444.814.273.712.581.541.13
Snow, inches8.99.86.62.80.30.00.00.00.00.32.78.1
Record high64° (1944)71° (2024)84° (1910)94° (1910)104° (1934)104° (1934)104° (1940)101° (1988)103° (1922)94° (1997)79° (2006)67° (1998)
Record low−41° (1887)−33° (1996)−29° (1962)3° (1979)21° (1966)34° (1979)42° (1903)35° (1886)22° (1942)−6° (1887)−18° (1977)−29° (1983)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1885 at Albert Lea 3 SE, 4 miles southwest. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Hayward on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Austin MN · 13 MI 13 miles east Mason City IA · 33 MI 33 miles south St. Paul MN · 91 MI 91 miles north Minneapolis MN · 92 MI 92 miles north Sioux Falls SD · 175 MI 175 miles west Madison WI · 195 MI 195 miles east
FORECASTCITY
Map of Hayward, Minnesota. Explore the plate
MINNESOTA · FREEBORN

Hayward

336 people, 1,260 ft above sea level in Freeborn County.

1,260 ftElevation
336People
35 sq miLand
Clear 35°
ClearDew point 23°
1

Today in Hayward

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly clear night 35° 0%
9p partly cloudy night 30° 0%
12a partly cloudy night 28° 0%
3a partly cloudy night 26° 0%
6a partly cloudy night 26° 0%
9a mostly sunny 33° 0%
Rain
NEXT RAINFriday · 80%
→
Sat0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
26
35
A
Sun0%
Partly cloudy; warmer Partly cloudy; warmer
32
48
A
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
39
53
A
Tue0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
43
55
A
Wed20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
45
56
B
Thu20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
40
55
C
Fri80%
Showers likely Showers likely
48
57
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK IN 1986 · NOV. 11, 1986

−7°, the coldest this week of the year has been since 1885.

2

What Hayward stands on

Hayward’s center stands about 1,260 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,210 ft to 1,280 ft, a difference of 70 ft: gently rolling country.

Hayward, west to east Hayward1,260 ftHigh point1,340 ft ← WE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,260 ft
Within 3 miles1,210 to 1,280 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (70 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceMiddle Devonian
Its ageMiddle Devonian, 384 to 394 million years old
5

Hayward’s year

Hayward has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 82° in July; winter nights fall to about 6° in January. A normal year brings about 40 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 36 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 35.8 in
July, average82° / 63° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average22° / 6° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow35.8 in · wettest months: June and May
Snow a year39.5 in · snowiest: February
Hottest on record104°F · July 24, 1940
Coldest on record−41°F · January 7, 1887
Wettest day on record7.50 in · June 15, 1978
Snowiest day on record20.0 in · March 18, 1933
90° days a year8 · very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°158 · and 78 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 6, to the last in spring, about April 28 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Dec. 5 to March 1; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Oct. 29 to April 8; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · May through July: 15.1 of the year’s 35.8 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Hayward normally reaches 43° and falls to 26°. The record high is 73°, in 1999; the record low −5°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 0.90 in, fell in 1902.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1885 at Albert Lea 3 SE, 4 miles southwest. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,730 mito the Gulf of AmericaAlbert Lea Lake → Shell Rock → Cedar River → Iowa → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Hayward reaches the Gulf of America by way of Albert Lea Lake, the Shell Rock, the Cedar River, the Iowa and the Mississippi: about 1,730 river miles.

Lake on the way: Albert Lea Lake.

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