Temperature

National Weather Service Grand Forks

Weather & Climate Review

2019 in Review

Figure 1 can look a little overwhelming, but it is actually fairly simple. All data is from the Fargo, North Dakota airport. The top

purple line represents the daily record highs, while the bottom tan line represents the daily record lows. The “steady” dark red

line shows the normal daily highs and the steady dark blue line shows the normal daily lows. The final two lines, the lighter red

and lighter blue lines, are the daily highs and lows from 2019.

What stands out? Look for periods when the daily lows are greater than the normal highs. These would be warm periods. You

can see there were not too many, but one fell during early January (1 on Figure 1). None occurred during the summer months

of June, July, and August. Warm periods are also represented by days when the daily highs approached or exceeded the record

highs. There were two record highs in 2019, 40 degrees (a tie) on January 3rd (2 on Figure 1) and 93 degrees on June 8th (3 on

Figure 1).

Cool periods can be defined similarly. Label 4 on Figure 1 shows a cold period in early November. There were no record lows in

2019. The highest temperature of 2019 was the 96 degrees on June 7th, while the coldest temperature of 2019 was –33 de-

grees on January 30th.

1. Daily

Figure 1 2019 Daily Temperature Statistics at Fargo, ND

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1

2

3

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2. Monthly

Figure 2 2019 Monthly Temperature Statistics at Fargo, ND

3. Yearly

Figure 3 Yearly Temperature Statistics at Fargo, ND

Figure 3 shows how the Fargo yearly average temperature

compared to the 1981-2010 normal (the latest 30 year

normal). 2019 is on the far right hand side of the graphic,

with other recent years shown to the left. A year with a

red bar indicates the year was warmer than normal, while

a year with a blue bar represents a year that was colder

than normal. The value above or below the red or blue

bar indicates the departure from normal. For example, in

2010, Fargo was 0.8 degrees above normal. 2019 (39.3

degrees, or 3.0 degrees below normal) turned out to be

the coolest yearly average temperature in the past 10

years. However, it was not in the top 10 warmest or cool-

est years ever.

Figure 2 shows how the Fargo monthly average temperatures

compared to normal. A month with a red bar indicates the month

was warmer than normal, while a month with a blue bar repre-

sents a month that was colder than normal. The value above or

below the red or blue bar indicates the departure from normal. As

an example, in January 2019, Fargo was 3.0 degrees below nor-

mal. Nine months out of the twelve were below normal, with Feb-

ruary being significantly colder than normal. No months in 2019

broke into the top 10 warmest or coldest months on record.

Precipitation 1. Daily

Figure 4 2019 Daily Precipitation Statistics at Fargo, ND

Figure 4 plots the daily precipitation amounts at Fargo throughout 2019. The most liquid equivalent, 2.20 inches, fell on July 8th

(labeled 4 on Figure 4). Daily records were set with 0.90 inches on March 9th (1), 0.51 inches on March 13th (2), 1.40 inches on

June 29th (3), 2.20 inches on July 8th (4), 0.68 inches on November 30th (5), and 0.67 inches on December 29th (6).

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4

1

2

3

5 6

2. Monthly

Figure 5 2019 Monthly Precipitation Statistics at Fargo, ND

Figure 5 looks at how the Fargo monthly average precipitation in 2019

compared to normal. A month with a green bar indicates the month was

wetter than normal, while a month with a brown bar represents a month

that was drier than normal. The value above or below the green or brown

bar indicates the departure from normal. For example, in January 2019,

Fargo was 0.11 inches below normal. February 2019 became the 6th

wettest (1.69 inches or 1.08 inches above normal), September became

the 10th wettest (4.47 inches or 1.90 inches above normal), October be-

came the 10th wettest (3.78 inches or 1.63 inches above normal), and

December became the 8th wettest (0.89 inches above normal).

3. Yearly

Figure 6 Yearly Precipitation Statistics at Fargo, ND

Figure 6 looks at how the Fargo yearly precipitation compared

to the 1981-2010 normal (the latest 30 year normal). 2019 is on

the far right hand side of the graphic, with other recent years

shown to the left. A year with a green bar indicates the year

was wetter than normal, while a year with a brown bar repre-

sents a year that was drier than normal. The value above or

below the green or brown bar indicates the departure from

normal. As an example, in 2010, Fargo was 6.90 inches above

normal. 2019 was the second wettest year of the last 10 years

(8.66 inches above normal).

