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Shaded-relief map of Forestburg, South Dakota: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
SOUTH DAKOTA · SANBORN COUNTY

Forestburg

54 people, 1,230 ft above sea level in Sanborn County.

1,230 ftElevation, city center
54People, 2024 estimate
1 sq miLand area
Sunny 46°
Sunny now Dew point 28° · SSE 20 mph · high 45°
City of Forestburg River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Forestburg 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 Forestburg

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 2:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Mitchell Municipal Airport (KMHE) · 1:53 PM
Sunny
46° Sunny Feels like 38° · high of 45° near 2 PM
WindSSE 20 mphgusts 30
Humidity49%falling to 47% this afternoon
Pressure30.13 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 28° · Dry42° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Friday80% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 40.36 in · 10 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Sanborn County
NWS Sioux Falls and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 2:47 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:26 AM5:07 PM ↓
9 h 41 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 25% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
71
MODERATEAir quality index · ozone
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
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
mostly sunny
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly clear night
mostly sunny
clear day
clear day
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
mostly clear night
clear day
clear day
mostly sunny
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
TEMPERATURE °F
45°
32°
53°
40°
57°
42°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
17
14
14
12
12
12
13
15
17
15
16
15
14
14
15
16
17
14
14
14
14
15
17
20
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 25 to 42° 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 46° / 25°
SAT Nov. 14 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
45° 32°
0% rain — SSE 17, gusts 29 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
55° 39°
0% rain — S 15, gusts 30 B
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
59° 41°
0% rain — S 16, gusts 30 B
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
56° 44°
0% rain — S 17, gusts 31 B
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
60° 38°
20% rain — WNW 12 C
THU Nov. 19 Partly cloudy; cooler Partly cloudy; cooler
49° 37°
10% rain — ESE 5 C
FRI Nov. 20 Showers likely Showers likely
55° 40°
80% rain 0.08–1.3″ 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 Forestburg about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the Canadian Prairies three days ago, and over the central Plains a day ago, about 1,420 miles back along its path. Most of the nine paths traced from around the city agree. Near the ground the air came from the Canadian Prairies; at 10,000 feet, from the northern Rockies. It has stayed over land, which is why it feels dry. Traced back 72 hours through NOAA’s hourly RAP analyses, nine paths at each of three heights.

THIS WEEK IN 1959 Nov. 14, 1959

The coldest this week has been

−22° on Nov. 14, 1959, the coldest reading for this week of the year since 1893. Next is −15° in 1940.

−15°
−22°
19401959
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Mitchell Area threaded record since 1893.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Forestburg stands on

Forestburg’s center stands about 1,230 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,220 ft to 1,300 ft, a difference of 80 ft: gently rolling country.

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

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

Forestburg, cut in half from south to north

A section south to north, 24 miles through the town center
1,200 ft1,300 ft FORESTBURG1,230 ftJames Riverabout 1,220 ftHigh point of the line1,330 ft ← S · Upland ColonyN →

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

Niobrara Formation

Chalk, marlstone, shale. Age: Late Cretaceous, 66 to 100 million years old. About 20 mi of the line.

Carlile Shale

Shale. Age: Late Cretaceous, 66 to 100 million years old. About 4 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 Forestburg’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Forestburg reaches the Gulf of America by way of the James, the Missouri and the Mississippi: about 2,140 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Forestburg≈ 2,140 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF FORESTBURG ≈ 2,140 mi to the Gulf of America James → Missouri → Mississippi

1,170 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.

