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

Windom

4,797 people, 1,360 ft above sea level in Cottonwood County.

1,360 ftElevation, city center
4,797People, 2024 estimate
4 sq miLand area
Sunny 44°
Sunny now Dew point 24° · S 10 mph · high 42°
City of Windom River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Windom 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 Windom

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 12:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Windom Municipal Airport (KMWM) · 12:55 PM
Sunny
44° Sunny Feels like 38° · high of 42° near 2 PM
WindS 10 mphno gusts
Humidity47%falling to 62% this afternoon
Pressure30.22 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 24° · Dry43° 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 1:16 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:13 AM4:56 PM ↓
9 h 42 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 25% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
44
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
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
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7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
clear day
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
clear day
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
TEMPERATURE °F
41°
27°
46°
34°
51°
39°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
9
6
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7
7
9
12
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HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 27 to 33° ↑ Humid air returns More humid: 43° 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 Sunny Sunny
42° 27°
0% rain — S 9 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
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
54° 44°
0% rain — S 16, gusts 28 A
WED Nov. 18 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
56° 42°
20% rain — S 12 C
THU Nov. 19 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
51° 38°
10% rain — WNW 2 C
FRI Nov. 20 Showers likely Showers likely
54° 45°
80% rain 0.06–1.1″ 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 Windom about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the Canadian Prairies three days ago, and over the central Plains a day ago, about 980 miles back along its path. Most of the nine paths traced from around the city agree. It rose from near the ground on the way. 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 Windom stands on

Windom’s center stands about 1,360 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,340 ft to 1,480 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.

Lakefield to Amboy, cut in half

A section south to north, 24 miles through the town center
1,400 ft1,500 ft WINDOM1,360 ftHigh point of the line1,540 ftLow point1,340 ft ← S · LakefieldAmboy · 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

Undifferentiated

Conglomerate, sandstone, mudstone. Age: Late Cretaceous, 72 to 100 million years old. About 18 mi of the line.

Sioux Quartzite

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

A raindrop that lands in Windom reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Des Moines and the Mississippi: about 1,790 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Windom≈ 1,790 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF WINDOM ≈ 1,790 mi to the Gulf of America Des Moines → Mississippi

Lakes on the way: Roberts Creek and Big Creek Pounding Area.

1,330 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.

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

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Windom’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1905 · Windom

Windom 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 WINDOM 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 Windom 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, here. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Windom on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Sioux Falls SD · 84 MI 84 miles west Minneapolis MN · 118 MI 118 miles northeast St. Paul MN · 124 MI 124 miles northeast Des Moines IA · 176 MI 176 miles southeast
FORECASTCITY
Map of Windom, Minnesota. Explore the plate
MINNESOTA · COTTONWOOD

Windom

4,797 people, 1,360 ft above sea level in Cottonwood County.

1,360 ftElevation
4,797People
4 sq miLand
Sunny 44°
SunnyDew point 24°
1

Today in Windom

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now clear day 41° 0%
4p clear day 40° 0%
7p mostly clear night 33° 0%
10p partly cloudy night 30° 0%
1a partly cloudy night 29° 0%
4a partly cloudy night 28° 0%
Rain
NEXT RAINFriday · 80%
→
Sat0%
Sunny Sunny
27
42
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
34
48
B
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
39
53
B
Tue0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
44
54
A
Wed20%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
42
56
C
Thu10%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
38
51
C
Fri80%
Showers likely Showers likely
45
54
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 Windom stands on

Windom’s center stands about 1,360 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,340 ft to 1,480 ft, a difference of 140 ft: gently rolling country.

Windom, south to north Windom1,360 ftHigh point1,540 ft ← SN → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,360 ft
Within 3 miles1,340 to 1,480 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (140 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceUndifferentiated
Its ageLate Cretaceous, 72 to 100 million years old
5

Windom’s year

Windom 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 Windom 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, here. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,790 mito the Gulf of AmericaDes Moines → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Windom reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Des Moines and the Mississippi: about 1,790 river miles.

Lakes on the way: Roberts Creek and Big Creek Pounding Area.

1,330 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.