Figure 7 Areal Depiction of 2019 Precipitation

Figure 7 gives an areal depiction of the 2019 precipitation across eastern North Dakota and the northwest quarter of Minneso-

ta. A good portion of east central and southeast North Dakota into the northwest quarter of Minnesota shows tan and orange

colors, which the color bar on the right shows as 30 to 40 inches of precipitation. The lowest totals on Figure 7 were across the

Devils Lake and Lake of the Woods regions, with 20 to 30 inches of precipitation (green and yellow colors). Figure 8 shows how

the 2019 totals compare to normal. For east central and southeast North Dakota into the northwest quarter of Minnesota, the

colors are mostly dark green and blue, which are 125 to 200 percent of normal. For the Devils Lake and Lake of the Woods re-

gions, the colors are light gray to dark green, which are 100 to 150 percent of normal.

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Figure 8 2019 Precipitation as Percent of Normal

2. Monthly

Figure 10 2019 Monthly Snowfall Statistics at Fargo, ND

Figure 10 plots the monthly snowfall amounts at Fargo throughout 2019.

The most snowfall, 21.4 inches, fell in February, which was the most

snow in February ever. The October amount of 4.5 inches tied for the 5th

most snow ever in October and the December amount of 20.4 inches

tied for the 6th most snow ever in December (with 1996).

Yearly snowfall amounts are not shown. Since the snow season actually

crosses years (2019-20), it is not a true calendar year statistic.

Snow Depth

Figure 11 2019 Daily Snow Depth at Fargo, ND

Figure 11 plots the daily snow depth at Fargo throughout 2019. The snow depth measurement is taken at 6 am each day. The

snow depth dropped to zero in early April (labeled 1 on Figure 10). However, more snow fell on April 11th and 12th (2). The

melting of this snow contributed to the spring flood. The October 10th-12th winter storm (3) brought an early snowfall to the

area (see Figure 28 on page 9).

Snowfall

1. Daily

Figure 9 2019 Daily Snowfall Statistics at Fargo, ND

Figure 9 plots the daily snowfall amounts at Fargo throughout 2019. The most snowfall, 9.0 inches, fell on March 9th (labeled 1

on Figure 9), which set a new daily record. Daily records were also set with 5.8 inches on April 11th (2), 4.1 inches on October

11th (3), 7.4 inches on November 30th (4), and 6.8 inches on December 29th (5).

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1

2

3

4

3 2 1

1. Daily

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Other Stations

Although the most detailed records exist for the Fargo-Moorhead climate site (FAR) and the National Weather Service site in

Grand Forks (NWS GF), some information is also kept for a few other sites (DVL = Devils Lake, GFK = Grand Forks airport, BDE =

Baudette, PKD = Park Rapids). Table 1 shows from left to right, the highest temperature and date, lowest temperature and date,

highest daily precipitation and date, highest daily snowfall and date, and highest wind speed and date.

Table 1 Miscellaneous 2019 Daily Statistics for Various Climate Sites

Table 2 Miscellaneous 2019 Yearly Statistics for Various Climate Sites

2019 will go down in the books as a cool and wet year. Looking at

Table 2, for yearly average temperature, Fargo ended up at 39.3 de-

grees, or 3.0 degrees below normal. However, this yearly average

temperature did not make it into the “top ten” coolest years. Devils

Lake was the coolest station, at 36.3 degrees. Fargo had 31.24 inches

of precipitation, ending up 8.66 inches above normal. This was the

7th wettest year on record. The NWS Grand Forks ended the year

with 33.92 inches of precipitation, or 12.30 inches above normal.

Wind

Figure 12 Windy Days at the Grand Forks & Baudette airports in 2019 Figure 13 Windy Days at the Grand Forks airport since 2010

Figure 12 shows the number of days in each month during 2019 with an average wind speed greater than 15 mph at both the

Grand Forks and Baudette airports. Grand Forks, being in the flat, ancient Lake Agassiz bed, is quite a bit windier than Baudette,

which is located in tree covered terrain. The winter, spring, and fall months tend to have the most wind. In Figure 13, the 2019

Grand Forks data can be compared to the past nine years. The black line shows the 10 year average (52). 2019 had fewer windy

days than 2016, 2017, and 2018.

