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

Sanders

290 people, 1,110 ft above sea level in Pennington County.

1,110 ftElevation, city center
290People, 2024 estimate
36 sq miLand area
Sunny 44°
Sunny now Dew point 21° · SSE 10 mph · high 41°
City of Sanders River Interstate 2 miles
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The Sanders 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 Sanders

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 2:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Thief River Falls Regional Airport (KTVF) · 2:56 PM
Sunny
44° Sunny Feels like 39° · high of 41° near 3 PM
WindSSE 10 mphno gusts
Humidity40%rising to 85% by morning
Pressure30.18 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 21° · Dry43° by Monday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Wednesday50% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 100.01 in · 4 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Pennington County
NWS Grand Forks and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 3:16 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:30 AM4:49 PM ↓
9 h 18 m of daylight, 3 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 25% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
14
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
3p
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mostly sunny
partly cloudy night
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partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
clear day
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy day
mostly cloudy day
TEMPERATURE °F
41°
30°
47°
39°
52°
41°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
12
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HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 25 to 27° ↑ Humid air returns 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
41° 30°
0% rain — SSE 12 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
47° 38°
0% rain — S 15, gusts 28 A
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
52° 40°
0% rain — SSW 15, gusts 25 B
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
51° 41°
10% rain — SSE 10 B
WED Nov. 18 Chance of showers Chance of showers
50° 37°
50% rain up to 0.2″ S 8 C
THU Nov. 19 Mostly cloudy; cooler Mostly cloudy; cooler
41° 33°
20% rain — NW 7 C
FRI Nov. 20 Chance of showers Chance of showers
41° 34°
50% rain up to 0.5″ E 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 Sanders about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the Gulf of Alaska three days ago, and over the Canadian Prairies a day ago, about 2,240 miles back along its path. It came down from about 11,200 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 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 Sanders stands on

Sanders’s center stands about 1,110 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,060 ft to 1,140 ft, a difference of 80 ft: gently rolling country.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Granodiorite to hornblende diorite, locally magmatically foliated (granodiorite, diorite), from the Neoarchean, 2.5 to 2.8 billion years old.

The section below crosses 2 rock units mapped at the surface.

Louisville to Excel, cut in half

A section southwest to northeast, 24 miles through the town center
1,000 ft1,100 ft SANDERS1,110 ftLow point960 ftHigh point of the line1,180 ft ← SW · LouisvilleExcel · 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

Granodiorite to hornblende diorite, locally magmatically foliated

Granodiorite, diorite. Age: Neoarchean, 2.5 to 2.8 billion years old. About 21 mi of the line.

Mafic metavolcanic rocks

Metabasalt, greenstone. Age: Neoarchean, 2.5 to 2.8 billion years old. About 3 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 Sanders’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Sanders reaches Hudson Bay by way of 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
Sanders≈ 1,060 mi · Hudson Bay
FROM THE CENTER OF SANDERS ≈ 1,060 mi to Hudson Bay 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 Sanders; river miles along the main stem, rounded.

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Sanders’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1913 · Red Lake Falls, 13 mi south

Sanders 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 SANDERS 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 Sanders 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, 13 miles south. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Sanders on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Grand Forks ND · 38 MI 38 miles west Moorhead MN · 85 MI 85 miles south Fargo ND · 86 MI 86 miles south West Fargo ND · 88 MI 88 miles south
FORECASTCITY
Map of Sanders, Minnesota. Explore the plate
MINNESOTA · PENNINGTON

Sanders

290 people, 1,110 ft above sea level in Pennington County.

1,110 ftElevation
290People
36 sq miLand
Sunny 44°
SunnyDew point 21°
1

Today in Sanders

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly sunny 41° 0%
6p partly cloudy night 33° 0%
9p partly cloudy night 32° 0%
12a partly cloudy night 31° 0%
3a partly cloudy night 31° 0%
6a partly cloudy night 31° 0%
Rain
NEXT RAINWednesday · 50%
→
Sat0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
30
41
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
38
47
A
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
40
52
B
Tue10%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
41
51
B
Wed50%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
37
50
C
Thu20%
Mostly cloudy; cooler Mostly cloudy; cooler
33
41
C
Fri50%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
34
41
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 Sanders stands on

Sanders’s center stands about 1,110 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,060 ft to 1,140 ft, a difference of 80 ft: gently rolling country.

Sanders, southwest to northeast Sanders1,110 ftHigh point1,180 ft ← SWNE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,110 ft
Within 3 miles1,060 to 1,140 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (80 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceGranodiorite to hornblende diorite, locally magmatically foliated
Its ageNeoarchean, 2.5 to 2.8 billion years old
5

Sanders’s year

Sanders 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 Sanders 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, 13 miles south. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,060 mito Hudson BayRed Lake → Red River of the North → Nelson

A raindrop that lands in Sanders reaches Hudson Bay by way of 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.