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

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Forestburg’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1893 · Mitchell Airport, 17 mi south

Forestburg has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 87° in July; winter nights fall to about 9° in January. About 21 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

28°9°33°14°45°24°59°35°71°48°81°58°87°64°84°61°77°51°62°38°46°24°32°14° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY FORESTBURG 21.1 in rain a year
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average87° / 64°high / low, the warmest month
January, average28° / 9°high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year21.1 inwettest months: June and May
Hottest on record116°FJuly 24, 1940
Coldest on record−40°FFebruary 10, 1994
Wettest day on record4.87 inJune 20, 2024
Snowiest day on record24.0 inMarch 10, 1956
90° days a year26about 2 of them 100° or more
Nights at or below 32°159and 60 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 4, to the last in spring, about May 1 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingDec. 13 to Feb. 15; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingOct. 28 to April 9; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchMay through July: 9.0 of the year’s 21.1 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Forestburg normally reaches 46° and falls to 25°. The record high is 79°, in 2025; the record low −22°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 0.46 in, fell in 1928.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high28°33°45°59°71°81°87°84°77°62°46°32°
Normal low9°14°24°35°48°58°64°61°51°38°24°14°
Rain, inches0.400.370.932.073.153.512.363.142.341.830.550.49
Record high68° (2012)72° (2000)95° (1943)97° (1980)108° (1934)111° (1936)116° (1940)115° (1934)106° (1933)96° (1997)84° (2020)70° (1998)
Record low−38° (1970)−40° (1994)−23° (1956)1° (1924)18° (1967)31° (1946)34° (1900)34° (1911)11° (1899)−8° (1925)−22° (1959)−34° (1917)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1893 from the Mitchell Area threaded record (Mitchell Airport, 17 miles south). NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Forestburg on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Mitchell SD · 21 MI 21 miles south Sioux Falls SD · 76 MI 76 miles southeast Sioux City IA · 136 MI 136 miles southeast
FORECASTCITY
Map of Forestburg, South Dakota. Explore the plate
SOUTH DAKOTA · SANBORN

Forestburg

54 people, 1,230 ft above sea level in Sanborn County.

1,230 ftElevation
54People
1 sq miLand
Sunny 46°
SunnyDew point 28°
1

Today in Forestburg

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly sunny 45° 0%
5p mostly clear night 41° 0%
8p partly cloudy night 37° 0%
11p partly cloudy night 35° 0%
2a partly cloudy night 34° 0%
5a mostly clear night 33° 0%
Rain
NEXT RAINFriday · 80%
→
Sat0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
32
45
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
39
55
B
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
41
59
B
Tue0%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
44
56
B
Wed20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
38
60
C
Thu10%
Partly cloudy; cooler Partly cloudy; cooler
37
49
C
Fri80%
Showers likely Showers likely
40
55
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK IN 1959 · NOV. 14, 1959

−22°, the coldest this week of the year has been since 1893.

2

What Forestburg stands on

Forestburg’s center stands about 1,230 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,220 ft to 1,300 ft, a difference of 80 ft: gently rolling country.

Forestburg, south to north Forestburg1,230 ftJames Riverabout 1,220 ftHigh point1,330 ft ← SN → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,230 ft
Within 3 miles1,220 to 1,300 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (80 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceNiobrara Formation
Its ageLate Cretaceous, 66 to 100 million years old
5

Forestburg’s year

Forestburg has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 87° in July; winter nights fall to about 9° in January. About 21 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 21.1 in
July, average87° / 64° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average28° / 9° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year21.1 in · wettest months: June and May
Hottest on record116°F · July 24, 1940
Coldest on record−40°F · February 10, 1994
Wettest day on record4.87 in · June 20, 2024
Snowiest day on record24.0 in · March 10, 1956
90° days a year26 · about 2 of them 100° or more
Nights at or below 32°159 · and 60 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 4, to the last in spring, about May 1 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Dec. 13 to Feb. 15; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Oct. 28 to April 9; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · May through July: 9.0 of the year’s 21.1 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Forestburg normally reaches 46° and falls to 25°. The record high is 79°, in 2025; the record low −22°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 0.46 in, fell in 1928.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1893 from the Mitchell Area threaded record (Mitchell Airport, 17 miles south). NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 2,140 mito the Gulf of AmericaJames → Missouri → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Forestburg reaches the Gulf of America by way of the James, the Missouri and the Mississippi: about 2,140 river miles.

1,170 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.