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Other Statistics

1. Warning Overview

Figure 14 Various Warnings Issued by the NWS Grand Forks, ND, in 2019

Figure 14 plots various warnings issued by the NWS in Grand Forks throughout the year. The scale (the height of the various

vertical bars) doesn’t match for all the warnings. The winter, spring, and fall cold season warnings are shown with hollow verti-

cal bars. Winter Storm Warnings (WS) are shown by the hollow black vertical bars, Blizzard Warnings (BZD) are shown by the

hollow red vertical bars, Red Flag Warnings (RFW) are shown by the hollow red vertical bars, and Extreme Cold Warnings (EC or

Wind Chill Warnings) are shown by the hollow light blue vertical bars. The numbers of each product issued that month are

shown above the associated vertical bar. As an example, in March 2019, there was 1 Winter Storm Warning, 1 Blizzard Warning,

and 1 Wind Chill Warning issued.

The summer convective warnings are shown with filled in vertical bars. Tornado Warnings (TOR) are shown by the solid red ver-

tical bars, Severe Thunderstorm Warnings (SVR) are shown by the solid orange vertical bars, and Flash Flood Warnings (FFW)

are shown by the solid green vertical bars. Again, the numbers of each product issued that month are shown above the associ-

ated vertical bar. As an example, in July 2019, there were 2 Flash Flood Warnings issued. This chart is just a quick way to look at

when and how many warnings where issued throughout the year. Now let’s take a closer look at some of the individual warning

types.

2. Winter Storm Warnings

Figures 15 to 36 (on pages 7 to 10) show the coverage areas of the eleven Winter Storms that occurred across the area in 2019,

along with their associated snowfall totals. Typically the winter season crosses years, running from the fall of one year into the

spring of the next year (like the winter of 2019-2020). However, this publication covers just a single year (2019). Of the eleven

Winter Storms in 2019, six occurred from January to April and five occurred from October to December.

Looking over the eleven Winter Storms, every county across eastern North Dakota and the northwest quarter of Minnesota had

at least one Winter Storm. Clay County, Minnesota, was struck by ten out of the eleven Winter Storms. The Devils Lake region

missed Winter Storms three through six.

When looking through the eleven snow total maps, the October 10-12 event stands out, as it had the most snowfall of any of the

events. Snowfall totals across the Devils Lake region reached up to 30 inches. This was an early season snow event that had crip-

pling effects. This snowfall, combined with strong winds, resulted in snow drifts as high as one-story homes.

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7

Winter

Storm

Winter

Storm

Figure 15 Winter Storm Warning 1

(January 27)

Figure 17 Winter Storm Warning 2

(February 3-4)

Winter

Storm

Figure 19 Winter Storm Warning 3

(February 6-7)

Figure 16 Snow Totals (January 27)

Figure 18 Snow Totals (February 3-4)

Figure 20 Snow Totals (February 6-7)

Winter

Storm

Winter

Storm

Winter

Storm

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Figure 21 Winter Storm Warning 4

(February 22-23)

Figure 23 Winter Storm Warning 5

(March 9-10)

Figure 25 Winter Storm Warning 6

(April 10-12)

Figure 22 Snow Totals (February 22-23)

Figure 24 Snow Totals (March 9-10)

Figure 26 Snow Totals (April 10-12)

Winter

Storm

Winter

Storm

Winter

Storm

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Figure 27 Winter Storm Warning 7

(October 10-12)

Figure 29 Winter Storm Warning 8

(November 20)

Figure 28 Snow Totals (October 10-12)

Figure 30 Snow Totals (November 20)

Figure 32 Snow Totals (November 30-December 1)

Figure 31 Winter Storm Warning 9

(November 30-December 1)

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Figure 33 Winter Storm Warning 10

(December 8-9)

Figure 34 Snow Totals (December 8-9)

Figure 37 Number of Winter Storms by Year

Figure 37 shows how the number of Winter Storms in 2019 stacks up to previous years. The horizontal black line shows the aver-

age over the past ten years (7). 2019 is the first year of the past six that has been above the average of 7.

Winter

Storm

Winter

Storm

Figure 35 Winter Storm Warning 11

(December 28-30)

Figure 36 Snow Totals (December 28-30)

Figure 48 Blizzard Warning 4

(February 24)

Figure 49 Blizzard Warning 5

(March 13-14)

Figure 50 Blizzard Warning 6

(April 10-12)

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Figure 44 Number of Wind Chill Warnings by Year

Figure 44 shows how the number of Wind Chill Warnings in 2019 stacks up to previous years. The horizontal black line shows the

average over the past ten years (3.6). 2019 almost doubled this average.

4. Blizzard Warnings

Figures 45 to 52 (below) show the coverage areas of the eight Blizzards that occurred across the area in 2019. Like Winter Storms,

the numbers of Blizzards are usually tracked from the fall of one year into the spring of the next year (like the winter of 2019-

2020). However, this publication covers just a single year (2019). Of the eight Blizzards in 2019, six occurred from January to April

and two occurred from October to December. A Blizzard is defined as an event with sustained or frequent gusts greater than or

equal to 35 mph and visibility less than or equal to one-quarter mile in snow and blowing snow for at least three hours.

