Grand Forks in Fall

In fall (September, October and November), Grand Forks sees average daytime highs around 52°F and overnight lows near 34°F, with 6.1 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 74°F in early September to 28°F by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.

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

Avg daytime high
52°F
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
34°F
Precipitation
6.1 in
21 wet days
Avg wind
9 mph
Travel score
3.2
2nd-best season
Months
Sep · Oct · Nov

Temperature in Grand Forks in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 74°F in early September to 28°F by late November.

A typical fall day in Grand Forks reaches about 52°F and drops to 34°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.

20°40°60°80°SepOctNov

How fall really feels in Grand Forks

Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 54 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
54
21 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Grand Forks 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
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 Fall

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time across fall.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Chance of precipitation in Fall

Any precipitationSnow

Grand Forks gets around 6.1 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 30 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 2.7 kWh/m².

024SepOctNov
Planning a trip in fall

Hazard calendar for Grand Forks

In seasonPeak

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

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 fall a good time to visit Grand Forks?

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.

3.2
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
1.2
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Grand Forks in Fall

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

In fall, Grand Forks sees daytime highs around 52°F and nights near 34°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 Grand Forks 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 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 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 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
Fall 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.