Grand Forks weather in December: Grand Forks, North Dakota: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
Grand Forks in December has a normal high of 21°F and a normal low of 4°F, a daily mean of 13°F, falling from 27°F on the 1st to 17°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 9 days in a normal December, 0.66 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of −6°C and low of −15°C, 17 mm of precipitation and 31 cm of snow in December.
- NOAA stationGrand Forks International Airport
- Station IDUSW00014916
- Location47.94°N 97.18°W
- Elevation842 ft (257 m)
- From the center5 miles
- Population59,845
- Jan 16° -3°
- Feb 21° 1°
- Mar 34° 15°
- Apr 52° 29°
- May 67° 41°
- Jun 76° 53°
- Jul 81° 57°
- Aug 80° 54°
- Sep 70° 45°
- Oct 54° 33°
- Nov 36° 18°
- Dec 21° 4°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Grand Forks in December?
The normal high is 21°F and the normal low 4°F, for a daily mean of 12.8°F. December is 13.9°F cooler than November and 6.5°F warmer than January. December is the 10th warmest month of the year in Grand Forks and the 10th wettest, and the snowiest. Across the month the normal high falls 10°F, from 27°F on December 1 to 17°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 6.8°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Decembers in three average between 6°F and 20°F.
Bars above: each day's normal high to low. Columns below: the chance of 0.01 inch or more of precipitation that day, on a scale of 0 to 100% (highest 29%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 27°F | 10°F | 25% | 8% |
| December 8 | 24°F | 7°F | 26% | 8% |
| December 15 | 21°F | 4°F | 27% | 7% |
| December 22 | 19°F | 2°F | 28% | 7% |
| December 31 | 17°F | −1°F | 29% | 7% |
Every day of December: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon December 1, coldest night December 31)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 27°F | 10°F | 25% | 8% | 8 h 40 min |
| December 2 | 27°F | 10°F | 25% | 7% | 8 h 40 min |
| December 3 | 27°F | 9°F | 25% | 7% | 8 h 40 min |
| December 4 | 26°F | 9°F | 26% | 8% | 8 h 40 min |
| December 5 | 26°F | 8°F | 26% | 8% | 8 h 40 min |
| December 6 | 25°F | 8°F | 26% | 8% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 7 | 25°F | 8°F | 26% | 8% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 8 | 24°F | 7°F | 26% | 8% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 9 | 24°F | 7°F | 27% | 8% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 10 | 23°F | 6°F | 27% | 8% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 11 | 23°F | 6°F | 27% | 8% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 12 | 23°F | 6°F | 27% | 8% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 13 | 22°F | 5°F | 27% | 8% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 14 | 22°F | 5°F | 27% | 7% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 15 | 21°F | 4°F | 27% | 7% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 16 | 21°F | 4°F | 28% | 7% | 8 h 20 min |
| December 17 | 21°F | 4°F | 28% | 7% | 8 h 20 min |
| December 18 | 20°F | 3°F | 28% | 7% | 8 h 20 min |
| December 19 | 20°F | 3°F | 28% | 7% | 8 h 20 min |
| December 20 | 20°F | 3°F | 28% | 7% | 8 h 20 min |
| December 21 | 19°F | 2°F | 28% | 7% | 8 h 20 min |
| December 22 | 19°F | 2°F | 28% | 7% | 8 h 20 min |
| December 23 | 19°F | 2°F | 28% | 7% | 8 h 20 min |
| December 24 | 18°F | 1°F | 28% | 7% | 8 h 20 min |
| December 25 | 18°F | 1°F | 28% | 7% | 8 h 20 min |
| December 26 | 18°F | 1°F | 28% | 7% | 8 h 20 min |
| December 27 | 18°F | 0°F | 28% | 7% | 8 h 20 min |
| December 28 | 17°F | 0°F | 28% | 7% | 8 h 20 min |
| December 29 | 17°F | 0°F | 29% | 7% | 8 h 20 min |
| December 30 | 17°F | −1°F | 29% | 7% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 31 | 17°F | −1°F | 29% | 7% | 8 h 30 min |
- Normal high
- 21°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 4°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 0.66 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 90.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 12.3 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 31
- Daylight
- 8 h 40 min to 8 h 30 minDecember 1 to December 31
- Sunshine
- 66%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00014916; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Grand Forks in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 27% on average, highest around December 29 (29%). In all, 0.66 in falls on 9 days of a normal December.
In a normal December in Grand Forks, 31 nights fall to freezing, 24 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 12.3 inches.
Snow falls on 10 days in a normal December, and an inch or more covers the ground on 25 days.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00014916.
What are the records for December in Grand Forks?
The warmest December temperature on Grand Forks's official record (since 1941) is 56°F, on December 9, 1990; the coldest is −33°F, on December 31, 2021. The wettest December brought 1.96 in (1988); the snowiest, 30.2 inches (1996).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 12.8°F: 2021 10.7°F (−2.1), 2022 8.5°F (−4.3), 2023 26.4°F (+13.6), 2024 18.5°F (+5.7), 2025 10.4°F (−2.4). 2 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10.7°F | −2.1°F | 1.36 in |
| 2022 | 8.5°F | −4.3°F | 1.57 in |
| 2023 | 26.4°F | +13.6°F | 0.93 in |
| 2024 | 18.5°F | +5.7°F | 0.77 in |
| 2025 | 10.4°F | −2.4°F | 0.98 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record GFKthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00014916. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in Grand Forks compare across North Dakota?
Across the 92 places PlainClimate covers in North Dakota, December normal highs run from 18°F in Rolette to 32°F in Amidon; Grand Forks's is 21°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.
Other months and places
- Grand Forks in November36°F by day, 18°F at night
- Grand Forks in January16°F by day, −3°F at night
- Grand Forks through the yearEvery month, frost dates, records and recent years
- North Dakota in DecemberThe statewide normal and the warmest and coolest places
- Amidon: North Dakota's warmest Decembernormal high 32°F