Blizzard Blizzard Blizzard

Figure 45 Blizzard Warning

1 (January 23-24)

Figure 46 Blizzard Warning 2

(January 27-28)

Figure 47 Blizzard Warning 3

(February 7)

Figure 51 Blizzard Warning 7

(October 11-12)

Blizzard

Blizzard

Blizzard

Blizzard

3. Extreme Cold (Wind Chill) Warnings

Figure 38 Wind Chill

Warning 1

(January 1)

Frigid temperatures, or frigid temperatures with wind, can be deadly. In 2019, the months of January, February, and March

brought six Wind Chill Warnings (Extreme Cold) to the area. Figures 38 to 43 (below) show the coverage areas of the six Wind

Chill Warnings that were issued for the area in 2019.

Wind

Chill

Warning

Figure 39 Wind Chill

Warning 2

(January 26-27)

Figure 40 Wind Chill

Warning 3

(January 28-31)

Figure 41 Wind Chill

Warning 4

(February 7-8)

Figure 42 Wind Chill

Warning 5

(February 24-25)

Figure 43 Wind Chill

Warning 6

(March 2-3)

Wind

Chill

Warning

Wind

Chill

Warning

Wind

Chill

Warning

Wind

Chill

Warning

Wind

Chill

Warning

Blizzard

Figure 52 Blizzard Warning 8

(December 29-30)

Figure 53 (above) shows the number of Blizzards by year for the past ten years. The average over this ten year peri-

od is 4.4 per year, which is shown by the horizontal black line. After two years with fewer Blizzards than this 4.4

average, 2019 nearly doubled that average.

Looking back at Figures 45 through 52 (on the previous page), there are some interesting things to note. First, it is

hard to get Blizzard conditions in the treed areas of Minnesota. However, as Blizzard 4 (Figure 48) shows, it can oc-

cur even there with steady snow and strong winds. Finally, southeast North Dakota was hit by all eight Blizzards.

Traditionally, the Red River Valley is where most Blizzards occur. Figure 54 shows the number of Blizzards per coun-

ty, covering the winters of 2008-09 through 2017-18. The graphic clearly shows the higher number of Blizzards in

the immediate Red River Valley. It is pretty rare to have a Blizzard east of the Red River Valley, where there is more

terrain and trees.

Finally, Figure 55 shows what the primary wind direction is for the Blizzard events that cover the same time period

as Figure 54. GFK is the Grand Forks airport and FAR is the Fargo airport. The lines extending from the circle at each

of these points represents the direction the wind blows from. At both Grand Forks and Fargo, the primary wind

direction is from the north-northwest.

Figure 54 Blizzard Warnings 2008-09 to 2017-18

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Figure 55 Normal Wind Direction During Blizzards

Figure 53 Number of Blizzards by Year

5. Red Flag Warnings

Figure 56 shows the only Red Flag Warning that was issued by the NWS in Grand Forks during 2019. Red Flag Warnings are is-

sued for dangerous fire weather conditions (low humidity, strong winds, dry fuels). This warning was issued after the snow had

melted in the spring and before the green-up.

Figure 56 Red Flag Warning (4/25)

6. River Flooding

Knowing 2019 was a wet year, trends can also be seen on the hydrographs from area rivers. Figure 57 shows the Red River at

Grand Forks and Figure 58 shows the Red River at Fargo. The blue lines show the measured river height over the course of

2019, while the red lines show the location of minor flood stage. Grand Forks and Fargo both experienced river flooding during

the spring snowmelt (number 1 on both graphs).

Figure 57 Red River at Grand Forks, ND

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Figure 58 Red River at Fargo, ND

Minor Flood Stage

Minor Flood Stage

1 2

3

1 2 3

Both stations also experienced a rise

above flood stage in mid July, after a

heavy rainfall event on the 8th and

9th (number 2 on both graphs).

The especially wet fall is clearly evi-

dent, but more so at Grand Forks

(number 3 on both graphs). The NWS

in Grand Forks measured 9.07 inches

of rainfall in September and 4.37 inch-

es in October.

Although the Grand Forks hydrograph

shows that the Red River fell back be-

low minor flood stage in late Novem-

ber, there was a large amount of wa-

ter that froze in the fields between

Oslo and Drayton. This water never

made it into the river system, and will

still be there in the spring when warm-

er temperatures arrive again.

