Editing Ely, Minnesota (section)

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has an area of {{convert|2.74|sqmi|sqkm|2}}; {{convert|2.73|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.01|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web |title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=November 13, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112090031/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=January 12, 2012  }}</ref>

Ely is {{convert|100|mi|km}} north of [[Duluth, Minnesota|Duluth]], 117 miles southeast of [[International Falls, Minnesota|International Falls]], and {{convert|244|mi|km}} north of the [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul|Twin Cities]].

===Environment===
====Copper mining controversy====
{{Main|Twin Metals mine (Ely, MN)}}

Since the 1960s, as Iron Range mines began closing, leaving only a few in operation, Ely, like many northern Minnesota communities, faced economic decline. Duluth, on the shores of Lake Superior, has built a tourist trade that has helped to sustain its economy. Ely, seen as the gateway to the [[Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness]], has also developed a lively tourist trade, but due to environmental concerns the area has recently seen controversy about a proposal to build a mining operation for copper just outside the BWCAW. The company involved, Twin Metals Minnesota, is operated by a Chilean company, [[Antofagasta PLC]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Conflicted Over Copper: PolyMet copper-nickel mine has been trapped in litigation |url=https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/06/polymet-copper-nickel-mine-litigation-indigenous-environmental-groups/ |website=Great Lakes Now |date=June 12, 2020 |access-date=September 2, 2020}}</ref> It says it plans "to build modern mines that must go through a rigorous regulatory process before they can move forward", but environmentalists are concerned that runoff from the mining operation could damage the BWCA wilderness area. The copper deposits beneath the forests and lakes of northeastern Minnesota are encased in [[sulfide]] ore and when that is exposed it produces [[sulfuric acid]], which has resulted in severe water pollution in copper mines in several western U.S. areas.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kraker |first1=Dan |title=Bill to ban copper-nickel mining draws sharp contrast between Boundary Waters, Iron Range |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/02/06/bill-to-ban-coppernickel-mining-draws-sharp-contrast-between-boundary-waters-iron-range |website=MPR News |access-date=September 3, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Hemphill|first1=Stephanie|title=At the edge of the Boundary Waters, miners probe for copper, nickel|url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2010/06/23/boundary-waters-mining|website=Minnesota Public Radio|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626035114/https://www.mprnews.org/story/2010/06/23/boundary-waters-mining|archive-date=June 26, 2019}} June 23, 2010.</ref>

{{Update|section|date=May 2025}}
In October 2021, the [[Environmental policy of the Joe Biden administration|Biden administration]] filed an application for a "mineral withdrawal" that will put a hold on the development of the mine proposal while the environmental impacts are studied. The Obama administration had launched a similar study, but 24 weeks into the 28-week study the newly elected Trump administration ended it, allowing the plans for the mining operation to continue. The completed study could lead to a 20-year ban on mining upstream from the BWCAW.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Karnowski |first1=Steve |title=Biden Administration Delivers Serious Blow to Minnesota Mine |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/minnesota/articles/2021-10-20/biden-administration-delivers-serious-blow-to-minnesota-mine |website=U.S.News |access-date=November 21, 2021}}</ref> The Trump mineral leases were judged illegal, and in January 2022 the Biden administration canceled two Twin Metals mineral leases. The ''Timberjay'' called the Biden administration's decision a "potentially fatal blow to [a] proposed copper-nickel mine."<ref>{{cite web |title=Biden administration cancels Twin Metals mineral leases |url=https://www.timberjay.com/stories/biden-administration-cancels-twin-metals-mineral-leases,18593 |website=Timberjay |access-date=February 1, 2022}}</ref>

===Climate===

{{climate chart
| Ely
|-21.6|-9.3|27
|-20.5|-5.1|20
|-12.0|2.4|34
|-3.7|10.3|58
|3.3|18.4|76
|9.4|24.1|107
|11.8|26.1|114
|11.2|25.5|87
|6.6|19.8|122
|0.2|10.9|73
|-7.4|1.4|43
|-16.2|-6.3|34
|float     =
|clear     =
|units     = metric
}}

On the [[Köppen climate classification]], Ely falls in the warm summer [[humid continental climate]] zone (''Dfb''). Summertime is warm (sometimes hot) and wintertime is cold (sometimes severely) and drawn out, sometimes beginning in October and lasting well into April.

