Grand Forks in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Grand Forks sees average daytime highs around 19°F and overnight lows near 3°F, with 2.3 in of precipitation over about 15 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 19°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Grand Forks's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Grand Forks's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 19°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 3°F
- Precipitation
- 2.3 in
- 15 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 mph
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Grand Forks in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 19°F.
A typical winter day in Grand Forks reaches about 19°F and drops to 3°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Grand Forks
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 90 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Grand Forks weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16° / -1° | 0.7 | 5.1 | 5.3 | 8.6 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 21° / 3° | 0.6 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 9.9 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 35° / 17° | 1.2 | 6 | 4.2 | 11.6 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 52° / 32° | 1.7 | 7.4 | 2.1 | 13.4 | 2.9 |
| May | 66° / 45° | 3.4 | 11.2 | 0.2 | 14.9 | 5.7 |
| Jun | 75° / 56° | 4.1 | 12.2 | 0 | 15.7 | 6.5 |
| Jul | 79° / 59° | 3.5 | 10.1 | 0 | 15.4 | 6.8 |
| Aug | 78° / 56° | 3.1 | 9.2 | 0 | 14.1 | 7.1 |
| Sep | 68° / 47° | 2.7 | 8 | 0 | 12.4 | 6.6 |
| Oct | 53° / 35° | 2.3 | 7.9 | 1.3 | 10.6 | 3.1 |
| Nov | 35° / 20° | 1.1 | 5.4 | 4.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 21° / 6° | 1.0 | 5.9 | 6.4 | 8.3 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Grand Forks gets around 2.3 in of rain and snow over 15 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 8 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 8 h 30 min in early December to 10 h 36 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 1.8 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Grand Forks
None of Grand Forks's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Grand Forks's rainy season runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Grand Forks?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Grand Forks.
What to pack for Grand Forks in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Grand Forks sees daytime highs around 19°F and nights near 3°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 15 days see rain.
UV index in Grand Forks in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | High | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 1 | Low |
| Mar | 3 | Moderate |
| Apr | 4 | Moderate |
| May | 5 | High |
| Jun | 8 | Very high |
| Jul | 7 | High |
| Aug | 7 | High |
| Sep | 5 | Moderate |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 1 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Air quality in Grand Forks in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 9 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Level | Good | Good | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Good |
| Feb | 10 | Good |
| Mar | 14 | Moderate |
| Apr | 12 | Good |
| May | 11 | Good |
| Jun | 11 | Good |
| Jul | 16 | Moderate |
| Aug | 16 | Moderate |
| Sep | 10 | Good |
| Oct | 6 | Good |
| Nov | 7 | Good |
| Dec | 8 | Good |
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.
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
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.