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

Moscow

524 people, 1,220 ft above sea level in Freeborn County.

1,220 ftElevation, city center
524People, 2024 estimate
36 sq miLand area
Sunny 44°
Sunny now Dew point 23° · SE 3 mph · high 41°
City of Moscow River Interstate 2 miles
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The Moscow 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 Moscow

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 2:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Austin Municipal (KAUM) · 2:35 PM
Sunny
44° Sunny Feels like 42° · high of 41° near 2 PM
WindSE 3 mphno gusts
Humidity44%falling to 55% this afternoon
Pressure30.25 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 23° · Dry37° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Friday70% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 50.01 in · 9 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Freeborn County
NWS Twin Cities/Chanhassen and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 2:46 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:05 AM4:48 PM ↓
9 h 43 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 25% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
18
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
2p
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clear day
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
clear day
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
mostly clear night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
TEMPERATURE °F
41°
26°
45°
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CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
0
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HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 24 to 37° More humid: 37° 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 Sunny Sunny
41° 26°
0% rain — S 0 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
48° 31°
0% rain — S 6 A
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
52° 38°
0% rain — SSW 12 B
TUE Nov. 17 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
55° 42°
0% rain — S 13 A
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
56° 46°
20% rain — S 13 B
THU Nov. 19 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
55° 40°
20% rain — WNW 3 C
FRI Nov. 20 Showers likely Showers likely
57° 48°
70% rain 0.05–0.9″ SSE 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 Moscow about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the open Pacific three days ago, and over the northern Plains a day ago, about 2,640 miles back along its path. It came down from about 11,600 feet up, warming and drying as it sank. 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 1999 Nov. 13, 1999

The hottest this week has been

73° on Nov. 13, 1999, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1937. Next is 73° in 2012.

73°
73°
20121999
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Austin Waste Water Treatment Facility record since 1937.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Moscow stands on

Moscow’s center stands about 1,220 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,200 ft to 1,300 ft, a difference of 100 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.

Lyle to Summit, cut in half

A section south to north, 24 miles through the town center
1,200 ft MOSCOW1,220 ftLyle1,170 ftHigh point of the line1,300 ft ← S · LyleSummit · N →

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 14 mi of the line.

Upper Ordovician

Limestone, dolostone. Age: Late Ordovician, 445 to 459 million years old. About 10 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 Moscow’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Moscow reaches the Gulf of America by way of Turtle Creek, the Cedar River, the Iowa and the Mississippi: about 1,740 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Moscow≈ 1,740 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF MOSCOW ≈ 1,740 mi to the Gulf of America Turtle Creek → Cedar River → Iowa → Mississippi

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 Moscow; river miles along the main stem, rounded.

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Moscow’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1937 · Austin Waste Water Treatment Facility, 7 mi east-southeast

Moscow has a warm-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 81° in July; winter nights fall to about 5° in January. A normal year brings about 43 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 36 inches of water.

22°5°27°9°39°23°55°35°67°47°78°58°81°61°79°59°72°50°58°38°42°25°28°13° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY MOSCOW 36.2 in rain and snowmelt
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average81° / 61°high / low, the warmest month
January, average22° / 5°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow36.2 inwettest months: June and May
Snow a year43.4 insnowiest: January
Hottest on record102°FJuly 24, 1940
Coldest on record−42°FJanuary 15, 1963
Wettest day on record5.95 inJuly 9, 2026
Snowiest day on record16.0 inMarch 19, 2005
90° days a year6very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°165and 80 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 2 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingDec. 4 to March 2; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingOct. 29 to April 8; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchMay through July: 14.9 of the year’s 36.2 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Moscow normally reaches 42° and falls to 25°. The record high is 69°, in 1964; the record low −10°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 0.37 in, fell in 1973.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high22°27°39°55°67°78°81°79°72°58°42°28°
Normal low5°9°23°35°47°58°61°59°50°38°25°13°
Rain and melt, in1.121.102.033.674.995.074.854.073.602.631.841.25
Snow, inches11.010.47.52.20.30.00.00.00.00.42.39.3
Record high62° (1944)71° (2024)82° (2025)91° (1952)100° (2013)100° (2011)102° (1940)101° (2023)97° (2023)92° (1997)79° (2020)65° (2021)
Record low−42° (1963)−34° (1996)−34° (1962)5° (2018)22° (2005)31° (1945)41° (1967)34° (1958)20° (1942)10° (1952)−25° (1977)−33° (1950)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1937 at Austin Waste Water Treatment Facility, 7 miles east-southeast. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Moscow on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Rochester MN · 38 MI 38 miles northeast Mason City IA · 40 MI 40 miles south St. Paul MN · 85 MI 85 miles north Minneapolis MN · 86 MI 86 miles north Sioux Falls SD · 182 MI 182 miles west Madison WI · 190 MI 190 miles east
FORECASTCITY
Map of Moscow, Minnesota. Explore the plate
MINNESOTA · FREEBORN

Moscow

524 people, 1,220 ft above sea level in Freeborn County.

1,220 ftElevation
524People
36 sq miLand
Sunny 44°
SunnyDew point 23°
1

Today in Moscow

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now clear day 41° 0%
5p mostly clear night 36° 0%
8p mostly clear night 31° 0%
11p partly cloudy night 28° 0%
2a partly cloudy night 27° 0%
5a partly cloudy night 26° 0%
Rain
NEXT RAINFriday · 70%
→
Sat0%
Sunny Sunny
26
41
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
31
48
A
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
38
52
B
Tue0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
42
55
A
Wed20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
46
56
B
Thu20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
40
55
C
Fri70%
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 1999 · NOV. 13, 1999

73°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1937.

2

What Moscow stands on

Moscow’s center stands about 1,220 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,200 ft to 1,300 ft, a difference of 100 ft: gently rolling country.

Moscow, south to north Moscow1,220 ftHigh point1,300 ft ← SN → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,220 ft
Within 3 miles1,200 to 1,300 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (100 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceMiddle Devonian
Its ageMiddle Devonian, 384 to 394 million years old
5

Moscow’s year

Moscow has a warm-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 81° in July; winter nights fall to about 5° in January. A normal year brings about 43 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 36 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 36.2 in
July, average81° / 61° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average22° / 5° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow36.2 in · wettest months: June and May
Snow a year43.4 in · snowiest: January
Hottest on record102°F · July 24, 1940
Coldest on record−42°F · January 15, 1963
Wettest day on record5.95 in · July 9, 2026
Snowiest day on record16.0 in · March 19, 2005
90° days a year6 · very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°165 · and 80 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 2 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Dec. 4 to March 2; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Oct. 29 to April 8; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · May through July: 14.9 of the year’s 36.2 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Moscow normally reaches 42° and falls to 25°. The record high is 69°, in 1964; the record low −10°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 0.37 in, fell in 1973.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1937 at Austin Waste Water Treatment Facility, 7 miles east-southeast. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,740 mito the Gulf of AmericaTurtle Creek → Cedar River → Iowa → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Moscow reaches the Gulf of America by way of Turtle Creek, the Cedar River, the Iowa and the Mississippi: about 1,740 river miles.

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