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Shaded-relief map of Michigan City, North Dakota: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
NORTH DAKOTA · NELSON COUNTY

Michigan City

260 people, 1,520 ft above sea level in Nelson County.

1,520 ftElevation, city center
260People, 2024 estimate
1 sq miLand area
Sunny 44°
Sunny now Dew point 27° · S 20 mph · high 39°
City of Michigan City River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Michigan City 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 Michigan City

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 12:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Grand Forks Air Force Base (KRDR) · 12:55 PM
Sunny
44° Sunny Feels like 35° · high of 39° near 2 PM
WindS 20 mphno gusts
Humidity52%falling to 59% this afternoon
Pressure30.13 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 27° · Dry43° by Monday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Wednesday50% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 30.03 in · 11 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Nelson County
NWS Grand Forks and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 1:46 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:37 AM4:56 PM ↓
9 h 19 m of daylight, 3 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 25% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
26
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
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
mostly sunny
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
clear day
clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy day
mostly cloudy day
TEMPERATURE °F
37°
31°
48°
38°
55°
39°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
16
14
14
13
13
13
14
18
20
16
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15
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12
12
10
9
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9
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HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 25 to 43° 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 80° / 62°
SAT Nov. 14 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
39° 28°
0% rain — SSE 16, gusts 26 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
50° 36°
0% rain — S 18, gusts 30 B
MON Nov. 16 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
56° 36°
0% rain — SSW 12 C
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
53° 37°
10% rain — SSE 7 B
WED Nov. 18 Chance of showers Chance of showers
49° 33°
50% rain up to 0.2″ N 9 C
THU Nov. 19 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
43° 29°
20% rain — NNW 7 C
FRI Nov. 20 Chance of showers Chance of showers
42° 29°
40% rain up to 0.3″ 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 Michigan City about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the Gulf of Alaska three days ago, and over the northern Rockies a day ago, about 2,020 miles back along its path. It came down from about 9,000 feet up, warming and drying as it sank. Near the ground the air came from the Gulf of Alaska; 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, ONE YEAR AGO Nov. 15, 2025

The hottest this week has been

67° on Nov. 15, 2025, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1930. Next is 66° in 2001.

66°
67°
20012025
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Petersburg 2 N record since 1930.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Michigan City stands on

Michigan City’s center stands about 1,520 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,510 ft to 1,530 ft, a difference of 20 ft: nearly flat ground.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Pierre Formation (shale), from the Late Cretaceous, 66 to 100 million years old.

Michigan City, cut in half from west to east

A section west to east, 24 miles through the town center
1,400 ft1,500 ft MICHIGAN CITY1,520 ftHigh point of the line1,540 ftLow point1,380 ft ← WE →

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

Pierre Formation

Shale. Age: Late Cretaceous, 66 to 100 million years old. About 24 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.

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Michigan City’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1930 · Petersburg 2 N, 5 mi east

Michigan City has a warm-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 79° in July; winter nights fall to about −4° in January. A normal year brings about 42 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 20 inches of water.

14°−4°19°−1°31°13°50°28°65°42°74°53°79°58°78°55°69°45°52°32°34°17°20°4° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY 20.2 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, average14° / −4°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow20.2 inwettest months: June and July
Snow a year42.5 insnowiest: December
Hottest on record103°FJune 5, 2021
Coldest on record−44°FFebruary 1, 1996
Wettest day on record3.74 inOctober 8, 1985
Snowiest day on record14.0 inApril 12, 2022
90° days a year5none reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°191and 111 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeWarm-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfb

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Sept. 23, to the last in spring, about May 15 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingNov. 18 to March 18; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingOct. 15 to April 24; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchMay through July: 10.2 of the year’s 20.2 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Michigan City normally reaches 35° and falls to 18°. The record high is 65°, in 1953; the record low −10°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 0.97 in, fell in 1944.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high14°19°31°50°65°74°79°78°69°52°34°20°
Normal low−4°−1°13°28°42°53°58°55°45°32°17°4°
Rain and melt, in0.440.450.500.942.793.843.612.512.121.660.730.64
Snow, inches6.37.77.72.20.60.00.00.00.02.24.910.9
Record high50° (1990)62° (2000)79° (1946)98° (1980)96° (1964)103° (2021)100° (1988)102° (1947)102° (1978)92° (1963)75° (1999)57° (1969)
Record low−42° (1982)−44° (1996)−34° (1948)−12° (1979)5° (1967)28° (1969)30° (1983)25° (1982)15° (1965)−1° (1991)−25° (1985)−39° (1983)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1930 at Petersburg 2 N, 5 miles east. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Michigan City on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Grand Forks ND · 48 MI 48 miles east Fargo ND · 100 MI 100 miles southeast Moorhead MN · 103 MI 103 miles southeast Minot ND · 146 MI 146 miles west
FORECASTCITY
Map of Michigan City, North Dakota. Explore the plate
NORTH DAKOTA · NELSON

Michigan City

260 people, 1,520 ft above sea level in Nelson County.

1,520 ftElevation
260People
1 sq miLand
Sunny 44°
SunnyDew point 27°
1

Today in Michigan City

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly sunny 37° 0%
4p mostly sunny 39° 0%
7p partly cloudy night 34° 0%
10p mostly clear night 34° 0%
1a partly cloudy night 33° 0%
4a partly cloudy night 32° 0%
Rain
NEXT RAINWednesday · 50%
→
Sat0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
28
39
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
36
50
B
Mon0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
36
56
C
Tue10%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
37
53
B
Wed50%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
33
49
C
Thu20%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
29
43
C
Fri40%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
29
42
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK, ONE YEAR AGO · NOV. 15, 2025

67°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1930.

2

What Michigan City stands on

Michigan City’s center stands about 1,520 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,510 ft to 1,530 ft, a difference of 20 ft: nearly flat ground.

Michigan City, west to east Michigan City1,520 ftHigh point1,540 ft ← WE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,520 ft
Within 3 miles1,510 to 1,530 ft
Lie of the landNearly flat (20 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfacePierre Formation
Its ageLate Cretaceous, 66 to 100 million years old
5

Michigan City’s year

Michigan City has a warm-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 79° in July; winter nights fall to about −4° in January. A normal year brings about 42 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 20 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 20.2 in
July, average79° / 58° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average14° / −4° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow20.2 in · wettest months: June and July
Snow a year42.5 in · snowiest: December
Hottest on record103°F · June 5, 2021
Coldest on record−44°F · February 1, 1996
Wettest day on record3.74 in · October 8, 1985
Snowiest day on record14.0 in · April 12, 2022
90° days a year5 · none reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°191 · and 111 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeWarm-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfb
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Sept. 23, to the last in spring, about May 15 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Nov. 18 to March 18; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Oct. 15 to April 24; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · May through July: 10.2 of the year’s 20.2 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Michigan City normally reaches 35° and falls to 18°. The record high is 65°, in 1953; the record low −10°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 0.97 in, fell in 1944.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1930 at Petersburg 2 N, 5 miles east. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.