Grand Forks weather in March

In March, Grand Forks sees average daytime highs of 35°F and overnight lows near 17°F, with 1.2 in of precipitation across 6 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 26°F in the first days to 42°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 42 min at the start of March to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Grand Forks's 8th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Grand Forks's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
9th warmest
Overnight low
17°
4th coldest
Precipitation
1.2 in
6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:51 AM – 6:25 PM
Cloud cover
67%
8th clearest
Wind
8 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
3.89 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.1
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 March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 26°F in the first days to 42°F by the end.

A typical March day in Grand Forks reaches about 35°F in the afternoon and slips back to 17°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°F and 50°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 14°F warmer than February and about 17°F cooler than April.

-20°20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
1258
2268
3269
4279
52710
62810
72911
82912
93012
103113
113114
123215
133315
143416
153417
163517
173618
183619
193720
203820
213821
223921
233922
244022
254023
264123
274124
284224
294225
304325
314325

How March really feels in Grand Forks

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March 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
26 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Grand Forks weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 8th-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 65%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33169
43268
53268
63367
73367
83466
93466
103466
113466
123466
133565
143565
153565
163664
173664
183763
193664
203664
213763
223763
233763
243763
253763
263763
273862
283961
293961
303961
313862

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Grand Forks gets around 1.2 in of rain and snow over 6 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 19% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11918
21918
31918
41918
51917
61917
71917
81816
91816
101815
111815
121814
131814
141713
151713
161813
171812
181812
191812
201912
211912
221912
232012
242112
252112
262212
272212
282312
292312
302311
312411

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March 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 March

Winds average 8 mph in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 9 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
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min at the start of March to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 108 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:21 AM to 6:19 AM, and sunset from 6:02 PM to 6:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.77:216:02
210.77:196:04
310.87:176:05
410.97:156:07
510.97:136:08
611.07:116:10
711.07:096:11
811.17:076:13
911.27:056:14
1011.27:036:16
1111.37:016:17
1211.36:596:19
1311.46:576:20
1411.46:556:22
1511.56:536:23
1611.66:516:25
1711.66:496:26
1811.76:476:28
1911.76:446:29
2011.86:426:31
2111.96:406:32
2211.96:386:34
2312.06:366:35
2412.06:346:37
2512.16:326:38
2612.26:306:40
2712.26:286:41
2812.36:266:43
2912.36:236:44
3012.46:216:45
3112.56:196:47

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 3.89 kWh/m².

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 — March's 3.89 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.3Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.4Moderate
53.4Moderate
63.5Moderate
73.5Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.6Moderate
103.7Moderate
113.7Moderate
123.8Moderate
133.8Moderate
143.8Moderate
153.9Moderate
163.9Moderate
174.0Moderate
184.0Moderate
194.0Bright
204.1Bright
214.1Bright
224.1Bright
234.2Bright
244.2Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Grand Forks

In seasonPeak

None of Grand Forks's seasonal hazards are active in March. 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 March a good time to visit Grand Forks?

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

0.1
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Grand Forks in March

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

In March, Grand Forks sees daytime highs around 35°F and nights near 17°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 March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 3. 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 March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where March 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
March 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).