Fargo in Fall

In fall (September, October and November), Fargo sees average daytime highs around 54°F and overnight lows near 36°F, with 6.3 in of precipitation over about 21 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.

Over the season highs ease from about 75°F in early September to 30°F by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.

Fall is Fargo's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Fargo's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
54°F
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
36°F
Precipitation
6.3 in
21 wet days
Avg wind
9 mph
Travel score
3.5
2nd-best season
Months
Sep · Oct · Nov

Temperature in Fargo in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 75°F in early September to 30°F by late November.

A typical fall day in Fargo reaches about 54°F and drops to 36°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.

20°40°60°80°SepOctNov

How fall really feels in Fargo

Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 51 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
51
17 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in fall is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Fargo weather by month

How the three fall months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan18° / 0.84.74.98.80.0
Feb23° / 0.74.54.4100.0
Mar37° / 19°1.46.24.111.60.2
Apr53° / 33°2.07.72.313.33.1
May67° / 46°3.511.30.114.85.9
Jun76° / 57°4.311.9015.66.5
Jul80° / 61°3.810.6015.36.6
Aug79° / 58°3.28.80147.1
Sep70° / 49°2.88.1012.46.8
Oct54° / 36°2.47.7110.63.5
Nov37° / 22°1.15.33.79.20.2
Dec23° / 0.95.75.98.40.0

Cloud cover in Fall

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time across fall.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Chance of precipitation in Fall

Any precipitationSnow

Fargo gets around 6.3 in of rain and snow over 21 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%SepOctNov

Humidity in Fall

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Wind in Fall

Winds average 9 mph across fall.

051015SepOctNov

Sunrise & sunset in Fall

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min in early September to 8 h 36 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMSepOctNov

Solar energy in Fall

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 2.8 kWh/m².

024SepOctNov
Planning a trip in fall

Hazard calendar for Fargo

In seasonPeak

In fall, Fargo overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Fargo's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is fall a good time to visit Fargo?

Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

3.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
1.4
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

fall is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Fargo.

What to pack for Fargo in Fall

From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In fall, Fargo sees daytime highs around 54°F and nights near 36°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 21 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Fargo in Fall

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Fargo peaks around June 18 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 8Jan 11UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Fargo in Fall

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where fall falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Fargo is worst in August — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (October, 6 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodAug 1115 µg/m³Oct 206 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun10Good
Jul15Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct6Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Fargo?

Fargo sits at 46.9°N, 96.8°W, 906 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Moorhead, 1.2 mi away.

Topography around Fargo

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Fargo.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Fargo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 95 ft around an average of 906 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 837 ft.

The land around Fargo is covered by artificial surfaces (48%) and trees (34%) within 2 miles, cropland (65%) within 10 miles, and cropland (78%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
95 ft
10 miles
121 ft
50 miles
837 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Fall weather nearby: Moorhead 1.2 mi · West Fargo 5.0 mi · Grand Forks 73 mi · Jamestown 91 mi · Aberdeen 127 mi · Watertown 137 mi · Willmar 147 mi · Sartell 151 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Fargo (46.8772°, -96.7898°, elevation 906 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.