Grand Forks in Spring

In spring (March, April and May), Grand Forks sees average daytime highs around 51°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 6.3 in of precipitation over about 25 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.

Over the season highs climb from about 26°F in early March to 71°F by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

Spring is Grand Forks's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Grand Forks's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
51°F
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
31°F
Precipitation
6.3 in
25 wet days
Avg wind
9 mph
Travel score
2.9
3rd-best season
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in Grand Forks in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 26°F in early March to 71°F by late May.

A typical spring day in Grand Forks reaches about 51°F and drops to 31°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.

-20°20°40°60°80°MarAprMay

How spring really feels in Grand Forks

Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 61 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
61
26 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Grand Forks weather by month

How the three spring months (March, April and May) 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 Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time across spring.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitationSnow

Grand Forks gets around 6.3 in of rain and snow over 25 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%MarAprMay

Humidity in Spring

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Wind in Spring

Winds average 9 mph across spring.

051015MarAprMay

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min in early March to 15 h 30 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMMarAprMay

Solar energy in Spring

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 4.9 kWh/m².

0246MarAprMay
Planning a trip in spring

Hazard calendar for Grand Forks

In seasonPeak

In spring, 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 spring a good time to visit Grand Forks?

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

2.9
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
0.8
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Grand Forks in Spring

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

In spring, Grand Forks sees daytime highs around 51°F and nights near 31°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gearsun protection

UV index in Grand Forks in Spring

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 4 — 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 Spring

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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