Pelican Rapids, Minnesota Weather
Pelican Rapids, Minnesota — live current conditions, hourly and 7-day forecasts, NWS alerts, radar and satellite imagery, soil and crop conditions for Pelican Rapids, Otter Tail County.
Full aviation weather for Pelican Rapids is published on the Pelican Rapids Muni-Lyon's Field (K47Y) page, 8 km away. It carries the current METAR decoded into plain language — surface wind, visibility, cloud layers and ceiling, temperature and dewpoint, and altimeter setting — alongside the raw observation as transmitted. 6 airfields within reach of Pelican Rapids have their own pages, listed below.
The Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) is shown across its full validity period, with each change group broken out so you can see when conditions are expected to shift. Flight category is derived automatically — VFR, MVFR, IFR or LIFR — from reported ceiling and visibility, with runway details and field elevation alongside. Observations update roughly hourly and forecasts several times a day.
Other airports near Pelican Rapids: Detroit Lakes Airport (KDTL) 32 km · Fergus Falls Municipal Airport - Einar Mickelson Field (KFFM) 32 km · Perham Municipal Airport (K16D) 37 km · Moorhead Municipal Airport (KJKJ) 53 km · Harry Stern Airport (KBWP) 54 km
Conditions reported at K47Y describe the airfield itself. Weather 8 km away can differ, particularly in terrain or near the coast. For conditions at Pelican Rapids specifically, see the current conditions and forecast above.
Soil conditions, frost risk and crop weather for Pelican Rapids.
About Pelican Rapids, Minnesota
Pelican Rapids rests where the Otter Tail River, a ribbon of cool, clear water, spills over a series of low stone formations, giving the place its name. It lies 38.6 miles east-south-east of Moorhead, MN (from Moorhead, MN: bearing 123°T), and is situated 19.9 miles north of Fergus Falls. The land here, part of the prairie's broad, generous sweep, rises and falls in gentle hills, often softened by the emerald velvet of summer fields or the stark, clean geometry of winter snow. The sky above Pelican Rapids is a vast canvas, capable of holding the fierce, electric blue of a midsummer day or the bruised, dramatic purples of an approaching storm, and the light, especially in the late afternoon, has a golden quality that seems to linger, bathing the modest storefronts and tidy homes in a warm, ephemeral glow. This is a place where the wind carries the scent of ripening grain and the distant lowing of cattle, a subtle perfume that speaks of cultivation and the deep, patient rhythms of the earth. The history of Pelican Rapids is inextricably linked to the very water that defines it, a vital artery for early settlers and a power source for mills that once hummed with industry. Its economy has long been rooted in the fertile soil surrounding it, with agriculture forming the backbone of life here, producing a bounty of corn, soybeans, and other staples that feed the nation. But Pelican Rapids is also a place that honors its heritage, a fact you can sense in the well-preserved architecture downtown and the enduring spirit of its residents, many of whom trace their ancestry back to the waves of Scandinavian immigrants who first sought their fortunes on these plains. The annual Pelican Fest, a celebration of community and local pride, draws crowds from miles around, a vibrant testament to the enduring warmth and fellowship that characterizes this corner of Otter Tail County.
Live animated radar for Pelican Rapids and surroundings — RainViewer.
NOAA GOES-16 GEOCOLOR — live animated loop updated every 10 minutes. Shows cloud cover, storm systems and weather patterns across the continental US.
Source: NOAA/NESDIS GOES-East · Public domain · Auto-updates on page reload
| Location | Pelican Rapids, Otter Tail County, Minnesota |
| Coordinates | 46.570792°N, 96.083112°W |
| Timezone | Central Time (America/Chicago) |
| ZIP Code(s) | 56572 |
| Area Code | 320 |
| Page generated | September 2026 |
| Weather data | Open-Meteo (open-source), NOAA National Weather Service |
About This Pelican Rapids, Minnesota Weather Page
This page provides live weather conditions and forecasts for Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, including current conditions, a 24-hour hourly forecast, 7-day outlook, NWS extended text forecast, precipitation radar and NOAA GOES-16 satellite imagery. Aviation weather — live METAR observations and TAF forecasts — is published separately on the pages for the nearest reporting airports, linked from the aviation section above. Additional sections may include tide predictions, wave height, wave direction and sea-surface temperature, a barometric pressure trend, and a solunar-based fishing forecast with a fishing-conditions rating for coastal localities, and soil temperature, crop weather and live USGS river gauge data for agricultural areas near a monitored waterway. All data updates automatically on every page visit.
Location data for Pelican Rapids includes coordinates 46.570792°N, 96.083112°W, situated in Otter Tail County. ZIP code 56572. Telephone area code: 320. Timezone: Central Time (America/Chicago).
Weather data is sourced from the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) and the open-source Open-Meteo API. River and stream data is sourced from the USGS National Water Information System. Tide predictions are sourced from NOAA CO-OPS; marine and solunar data are modeled from Open-Meteo and public sunrise/moon calculations and should be treated as a general guide alongside on-the-water conditions. Radar is provided by RainViewer. Satellite imagery is sourced from NOAA/NESDIS GOES-East and is public domain.
