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The Climate of Grand Forks, North Dakota is a warm summer continental (Köppen climate classification Dfb) typical of cities located in the Great Plains, with four very distinct seasons and great variation in temperatures over very short periods of time. The city's climate is characterized by long, cold winters with moderate snowfall and warm summers which are typically humid.
[edit] Temperature
Grand Forks lies in the middle of the North American continent on low-lying, flat land. Since it is located in the Great Plains, it has an extreme continental climate, in that there are great differences between summer and winter temperatures. As there are no nearby mountain ranges or bodies of water to ameliorate the winter climatic conditions, Grand Forks lies exposed to numerous weather systems including bitterly cold Arctic high pressure systems. This can result in bone-chilling temperatures as early as the end of October, followed by bitter cold temperatures and sometimes dangerous wind chill readings during December, January and February. The maximum daily temperature usually doesn't exceed 32°F (0°C) for more than ten days for these three months and the minimum daily temperature fall below −4°F (−20°C) during most of the winter. Cold weather and snow will occasionally extend into April, although in general the winter weather begins to moderate in late February or early March. The lowest temperature ever recorded was −43°F (−42°C) on January 30, 2004.
Summers are typically warm and often humid, particularly in June and July, with frequent (and sometimes severe) thunderstorms. Depending on the year, warm weather can continue beyond to October, or come to an abrupt end soon after Labor Day. The city often receives an Indian Summer, when summer weather returns briefly after the first frosts, in mid to late October, or even early November. The highest temperature ever recorded in Grand Forks was 109°F (43°C) on July 6, 1936.
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Avg high °F (°C) |
15 (−10) |
22 (−5) |
34 (−1) |
53 (12) |
69 (21) |
77 (25) |
81 (27) |
80 (27) |
69 (20) |
55 (13) |
33 (1) |
19 (−7) |
| Avg low temperature °F (°C) |
−4 (−18) |
4 (−15) |
17 (−9) |
31 (−2) |
44 (4) |
54 (9) |
58 (13) |
56 (12) |
45 (7) |
34 (2) |
18 (−6) |
3 (−14) |
| Record high temperature °F (°C) |
54 (12) |
67 (19) |
82 (28) |
98 (37) |
105 (41) |
105 (41) |
109 (43) |
104 (40) |
102 (39) |
93 (34) |
73 (23) |
58 (14) |
| Record low temperature °F (°C) |
−43 (−39) |
−42 (−41) |
−36 (−38) |
−5 (−21) |
5 (−15) |
29 (−2) |
39 (4) |
32 (0) |
18 (−8) |
1 (−17) |
−24 (−31) |
-−38 (−38) |
| Source: MSN.com [1] June 2007 |
[edit] Precipitation
The wettest month is June and the driest is December. There is generally snow cover from mid-November to the end of March, though this varies depending on the year—heavy snowfalls in late October and in April are not uncommon. Grand Forks is virtually assured of having a White Christmas.
Monthly average precipitation[1]
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| inches |
.78 |
.62 |
.89 |
1.17 |
2.11 |
2.98 |
2.89 |
2.92 |
1.95 |
1.59 |
.86 |
.59 |
| mm |
19.8 |
15.7 |
22.6 |
29.7 |
53.6 |
75.7 |
73.4 |
74.2 |
49.5 |
40.4 |
21.8 |
15 |
[edit] References
- ^ Cite error: Invalid
<ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named NCDC
[edit] External links
