Climate of Grand Forks, North Dakota facts for kids
| Weather chart for Grand Forks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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0.8
15
-4
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0.6
22
4
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0.9
34
17
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1.2
53
31
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2.1
69
44
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3
77
54
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2.9
81
58
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2.9
80
56
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2
69
45
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1.6
55
34
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0.9
33
18
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0.6
19
3
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| temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches source: NOAA |
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The Climate of Grand Forks, North Dakota has four very distinct seasons. It is known as a warm summer continental climate. This means it has long, cold winters with some snow. Summers are usually warm and often feel humid. Temperatures can change a lot in a short time here.
Contents
Temperatures in Grand Forks
Grand Forks is in the middle of North America. It sits on flat, low land. Because it's in the Great Plains, it has an extreme continental climate. This means there are huge differences between summer and winter temperatures.
Cold Winters
There are no big mountains or large bodies of water nearby. This means Grand Forks is open to very cold weather systems. These include freezing air from the Arctic. The city is also in the Lake Agassiz area. This makes it lower than the land around it. Colder, heavier air can settle and stay in the area.
This can lead to very cold temperatures starting in late October. December, January, and February are especially cold. During these three months, the high temperature only reaches above freezing about 18 days. The low temperature drops below 0 degrees Fahrenheit (about -18 degrees Celsius) for 50 days each year. Cold weather and snow can sometimes last into April. However, winter usually starts to get milder in late February or early March. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -43 degrees Fahrenheit (-42 degrees Celsius). This happened most recently on January 30, 2004.
Warm Summers
Summers in Grand Forks are typically warm. They can also be quite humid. Warm weather might continue into October. Or it can end quickly after Labor Day in early September. The city often gets an Indian Summer. This is when summer-like weather returns briefly after the first frosts. It usually happens in mid-to-late October, or even early November. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Grand Forks was 109 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius). This happened on July 6, 1936.
Rain and Snow
The wettest month in Grand Forks is June. The driest month is December. Most of the rain happens from May to September.
Snowfall
There is usually snow on the ground from mid-November to the end of March. But this can change each year. Heavy snowfalls in late October and April are not unusual. The city gets about 37.2 inches (94 cm) of snow each winter season.
Climate Statistics
| Climate data for Grand Forks, North Dakota (1981–2010 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 52 (11) |
67 (19) |
83 (28) |
100 (38) |
105 (41) |
105 (41) |
109 (43) |
104 (40) |
103 (39) |
95 (35) |
75 (24) |
58 (14) |
109 (43) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 16.5 (−8.6) |
21.9 (−5.6) |
34.2 (1.2) |
53.9 (12.2) |
68.0 (20.0) |
76.1 (24.5) |
81.0 (27.2) |
80.2 (26.8) |
69.6 (20.9) |
54.3 (12.4) |
35.1 (1.7) |
20.3 (−6.5) |
50.9 (10.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | −3.1 (−19.5) |
2.1 (−16.6) |
16.1 (−8.8) |
30.0 (−1.1) |
41.5 (5.3) |
52.0 (11.1) |
56.3 (13.5) |
54.0 (12.2) |
44.2 (6.8) |
31.9 (−0.1) |
17.0 (−8.3) |
2.6 (−16.3) |
28.7 (−1.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −43 (−42) |
−42 (−41) |
−36 (−38) |
−9 (−23) |
5 (−15) |
28 (−2) |
30 (−1) |
30 (−1) |
11 (−12) |
−9 (−23) |
−35 (−37) |
−37 (−38) |
−43 (−42) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.55 (14) |
0.52 (13) |
0.95 (24) |
1.01 (26) |
2.68 (68) |
3.48 (88) |
3.15 (80) |
2.88 (73) |
2.05 (52) |
1.92 (49) |
0.96 (24) |
0.61 (15) |
20.76 (527) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 11.2 (28) |
6.5 (17) |
7.5 (19) |
2.9 (7.4) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1.4 (3.6) |
7.6 (19) |
10.6 (27) |
47.7 (121) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 8.2 | 6.6 | 7.5 | 7.0 | 10.6 | 11.6 | 10.5 | 9.1 | 8.3 | 8.5 | 6.9 | 8.5 | 103.3 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 10.6 | 7.0 | 5.7 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 | 5.6 | 9.7 | 42.2 |
| Source: NOAA (extremes 1893–present) | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Grand Forks, North Dakota (University of North Dakota) 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 54 (12) |
67 (19) |
83 (28) |
98 (37) |
105 (41) |
105 (41) |
109 (43) |
104 (40) |
102 (39) |
95 (35) |
73 (23) |
58 (14) |
109 (43) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 15.3 (−9.3) |
20.9 (−6.2) |
34.0 (1.1) |
51.9 (11.1) |
66.5 (19.2) |
75.9 (24.4) |
80.1 (26.7) |
79.2 (26.2) |
69.6 (20.9) |
53.2 (11.8) |
35.0 (1.7) |
21.2 (−6.0) |
50.2 (10.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 7.1 (−13.8) |
12.2 (−11.0) |
25.4 (−3.7) |
41.4 (5.2) |
55.0 (12.8) |
65.4 (18.6) |
69.5 (20.8) |
67.8 (19.9) |
58.5 (14.7) |
43.5 (6.4) |
27.3 (−2.6) |
13.6 (−10.2) |
40.6 (4.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | −1 (−18) |
3.4 (−15.9) |
16.9 (−8.4) |
31.0 (−0.6) |
33.5 (0.8) |
54.8 (12.7) |
58.9 (14.9) |
56.4 (13.6) |
47.4 (8.6) |
34.4 (1.3) |
19.6 (−6.9) |
6.0 (−14.4) |
30.9 (−0.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −43 (−42) |
−42 (−41) |
−36 (−38) |
−9 (−23) |
5 (−15) |
28 (−2) |
36 (2) |
30 (−1) |
11 (−12) |
−9 (−23) |
−35 (−37) |
−37 (−38) |
−43 (−42) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.52 (13) |
0.56 (14) |
0.91 (23) |
1.19 (30) |
2.93 (74) |
4.13 (105) |
3.55 (90) |
3.03 (77) |
2.42 (61) |
2.00 (51) |
0.87 (22) |
0.73 (19) |
22.84 (580) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 10.6 (27) |
8.0 (20) |
7.8 (20) |
2.7 (6.9) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.5 (3.8) |
5.4 (14) |
13.4 (34) |
49.5 (126) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 6.9 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 7.4 | 10.6 | 12.1 | 10.0 | 8.8 | 8.7 | 8.3 | 6.3 | 7.6 | 99.9 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 8.8 | 7.4 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 4.6 | 9.6 | 38.8 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
