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

Lakeside

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

1,420 ftElevation, city center
239People, 2024 estimate
33 sq miLand area
Clear 31°
Clear now Dew point 23° · SE 7 mph · high 32°
City of Lakeside River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Lakeside 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 Lakeside

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 7:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Windom Municipal Airport (KMWM) · 7:55 PM
Clear
31° Clear Feels like 24° · high of 32° near 8 PM
WindSE 7 mphno gusts
Humidity71%rising to 96% by morning
Pressure30.24 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 23° · Dry40° 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 8:16 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
57
MODERATEAir 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
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
5p
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
clear day
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy night
TEMPERATURE °F
32°
27°
46°
35°
51°
39°
52°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
6
7
7
7
10
13
13
9
12
13
14
15
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18
18
14
14
14
15
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20
16
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 25 to 29° ↑ Humid air returns 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
32° 27°
0% rain — S 6 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
48° 34°
0% rain — S 12 B
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
53° 39°
0% rain — SSW 17, gusts 28 B
TUE Nov. 17 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
53° 44°
0% rain — S 16, gusts 28 B
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
57° 40°
10% rain — S 14 C
THU Nov. 19 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
50° 36°
10% rain — WNW 2 C
FRI Nov. 20 Showers likely Showers likely
56° 41°
80% rain 0.2–1.0″ SE 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 Lakeside about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the Canadian Prairies three days ago, and over the central Plains a day ago, about 1,550 miles back along its path. Most of the nine paths traced from around the city agree. 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 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 Lakeside stands on

Lakeside’s center stands about 1,420 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,320 ft to 1,460 ft, a difference of 140 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.

Lakeside, cut in half from southwest to northeast

A section southwest to northeast, 24 miles through the town center
1,200 ft1,300 ft1,400 ft LAKESIDE1,420 ftHigh point of the line1,490 ftDes Moines Riverabout 1,350 ftLow point1,210 ft ← SWMidway · NE →

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 16 mi of the line.

Sioux Quartzite

Quartzite, mudstone. Age: Paleoproterozoic, 1.6 to 2 billion years old. About 8 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 Lakeside’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Lakeside 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
Lakeside≈ 2,040 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF LAKESIDE ≈ 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 Lakeside; river miles along the main stem, rounded.

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Lakeside’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1905 · Windom, 3 mi west

Lakeside 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 LAKESIDE 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 Lakeside 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, 3 miles west. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Lakeside on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Sioux Falls SD · 87 MI 87 miles west Minneapolis MN · 115 MI 115 miles northeast St. Paul MN · 121 MI 121 miles northeast Des Moines IA · 176 MI 176 miles southeast
FORECASTCITY
Map of Lakeside, Minnesota. Explore the plate
MINNESOTA · COTTONWOOD

Lakeside

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

1,420 ftElevation
239People
33 sq miLand
Clear 31°
ClearDew point 23°
1

Today in Lakeside

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly clear night 32° 0%
11p mostly clear night 29° 0%
2a mostly clear night 28° 0%
5a mostly clear night 27° 0%
8a partly cloudy day 28° 0%
11a partly cloudy day 40° 0%
Rain
NEXT RAINFriday · 80%
→
Sat0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
27
32
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
34
48
B
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
39
53
B
Tue0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
44
53
B
Wed10%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
40
57
C
Thu10%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
36
50
C
Fri80%
Showers likely Showers likely
41
56
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 Lakeside stands on

Lakeside’s center stands about 1,420 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,320 ft to 1,460 ft, a difference of 140 ft: gently rolling country.

Lakeside, southwest to northeast Lakeside1,420 ftHigh point1,490 ftDes Moines Riverabout 1,350 ft ← SWNE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,420 ft
Within 3 miles1,320 to 1,460 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (140 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceUndifferentiated
Its ageLate Cretaceous, 72 to 100 million years old
5

Lakeside’s year

Lakeside 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 Lakeside 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, 3 miles west. 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 Lakeside 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.