Grand Forks University (NWS), North Dakota climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Grand Forks University (NWS)'s normal year runs from −1°F January nights to 80°F July afternoons, with 22.8 inches of precipitation and 49 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.7°C, January lows of −18°C, July highs of 27°C, 580 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationGrand Forks University (NWS)
- Station IDUSC00323621
- Location47.92°N 97.10°W
- Elevation830 ft (253 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Grand Forks University (NWS) is 49°F and the normal low 31°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 26%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Grand Forks University (NWS).
- Jan 15° -1°
- Feb 20° 3°
- Mar 34° 17°
- Apr 52° 31°
- May 67° 44°
- Jun 76° 55°
- Jul 80° 59°
- Aug 79° 57°
- Sep 70° 47°
- Oct 53° 35°
- Nov 35° 20°
- Dec 21° 6°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Grand Forks University (NWS) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 80°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −1°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.13 in), the least in January (0.49 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15°F | −1°F | 7.0°F | 0.49 | 9.5 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| February | 20°F | 3°F | 11.4°F | 0.56 | 8.2 | 7 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 10 min |
| March | 34°F | 17°F | 25.4°F | 0.91 | 7.8 | 7 | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 52°F | 31°F | 41.5°F | 1.19 | 3.0 | 7 | <1 | 17 | 13 h 40 min |
| May | 67°F | 44°F | 55.0°F | 2.99 | 0.1 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 15 h 10 min |
| June | 76°F | 55°F | 65.4°F | 4.13 | 0.0 | 12 | 1 | <1 | 16 h |
| July | 80°F | 59°F | 69.5°F | 3.55 | 0.0 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| August | 79°F | 57°F | 67.8°F | 3.03 | 0.0 | 9 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 70°F | 47°F | 58.5°F | 2.42 | 0.0 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 53°F | 35°F | 43.9°F | 2.00 | 1.5 | 8 | <1 | 13 | 11 h |
| November | 35°F | 20°F | 27.3°F | 0.83 | 5.1 | 6 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 21°F | 6°F | 13.4°F | 0.73 | 13.5 | 8 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 50°F | 31°F | 40.5°F | 22.83 | 48.7 | 100 | 7 | 179 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −9°C | −18°C | −13.9°C | 12 mm | 24 cm |
| February | −6°C | −16°C | −11.4°C | 14 mm | 21 cm |
| March | 1°C | −8°C | −3.7°C | 23 mm | 20 cm |
| April | 11°C | −1°C | 5.3°C | 30 mm | 8 cm |
| May | 19°C | 6°C | 12.8°C | 76 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 24°C | 13°C | 18.6°C | 105 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 27°C | 15°C | 20.8°C | 90 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 26°C | 14°C | 19.9°C | 77 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 21°C | 9°C | 14.7°C | 61 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 12°C | 1°C | 6.6°C | 51 mm | 4 cm |
| November | 2°C | −7°C | −2.6°C | 21 mm | 13 cm |
| December | −6°C | −15°C | −10.3°C | 19 mm | 34 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00323621; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
Which months are mildest at Grand Forks University (NWS)?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (9).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00323621.
When is the last frost at Grand Forks University (NWS)?
In Grand Forks University (NWS), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 10 in half of years and after May 24 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 1 in half of years and before September 20 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- May 101 year in 10 after May 24; 9 in 10 after April 28
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 11 year in 10 before September 20; 9 in 10 before October 15
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 144 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 163 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 30 in half of springs and before October 12 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Grand Forks University (NWS) in zone 4a in ZIP code 58201, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −26°F (29 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in North Dakota · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00323621; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at Grand Forks University (NWS)?
In a normal year in Grand Forks University (NWS), 7 days a year reach 90°F, 179 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 100 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 7a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 179a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 101high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 100a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 15a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1893) is 109°F, on July 12, 1936; the lowest is −43°F, on January 11, 1912.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2019, with 33.92 in; the snowiest season is 1996–97, with 107.4 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00323621; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00323621. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Grand Forks University (NWS)?
Over a year 75% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Grand Forks University (NWS), 3.8 kWh per square metre a day. February is the sunniest month (86%) and November the cloudiest (65%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 80% | 1.7 |
| February | 86% | 3.0 |
| March | 78% | 4.0 |
| April | 73% | 4.9 |
| May | 71% | 5.6 |
| June | 74% | 6.1 |
| July | 82% | 6.4 |
| August | 80% | 5.3 |
| September | 75% | 3.9 |
| October | 68% | 2.5 |
| November | 65% | 1.5 |
| December | 66% | 1.2 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How many heating and cooling degree days does Grand Forks University (NWS) record?
A normal year at Grand Forks University (NWS) brings 9,314 heating degree days, 73% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 431 cooling degree days, 53% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,193 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,798 | 0 |
| February | 1,499 | 0 |
| March | 1,229 | 0 |
| April | 706 | 1 |
| May | 330 | 20 |
| June | 78 | 88 |
| July | 24 | 161 |
| August | 39 | 127 |
| September | 225 | 32 |
| October | 656 | 2 |
| November | 1,131 | 0 |
| December | 1,600 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,314 | 431 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00323621. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Have recent years at Grand Forks University (NWS) been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 42.5°F, 2.0°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 40.5°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 44.0°F | +3.5°F | 18.86 | 42.0 |
| 2022 | 39.1°F | −1.4°F | 24.42 | 80.7 |
| 2023 | 42.2°F | +1.7°F | 17.33 | 61.1 |
| 2024 | 44.8°F | +4.3°F | 25.80 | 27.9 |
| 2025 | 42.5°F | +2.0°F | 18.94 | 42.1 |
Over 102 complete years from 1894 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 1.8°F per century (+0.10°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00323621; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Grand Forks University (NWS)'s climate compare?
Grand Forks University (NWS) is warmer than 34 of the 92 places with their own NOAA record in North Dakota, and wetter than 68. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 40.5°F is warmer than 6%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Grand Forks University (NWS) is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Grand Forks University (NWS) share this climate record?
3 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- East Grand Forks, MN8,915 people · 4 mi E
- Thompson, ND1,091 people · 10 mi S
- Fisher, MN403 people · 16 mi SE
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Grand Forks University (NWS)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Grand Forks University (NWS)?
January, with a normal high of 15°F and a normal low of −1°F. The warmest is July (80°F by day, 59°F at night).
Does it snow at Grand Forks University (NWS)?
Yes: 49 inches in a normal year, falling on 39 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (13.5 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Grand Forks University (NWS)?
June, with 4.13 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.49 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Grand Forks University (NWS) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Grand Forks University (NWS) in zone 4a in ZIP code 58201, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −26°F (29 years, 1991-2020): zone 4a.
How late can frost come at Grand Forks University (NWS)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 10; in one year in ten it comes after May 24. Waiting until May 24 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- North Dakota climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Grand Forks, ND4 miles from this station, 39.8°F a year
- Crookston, MN24 miles from this station, 40.1°F a year
- Warren, MN24 miles from this station, 39.1°F a year
- Larimore, ND29 miles from this station, 39.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made