On February 13, 2021, Ely set a new daily record low for the city with an actual air temperature of -50F.<ref>{{cite web |title=Temperatures plummeted to as low as 50 below zero in Minnesota on Saturday morning |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/02/13/temperatures-plummeted-to-as-low-as-50-below-zero-in-minnesota-on-saturday-morning |website=MPR News |access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> This compares to the Minnesota record low temperature of -60F recorded near the town of [[Tower, MN]] on February 2, 1996.<ref>{{cite web |title=Minnesota's All-Time Record Low |url=https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/climate/journal/960202_60_below.html |website=Minnesota Department of Natural Resources |access-date=November 25, 2023}}</ref>

{{Weather box 
|location = Ely, Minnesota, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1998&ndash;present
|single line = Y
|Jan record high F = 47
|Feb record high F = 62
|Mar record high F = 76
|Apr record high F = 81
|May record high F = 94
|Jun record high F = 97
|Jul record high F = 99
|Aug record high F = 97
|Sep record high F = 93
|Oct record high F = 84
|Nov record high F = 72
|Dec record high F = 51
|year record high F =

|Jan avg record high F = 36.4
|Feb avg record high F = 41.5
|Mar avg record high F = 57.0
|Apr avg record high F = 67.7
|May avg record high F = 83.5
|Jun avg record high F = 85.5
|Jul avg record high F = 89.8
|Aug avg record high F = 88.5
|Sep avg record high F = 83.7
|Oct avg record high F = 71.9
|Nov avg record high F = 54.5
|Dec avg record high F = 39.3
|year avg record high F = 91.3

|Jan high F = 15.2
|Feb high F = 22.8
|Mar high F = 36.3
|Apr high F = 50.6
|May high F = 65.2
|Jun high F = 75.4
|Jul high F = 78.9
|Aug high F = 77.9
|Sep high F = 67.6
|Oct high F = 51.6
|Nov high F = 34.5
|Dec high F = 20.7
|year high F = 49.7
|Jan mean F = 4.1
|Feb mean F = 9.0
|Mar mean F = 23.4
|Apr mean F = 38.0
|May mean F = 51.6
|Jun mean F = 62.1
|Jul mean F = 66.1
|Aug mean F = 65.1
|Sep mean F = 55.7
|Oct mean F = 42.0
|Nov mean F = 26.5
|Dec mean F = 11.8
|year mean F = 37.9
|Jan low F = −6.9
|Feb low F = −4.9
|Mar low F = 10.4
|Apr low F = 25.4
|May low F = 38.0
|Jun low F = 48.9
|Jul low F = 53.3
|Aug low F = 52.2
|Sep low F = 43.8
|Oct low F = 32.4
|Nov low F = 18.6
|Dec low F = 2.9
|year low F = 26.2

|Jan avg record low F = -29.2
|Feb avg record low F = -28.3
|Mar avg record low F = -17.6
|Apr avg record low F = 6.5
|May avg record low F = 26.3
|Jun avg record low F = 37.1
|Jul avg record low F = 45.9
|Aug avg record low F = 42.6
|Sep avg record low F = 32.5
|Oct avg record low F = 21.1
|Nov avg record low F = -0.5
|Dec avg record low F = -20.0
|year avg record low F = -32.1

|Jan record low F = −45
|Feb record low F = −50
|Mar record low F = −32
|Apr record low F = −12
|May record low F = 22
|Jun record low F = 29
|Jul record low F = 38
|Aug record low F = 30
|Sep record low F = 26
|Oct record low F = 5
|Nov record low F = −16
|Dec record low F = −39
|year record low F = −50
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 1.06
|Feb precipitation inch = 0.79
|Mar precipitation inch = 1.34
|Apr precipitation inch = 2.27
|May precipitation inch = 2.99
|Jun precipitation inch = 4.23
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.50
|Aug precipitation inch = 3.41
|Sep precipitation inch = 4.82
|Oct precipitation inch = 2.87
|Nov precipitation inch = 1.70
|Dec precipitation inch = 1.32
|year precipitation inch = 31.30
|Jan snow inch = 13.8
|Feb snow inch = 9.3
|Mar snow inch = 8.4
|Apr snow inch = 7.7
|May snow inch = 0.3
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 2.1
|Nov snow inch = 9.8
|Dec snow inch = 13.2
|year snow inch = 64.6
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 11.4
|Feb precipitation days = 9.1
|Mar precipitation days = 8.6
|Apr precipitation days = 9.5
|May precipitation days = 14.0
|Jun precipitation days = 14.9
|Jul precipitation days = 12.6
|Aug precipitation days = 11.1
|Sep precipitation days = 12.2
|Oct precipitation days = 14.4
|Nov precipitation days = 10.0
|Dec precipitation days = 11.4
|year precipitation days = 139.2
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 12.1
|Feb snow days = 8.7
|Mar snow days = 5.7
|Apr snow days = 3.2
|May snow days = 0.4
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 2.1
|Nov snow days = 6.8
|Dec snow days = 11.7
|year snow days = 50.7
|source 1 = [[NOAA]] (mean maxima/minima 2006&ndash;2020)<ref name= nws >
{{cite web
| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=dlh
| title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = June 23, 2021}}</ref><ref name=NCEI>
{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00212543&format=pdf
| title = Station: Ely, MN
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020)
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = June 23, 2021}}</ref>
}}