Grand Forks weather in December

In December, Grand Forks sees average daytime highs of 21°F and overnight lows near 6°F, with 1.0 in of precipitation across 5.9 wet days and about 8.3 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 25°F in the first days to 17°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 30 min at the start of December to 8 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Grand Forks's 12th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Grand Forks's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
1.0 in
5.9 wet days
Daylight
8 h 12 min
8:18 AM – 4:30 PM
Cloud cover
70%
12th clearest
Wind
8 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
1.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Grand Forks is city in North Dakota, United States.

Density
810/km²
people per km²
Founded
1870

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 25°F in the first days to 17°F by the end.

A typical December day in Grand Forks reaches about 21°F in the afternoon and slips back to 6°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 1°F and 36°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 14°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

-20°20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
12612
22611
32511
42510
52410
6249
7249
8238
9238
10228
11227
12227
13227
14216
15216
16216
17216
18205
19205
20205
21205
22194
23194
24194
25184
26183
27183
28172
29172
30172
31171

How December really feels in Grand Forks

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
31
31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Grand Forks weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan16° / -1°0.75.15.38.60.0
Feb21° / 0.63.94.29.90.0
Mar35° / 17°1.264.211.60.1
Apr52° / 32°1.77.42.113.42.9
May66° / 45°3.411.20.214.95.7
Jun75° / 56°4.112.2015.76.5
Jul79° / 59°3.510.1015.46.8
Aug78° / 56°3.19.2014.17.1
Sep68° / 47°2.78012.46.6
Oct53° / 35°2.37.91.310.63.1
Nov35° / 20°1.15.44.190.0
Dec21° / 1.05.96.48.30.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23565
33664
43664
53664
63664
73565
83565
93565
103565
113565
123367
133367
143367
153268
163268
173268
183169
193169
203169
213070
223070
233070
243070
253169
263268
273268
283367
293466
303565
313565

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Grand Forks gets around 1.0 in of rain and snow over 5.9 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 18% and peaks near 20% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11719
21719
31719
41718
51718
61718
71718
81718
91718
101718
111718
121718
131718
141718
151718
161719
171719
181819
191820
201820
211921
221921
232022
242022
252022
262022
272022
282022
292022
302021
312021

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 8 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 30 min at the start of December to 8 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:04 AM to 8:24 AM, and sunset from 4:32 PM to 4:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.58:044:32
28.48:054:32
38.48:064:31
48.48:074:31
58.48:084:31
68.38:094:30
78.38:104:30
88.38:114:30
98.38:124:30
108.38:134:30
118.38:144:30
128.28:154:30
138.28:164:30
148.28:174:30
158.28:184:30
168.28:184:30
178.28:194:30
188.28:204:31
198.28:204:31
208.28:214:31
218.28:214:32
228.28:224:32
238.28:224:33
248.28:234:33
258.28:234:34
268.28:234:35
278.28:244:35
288.28:244:36
298.28:244:37
308.28:244:37
318.28:244:38

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.21 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.21 kWh/m² to a high of 6.23 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.21 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.3Dim
21.3Dim
31.3Dim
41.3Dim
51.3Dim
61.3Dim
71.2Dim
81.2Dim
91.2Dim
101.2Dim
111.2Dim
121.2Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.2Dim
161.2Dim
171.2Dim
181.2Dim
191.2Dim
201.2Dim
211.2Dim
221.2Dim
231.2Dim
241.2Dim
251.2Dim
261.2Dim
271.2Dim
281.3Dim
291.3Dim
301.3Dim
311.3Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Grand Forks

In seasonPeak

None of Grand Forks's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Grand Forks's rainy season runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Grand Forks?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Grand Forks.

What to pack for Grand Forks in December

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

In December, Grand Forks sees daytime highs around 21°F and nights near 6°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Grand Forks in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Grand Forks peaks around June 19 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 19UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May5High
Jun8Very high
Jul7High
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Grand Forks in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Grand Forks is worst in August — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (October, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodAug 916 µg/m³Oct 216 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr12Good
May11Good
Jun11Good
Jul16Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct6Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Grand Forks?

Grand Forks sits at 47.9°N, 97.0°W, 830 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is West Fargo, 73 mi away.

Topography around Grand Forks

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Grand Forks has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 98 ft around an average of 833 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 141 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 807 ft.

The land around Grand Forks is covered by artificial surfaces (35%), trees (26%) and grassland (25%) within 2 miles, cropland (74%) within 10 miles, and cropland (81%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
98 ft
10 miles
141 ft
50 miles
807 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: West Fargo 73 mi · Fargo 73 mi · Moorhead 74 mi · Jamestown 105 mi · Steinbach 112 mi · Fort Garry South 129 mi · Winnipeg 135 mi · St. James-Assiniboia East 136 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 Grand Forks (47.9253°, -97.0328°, elevation 830 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).