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

Minnewaukan

188 people, 1,460 ft above sea level in Benson County.

1,460 ftElevation, city center
188People, 2024 estimate
0 sq miLand area
Sunny 42°
Sunny now Dew point 30° · SE 20 mph · high 38°
City of Minnewaukan River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Minnewaukan 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 Minnewaukan

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 4:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Devils Lake Municipal Airport (KDVL) · 4:56 PM
Sunny
42° Sunny Feels like 33° · high of 38° near 5 PM
WindSE 20 mphgusts 26
Humidity62%rising to 82% by morning
Pressure30.04 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 30° · Dry43° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Wednesday50% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 100.11 in · 4 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Benson County
NWS Grand Forks and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 5:16 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:42 AM5:01 PM ↓
9 h 18 m of daylight, 3 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 26% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
—
Air quality index ·
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
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
clear day
mostly sunny
clear day
clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy day
mostly cloudy day
mostly cloudy day
TEMPERATURE °F
38°
33°
48°
37°
53°
37°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
16
15
14
15
15
16
17
16
13
12
10
9
8
9
9
8
7
7
6
5
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8
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 35° / 18°
SAT Nov. 14 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
38° 32°
0% rain — SSE 15, gusts 30 A
SUN Nov. 15 Sunny; warmer Sunny; warmer
50° 35°
0% rain — S 16, gusts 28 B
MON Nov. 16 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
53° 36°
0% rain — SSW 9 C
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
48° 35°
10% rain — SE 8 C
WED Nov. 18 Chance of showers Chance of showers
43° 32°
50% rain up to 0.2″ NW 9 C
THU Nov. 19 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
39° 30°
10% rain — N 5 B
FRI Nov. 20 Chance of showers Chance of showers
38° 28°
40% rain up to 0.2″ ENE 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 Minnewaukan about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the Gulf of Alaska three days ago, and over the northern Plains a day ago, about 2,040 miles back along its path. It came down from about 10,000 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. 14, 2025

The hottest this week has been

66° on Nov. 14, 2025, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1963. Next is 60° in 2016.

60°
66°
20162025
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Devils Lake Municipal Airport record since 1963.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Minnewaukan stands on

Minnewaukan’s center stands about 1,460 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,440 ft to 1,560 ft, a difference of 120 ft: gently rolling country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is The Buttes, about 1,860 ft, 14 miles northwest.

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

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

Minnewaukan, cut in half from west to east

A section west to east, 24 miles through the town center
1,500 ft1,600 ft1,700 ft MINNEWAUKAN1,460 ftHigh point of the line1,700 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 23 mi of the line.

Fox Hills Formation

Shale, sandstone. Age: Late Cretaceous, 66 to 100 million 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.

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

Minnewaukan’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1963 · Devils Lake Municipal Airport, 17 mi east

Minnewaukan has a cold desert climate. Summer afternoons average 79° in July; winter nights fall to about −2° in January. Barely 0.0 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

16°−2°21°0°33°14°50°28°64°43°73°54°79°58°79°56°68°47°52°33°35°18°21°4° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 12 TODAY MINNEWAUKAN 0.0 in rain a year
Normal high to low, by month Rain by month Freezing
July, average79° / 58°high / low, the warmest month
January, average16° / −2°high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year0.0 inspread evenly through the year
Hottest on record103°FJune 4, 2021
Coldest on record−37°FJanuary 30, 2019
Wettest day on record4.03 inJune 9, 2002
Climate typeCold desertKöppen BWk

AROUND THE RING

1Highs below freezingNov. 21 to March 15; normal highs stay below 32°
2Lows below freezingOct. 17 to April 26; normal lows fall below 32°
MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high16°21°33°50°64°73°79°79°68°52°35°21°
Normal low−2°0°14°28°43°54°58°56°47°33°18°4°
Rain, inches0.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.00

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1963 at Devils Lake Municipal Airport, 17 miles east. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Minnewaukan on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Minot ND · 94 MI 94 miles west Grand Forks ND · 101 MI 101 miles east Bismarck ND · 112 MI 112 miles southwest Fargo ND · 141 MI 141 miles southeast
FORECASTCITY
Map of Minnewaukan, North Dakota. Explore the plate
NORTH DAKOTA · BENSON

Minnewaukan

188 people, 1,460 ft above sea level in Benson County.

1,460 ftElevation
188People
0 sq miLand
Sunny 42°
SunnyDew point 30°
1

Today in Minnewaukan

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly clear night 38° 0%
8p mostly clear night 36° 0%
11p mostly clear night 35° 0%
2a mostly clear night 35° 0%
5a clear night 34° 0%
8a mostly sunny 34° 0%
Rain
NEXT RAINWednesday · 50%
→
Sat0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
32
38
A
Sun0%
Sunny; warmer Sunny; warmer
35
50
B
Mon0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
36
53
C
Tue10%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
35
48
C
Wed50%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
32
43
C
Thu10%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
30
39
B
Fri40%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
28
38
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. 14, 2025

66°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1963.

2

What Minnewaukan stands on

Minnewaukan’s center stands about 1,460 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,440 ft to 1,560 ft, a difference of 120 ft: gently rolling country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is The Buttes, about 1,860 ft, 14 miles northwest.

Minnewaukan, west to east Minnewaukan1,460 ftHigh point1,700 ft ← WE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,460 ft
Within 3 miles1,440 to 1,560 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (120 ft of relief)
High point nearbyThe Buttes, 1,860 ft, 14 mi northwest
Rock at the surfacePierre Formation
Its ageLate Cretaceous, 66 to 100 million years old
5

Minnewaukan’s year

Minnewaukan has a cold desert climate. Summer afternoons average 79° in July; winter nights fall to about −2° in January. Barely 0.0 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 12 0.0 in
July, average79° / 58° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average16° / −2° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year0.0 in · spread evenly through the year
Hottest on record103°F · June 4, 2021
Coldest on record−37°F · January 30, 2019
Wettest day on record4.03 in · June 9, 2002
Climate typeCold desert · Köppen BWk
1Highs below freezing · Nov. 21 to March 15; normal highs stay below 32°
2Lows below freezing · Oct. 17 to April 26; normal lows fall below 32°
Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1963 at Devils Lake Municipal Airport, 17 miles east. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.