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

Mentor

103 people, 1,170 ft above sea level in Polk County.

1,170 ftElevation, city center
103People, 2024 estimate
2 sq miLand area
Sunny 41°
Sunny now Dew point 18° · SSE 7 mph · high 34°
City of Mentor River Interstate 2 miles
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The Mentor 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 Mentor

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 4:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Fosston Municipal Airport (KFSE) · 4:35 PM
Sunny
41° Sunny Feels like 37° · high of 34° near 4 PM
WindSSE 7 mphno gusts
Humidity39%rising to 85% by morning
Pressure30.16 in →steady
Visibility8 mihazy
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 18° · Dry42° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Wednesday50% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 50.09 in · 9 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Polk County
NWS Grand Forks and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 4:46 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:28 AM4:49 PM ↓
9 h 21 m of daylight, 3 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 26% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
13
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
4p
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mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
clear day
clear night
clear night
clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
partly cloudy day
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly cloudy day
mostly cloudy day
mostly cloudy day
TEMPERATURE °F
34°
30°
47°
39°
52°
41°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
8
9
9
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12
14
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HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 24 to 42° More humid: 42° 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
34° 29°
0% rain — SSE 8 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
48° 38°
0% rain — S 14, gusts 26 A
MON Nov. 16 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
53° 41°
0% rain — SSW 14 B
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
51° 43°
10% rain — S 10 B
WED Nov. 18 Chance of showers Chance of showers
52° 39°
50% rain up to 0.1″ S 7 C
THU Nov. 19 Mostly cloudy; cooler Mostly cloudy; cooler
43° 34°
20% rain — NW 5 C
FRI Nov. 20 Showers likely Showers likely
43° 36°
60% rain up to 0.5″ E 9 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 Mentor about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the open Pacific three days ago, and over the Canadian Prairies a day ago, about 2,270 miles back along its path. It came down from about 10,100 feet up, warming and drying as it sank. Near the ground the air came from British Columbia; at 10,000 feet, from the Pacific north of Hawaii. 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

69° on Nov. 17, 1953, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1913. Next is 65° in 1939.

65°
69°
19391953
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Red Lake Falls record since 1913.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Mentor stands on

Mentor’s center stands about 1,170 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,130 ft to 1,220 ft, a difference of 90 ft: gently rolling country.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Mafic to ultramafic hypabyssal intrusive complexes composed of gabbro, pyroxenite, diorite, and anorthosite, from the Neoarchean, 2.5 to 2.8 billion years old.

The section below crosses 9 rock units mapped at the surface.

Lake Pleasant to Winger, cut in half

A section northwest to southeast, 24 miles through the town center
1,100 ft1,200 ft MENTOR1,170 ftLow point1,040 ftKnute1,210 ft ← NW · Lake PleasantWinger · SE →

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

Mafic to ultramafic hypabyssal intrusive complexes composed of gabbro, pyroxenite, diorite, and anorthosite

Gabbro, pyroxenite, diorite. Age: Neoarchean, 2.5 to 2.8 billion years old. About 6 mi of the line.

Mafic metavolcanic rocks

Metabasalt, greenstone. Age: Neoarchean, 2.5 to 2.8 billion years old. About 5 mi of the line.

Granitic intrusion

Granitic. Age: Neoarchean, 2.5 to 2.8 billion years old. About 4 mi of the line.

Foliated to gneissic tonalite, granodiorite, and diorite

Tonalite, granodiorite, diorite. Age: Neoarchean, 2.5 to 2.8 billion years old. About 3 mi of the line.

Biotite schist of graywacke protolith, and schist-rich migmatite

Biotite-schist, migmatite. Age: Neoarchean, 2.5 to 2.8 billion years old. About 3 mi of the line.

Granitoid intrusion

Granitic. Age: Neoarchean, 2.5 to 2.8 billion years old. About 2 mi of the line.

From the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation (Horton and others, 2017), the states’ geologic maps joined at a common scale. 3 smaller units along the line are not listed.

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 Mentor’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Mentor reaches Hudson Bay by way of Lower Badger Creek, the Clearwater, the Red Lake, the Red River of the North and the Nelson: about 1,060 river miles. Past the border it runs north through Canada to Hudson Bay.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Mentor≈ 1,060 mi · Hudson Bay
FROM THE CENTER OF MENTOR ≈ 1,060 mi to Hudson Bay Lower Badger Creek → Clearwater → Red Lake → Red River of the North → Nelson

Lake on the way: Lake Winnipeg.

400 miles of the trip are on the Nelson.

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

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Mentor’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1913 · Red Lake Falls, 14 mi north-northwest

Mentor has a warm-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 79° in July; winter nights fall to about −3° in January. A normal year brings about 50 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 24 inches of water.

