Embarrass is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Embarrass Township, Saint Louis County,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, United States. The community is located on the Mesabi Iron Range. With an average annual temperature of , Embarrass is notable as the coldest place in Minnesota.

Geography and climate

The community of Embarrass is located 22 miles (35.4 km) northeast of the city of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

; and 27 miles (43.5 km) southwest of Ely. Embarrass is 12 miles (19.3 km) south of

Tower A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specifi ...

; and 86 miles (138.4 km) north of

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

. Nearby places include

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

, Hoyt Lakes, Biwabik, and

Babbitt Babbitt may refer to: Fiction * ''Babbitt'' (novel), a 1922 novel by Sinclair Lewis ** ''Babbitt'' (1924 film), a 1924 silent film based on the novel ** ''Babbitt'' (1934 film), a 1934 film based on the novel *Babbit, the family name of the titl ...

. The center of Embarrass is generally considered near the intersection of Saint Louis County Roads 21, 362 (Waisanen Road), and 615 (Salo Road); located in the southeast portion of Embarrass Township (population 607). The Embarrass River flows through the community. The Pike River is also nearby. State Highway 135 ( MN 135), Saint Louis County Highway 21 ( CR 21), and County Road 26 ( CR 26) are three of the main routes in the Embarrass area. Embarrass has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

Dfb), bordering very closely on a subarctic climate (Dfc), with short, warm summers and long, bitterly cold winters. Summer nights remain cool despite the warm days. With an average annual temperature of , Embarrass is the coldest place in

. In winter 2000–2001, the temperature in Embarrass did not rise above freezing from November 24 to March 1; the high for meteorological winter (December to February) was 32°F on January 10. The coldest calendar month on record (since 1995, with some months missing data) in Embarrass was January 2014, with an average temperature of . In January 2005, Embarrass had a near-record low temperature of . The unofficial low temperature is , which was reached in February 199
25th anniversary of the coldest temperature recorded in Minnesota
The thermometer that measured this temperature was verified for accuracy by Taylor Environmental Instruments, but as it was not recorded at a

National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an agency of the United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weather-related products to organizations and the public for the ...

Cooperative Site, it will remain unofficial. The current record low temperature for Minnesota was recorded outside of the nearby town of

on February 2, 1996 by the NWS Cooperative Observer located there. Embarrass averages a coldest daytime high of the year at with a record low daily high of during the 1996 cold wave. The warmest night of the year averages with the warmest low on record being . The average first and last dates for a freeze are August 31st and June 20th, giving Embarrass a short average growing season of only 72 days.

Name origins

The name ''Embarrass'' was derived from the French word ''embarras'', based on its meaning of "to hinder with obstacles or difficulties". It was given this name by the French fur traders who were some of the first Europeans to visit the area, and who found the narrow, shallow river very difficult to navigate, and named the river "Embarras".

References

* Rand McNally Road Atlas – 2007 edition – Minnesota entry * Official State of Minnesota Highway Map – 2011/2012 edition * Mn/DOT map of Saint Louis County – Sheet 4 – 2011 edition

External links

Embarrass.org
– Community website {{authority control Unincorporated communities in Minnesota Unincorporated communities in St. Louis County, Minnesota

Geography and climate

Name origins

See also

References

External links