La Nina suggests a return to a typical North Dakota winter

(KNOX) – There continues to be favorability in the forecast for a transition from ENSO Neutral into La Niña (74% chance) this fall, then continuing through the winter.

• La Niña events typically feature colder and slightly wetter conditions during the winter across North Dakota and Minnesota. Ahead of La Niña winters, the fall season tends to be more mild and dry, with an abrupt transition to winter-like temperatures in the late fall. ENSO is just one climate factor which can dictate the expected pattern.
• Overall we can most likely expect more of a typical Northern Plains winter when compared to the high snow totals of 2022-23 and the winter that wasn’t of 2023-24. While finer scale details of things such as how many storms or how much snow are well beyond the scope of this outlook this is meant as a starting point for planning how to prepare for the winter season of 2024-25.

For more information, refer to our web page – weather.gov/fgf

The National Weather Service says the average August temperature in Grand Forks was 67.9 degrees Fahrenheit.  More significant, total rainfall in Grand Forks, depending on your rain gauge, was 5.16 inches, 2.13 inches above normal.