Nearby places include Tower, Aurora, Hoyt Lakes, Biwabik, and Babbitt.

Embarrass has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), bordering very closely on a subarctic climate (Dfc), with short, warm summers and long, bitterly cold winters, very similar to Siberia.

25th anniversary of the coldest temperature recorded in Minnesota Archived February 3, 2021, at the Wayback Machine 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 Cooperative Site, it will remain unofficial.

By contrast, the growing season of Fairbanks is approximately 100 days, even though the latter has slightly colder temperatures overall.

The name Embarrass was derived from the French word embarras, based on its meaning of "to hinder with obstacles or difficulties".