Grand Forks weather in October

In October, Grand Forks sees average daytime highs of 53°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 2.3 in of precipitation across 7.9 wet days and about 10.6 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 60°F in the first days to 45°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of October to 9 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Grand Forks's 6th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Grand Forks's year-round climate.

Daytime high
53°
6th warmest
Overnight low
35°
7th coldest
Precipitation
2.3 in
7.9 wet days
Daylight
10 h 36 min
6:56 AM – 5:30 PM
Cloud cover
63%
6th clearest
Wind
9 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.1
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 60°F in the first days to 45°F by the end.

A typical October day in Grand Forks reaches about 53°F in the afternoon and slips back to 35°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 38°F and 67°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 16°F cooler than September and about 18°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16141
26140
36040
46040
55939
65839
75838
85738
95738
105637
115637
125537
135536
145436
155335
165335
175235
185234
195134
205133
215033
224933
234932
244832
254831
264731
274630
284630
294529
304529
314428

How October really feels in Grand Forks

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 24 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
24
wind chill below the day's low

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

Grand Forks weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 6th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35050
44951
54951
64852
74753
84654
94654
104654
114555
124555
134456
144357
154357
164258
174357
184258
194159
204159
214159
223961
233961
243862
253862
263862
273763
283763
293664
303664
313565

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Grand Forks gets around 2.3 in of rain and snow over 7.9 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 25% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1251
2252
3252
4262
5263
6273
7273
8273
9273
10284
11274
12274
13274
14274
15264
16264
17264
18254
19254
20244
21245
22245
23235
24236
25236
26237
27237
28238
29228
30228
31229

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19631
29631
39820
49820
59820
69910
79910
89910
99910
109910
119910
129910
139910
1410000
1510000
1610000
1710000
1810000
1910000
2010000
2110000
2210000
2310000
2410000
2510000
2610000
2710000
2810000
2910000
3010000
3110000

Wind in October

Winds average 9 mph in October, the windiest month of the year.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of October to 9 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 96 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:34 AM to 7:19 AM, and sunset from 6:01 PM to 5:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:346:01
211.46:355:59
311.36:375:56
411.36:385:54
511.26:395:52
611.26:415:50
711.16:425:48
811.06:445:46
911.06:455:44
1010.96:475:42
1110.96:485:40
1210.86:505:38
1310.76:515:36
1410.76:535:34
1510.66:545:32
1610.66:565:30
1710.56:575:29
1810.56:595:27
1910.47:005:25
2010.37:025:23
2110.37:045:21
2210.27:055:19
2310.27:075:18
2410.17:085:16
2510.17:105:14
2610.07:115:12
2710.07:135:11
289.97:145:09
299.97:165:07
309.87:175:06
319.87:195:04

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 2.48 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 — October's 2.48 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.2Moderate
23.2Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.0Moderate
53.0Moderate
63.0Moderate
72.9Moderate
82.9Moderate
92.8Moderate
102.8Moderate
112.7Moderate
122.7Moderate
132.6Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.0Moderate
282.0Moderate
292.0Dim
301.9Dim
311.9Dim
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Grand Forks

In seasonPeak

In October, Grand Forks sits inside 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 October a good time to visit Grand Forks?

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

3.1
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Grand Forks in October

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

In October, Grand Forks sees daytime highs around 53°F and nights near 35°F. Pack a warm layer. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Grand Forks in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks 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 October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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