Flat and open terrain surrounds Grand Forks, which is just 75 miles south of the Canadian border, and situated on the western boundary of the Red River Valley of the North. Seventy-five percent of precipitation accompanied by electrical storms and heavy rainfall in a short period of time occurs during the growing season, April through September. Summers are comfortable with low humidity, warm days and cool nights. Winters are cold and dry with temperatures remaining at zero or below approximately half the time. Snowfall is generally light. The legendary Dakota blizzards result from drifting of even minimal snowfall caused by strong winds that blow unimpeded across the flat terrain.
Area: 19.2 square miles (2000)
Elevation: 834 feet above sea level
Average Temperatures: January, 5.3° F; July, 69.2° F; annual average, 40.3° F
Average Annual Precipitation: 19.3 inches of rain; 41 inches of snow