15°−3°20°0°34°15°51°30°66°43°75°55°79°58°78°56°69°47°53°34°35°19°21°6° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY MENTOR 24.3 in rain and snowmelt
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average79° / 58°high / low, the warmest month
January, average15° / −3°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow24.3 inwettest months: June and July
Snow a year49.9 insnowiest: December
Hottest on record110°FJuly 12, 1936
Coldest on record−50°FJanuary 21, 1954
Wettest day on record4.84 inAugust 28, 2002
Snowiest day on record14.0 inNovember 18, 1998
90° days a year4on average, 1991–2020
Nights at or below 32°181and 104 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 14 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingNov. 20 to March 14; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingOct. 19 to April 21; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchJune through August: 11.6 of the year’s 24.3 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Mentor normally reaches 36° and falls to 20°. The record high is 65°, in 1939; the record low −18°, in 1919. The most rain on this date, 1.65 in, fell in 1928.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high15°20°34°51°66°75°79°78°69°53°35°21°
Normal low−3°0°15°30°43°55°58°56°47°34°19°6°
Rain and melt, in0.600.570.891.322.854.493.583.502.812.090.850.78
Snow, inches10.18.67.83.80.10.00.00.00.01.55.612.4
Record high53° (2024)62° (1958)77° (1946)97° (1980)102° (1934)103° (1933)110° (1936)102° (1983)96° (1983)91° (1993)73° (2016)57° (1913)
Record low−50° (1954)−47° (1936)−39° (1948)−11° (1936)15° (1967)25° (1964)35° (1936)28° (1982)15° (1929)−4° (1919)−29° (1985)−43° (1955)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1913 at Red Lake Falls, 14 miles north-northwest, 130 ft lower. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Mentor on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Grand Forks ND · 46 MI 46 miles west Fargo ND · 66 MI 66 miles southwest St. Cloud MN · 177 MI 177 miles southeast Duluth MN · 199 MI 199 miles east
FORECASTCITY
Map of Mentor, Minnesota. Explore the plate
MINNESOTA · POLK

Mentor

103 people, 1,170 ft above sea level in Polk County.

1,170 ftElevation
103People
2 sq miLand
Sunny 41°
SunnyDew point 18°
1

Today in Mentor

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly sunny 34° 0%
7p partly cloudy night 31° 0%
10p partly cloudy night 31° 0%
1a mostly clear night 29° 0%
4a mostly clear night 30° 0%
7a mostly sunny 30° 0%
Rain
NEXT RAINWednesday · 50%
→
Sat0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
29
34
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
38
48
A
Mon0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
41
53
B
Tue10%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
43
51
B
Wed50%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
39
52
C
Thu20%
Mostly cloudy; cooler Mostly cloudy; cooler
34
43
C
Fri60%
Showers likely Showers likely
36
43
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

69°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1913.

2

What Mentor stands on

Mentor’s center stands about 1,170 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,130 ft to 1,220 ft, a difference of 90 ft: gently rolling country.

Mentor, northwest to southeast Mentor1,170 ft ← NWSE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,170 ft
Within 3 miles1,130 to 1,220 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (90 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceMafic to ultramafic hypabyssal intrusive complexes composed of gabbro, pyroxenite, diorite, and anorthosite
Its ageNeoarchean, 2.5 to 2.8 billion years old
5

Mentor’s year

Mentor has a warm-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 79° in July; winter nights fall to about −3° in January. A normal year brings about 50 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 24 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 24.3 in
July, average79° / 58° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average15° / −3° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow24.3 in · wettest months: June and July
Snow a year49.9 in · snowiest: December
Hottest on record110°F · July 12, 1936
Coldest on record−50°F · January 21, 1954
Wettest day on record4.84 in · August 28, 2002
Snowiest day on record14.0 in · November 18, 1998
90° days a year4 · on average, 1991–2020
Nights at or below 32°181 · and 104 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 14 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Nov. 20 to March 14; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Oct. 19 to April 21; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · June through August: 11.6 of the year’s 24.3 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Mentor normally reaches 36° and falls to 20°. The record high is 65°, in 1939; the record low −18°, in 1919. The most rain on this date, 1.65 in, fell in 1928.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1913 at Red Lake Falls, 14 miles north-northwest, 130 ft lower. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,060 mito Hudson BayLower Badger Creek → Clearwater → Red Lake → Red River of the North → Nelson

A raindrop that lands in Mentor reaches Hudson Bay by way of Lower Badger Creek, the Clearwater, the Red Lake, the Red River of the North and the Nelson: about 1,060 river miles. Past the border it runs north through Canada to Hudson Bay.

Lake on the way: Lake Winnipeg.

400 miles of the trip are on the Nelson.