7. Severe Thunderstorm Warnings

Figure 59 breaks the number of Severe Thunderstorm Warnings issued in 2019 into county based information, or the number of

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings issued by county in 2019. The highest total was 34 in Polk County, Minnesota (value under-

lined), and the lowest total was 6 in Grant County, Minnesota. You can compare this year to last year (Figure 60). For both

years, Polk County, Minnesota, had the highest total.

Figure 59 Number of Severe Thunderstorm Warnings Issued by County in 2019

Figure 60 Number of Severe Thunderstorm Warnings

Issued by County in 2018

8. Tornado Warnings

Figure 61 Number of Tornado Warnings Issued by County in 2019

Figure 62 Number of Tornado Warnings Issued by

County in 2018

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Figure 61 (previous page) breaks the number of Tornado Warnings issued in 2019 into county based information, or the number

of Tornado Warnings issued by county in 2019. The highest total was 5 in Cass and Richland Counties in North Dakota and Beck-

er County, Minnesota (value underlined). You can compare this year to last year (Figure 62). In 2018, Cass County also had the

highest total.

KEY

T = May 24 (5 tornadoes) black

T = June 8 (1 tornado) red

T = July 8 (2 tornadoes) red

T = July 9 (7 tornadoes) green

T*= July 17 (2 tornadoes) magenta

T* = July 28 (1 tornado) tan

T* = August 13 (1 tornado) black

T*= September 20 (1 tornado) blue

Each T in Figure 63 represents the approximate location of a confirmed tornado

in 2019. The various colors of each T are broken down in the KEY. Each color

represents a different date, so 20 tornadoes occurred on eight different dates

during the summer and fall of 2019. Each T shows the approximate location of

the tornado, but it does not show the actual track.

The number of times each T is circled represents its EF scale. For example, the

strongest tornado in 2019 was the EF2 tornado near Fertile, MN (the red T with

two circles around it). There were 8 EF1 tornadoes scattered across the area. If

a tornado did not have a circle around it, it was an EF0 tornado. There were a

total of 11 EF0 tornadoes across eastern ND and the northwest quarter of MN.

Figure 63 Confirmed Tornadoes in 2019

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How did the number of Tornado Warnings (TOR), Severe Thunderstorm Warnings (SVR), and Flash Flood Warnings (FFW) is-

sued during the summer of 2019 compare to previous years? Figure 64 shows this comparison. The number of Severe Thun-

derstorm Warnings (orange bars) issued in 2019 was the highest total in the ten year period. The actual 2019 total was 223,

while the ten year average was 158.

The number of Tornado Warnings (red bars) issued in 2019 was about the same as last year (2018). The actual 2019 total was

27, while the ten year average was 39.

The number of Flash Flood Warnings (green bars) issued in 2019 was higher than the past two years (2017 and 2018). The ac-

tual 2019 total was 11, while the ten year average was 8.

Figure 64 Summer Severe Weather Comparison

9. Drought

The U. S. Drought Monitor is one way to monitor drought. This product is issued weekly

throughout the year. Figures 65 to 68 show the Drought Monitor at four different points in

2019, with the key shown to the left. From the lack of colors on any of the four maps, it is

clear that drought was not much of an issue in 2019. However, in early June (Figure 66), it

was a little dry across the Devils Lake region into adjacent areas of northwest Minnesota. (S

= short term impacts, typically less than 6 months, L = long term impacts, typically greater

than 6 months)

Figure 65 March 26, 2019 Figure 66 June 25, 2019

Figure 67 September 24, 2019 Figure 68 December 12, 2019

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10. Solar Radiation

Figure 69 Solar Radiation Measured near Goodridge, MN, in 2019

Figure 69 shows the amount of solar radiation measured daily in 2019 near Goodridge, Minnesota. The peak amounts of radiation

are received in June, with the least amounts in November, December, and January. Differences in cloud cover cause the wide day

to day variations on this graph. The widest variations occur during the summer, but not so much during the cold season, due to the

low sun angle.

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11. Soil Conditions

Figure 70 shows the two inch soil temperature (F) and moisture (%) measured daily in 2019 near Glacial Ridge (southeast of Crook-

ston), Minnesota. The two inch soil temperature essentially remained frozen until mid April, peaked in July and August, then be-

came frozen again in late October. The two inch soil moisture peaked in April during the spring snowmelt, then showed a second-

ary peak in late October and early November, from the wet fall.

Figure 70 Two Inch Soil Temperature & Moisture measured near Glacial Ridge, MN, in 2019