GRAND FORKS — The Grand Forks National Weather Service office issues an average of 219 severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings for its region per year.
According to WDAY Chief Meteorologist John Wheeler, this summer has been "way below average."
"So far this year, there have been just 145 warnings through Wednesday (Aug. 23)," he said. "And many of those warnings were issued on marginally weak storms that either did only very minor damage or did not verify at all."
Wheeler said that with weather, "there is no such thing as ordinary. No summers are alike and there is a big difference in meaning between 'ordinary' and 'average.'"
And this summer's quiet weather isn't even close to a record, Wheeler said.
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"The summer with the least severe weather of this century so far was back in 2009 and this summer has been stormier than that. There were only 72 total warnings issued by Grand Forks that year," he said.
The Grand Forks National Weather Service office covers a region that includes eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. Tyler Thomas, of the National Weather Service, said this summer hasn’t been anything too unusual, though there are some deviations from the norm.
“Obviously, no summer is going to be exactly average. Stuff’s going to vary,” he said. “But we have been a little bit warmer and a little bit drier than average. ... It's been a pretty calm summer lately."
According to National Weather Service data, Augusts of 2018 to 2022 in Grand Forks saw total precipitation of 1.34, 3.93, 3.27, 4.37 and 1.09 inches. High temperatures averaged 80.8, 77.3, 80.6, 82.1, and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and lows were 57.4, 56.5, 58.3, 58.9 and 58.6 degrees.
According to the most recent U.S. Drought Monitor, released Thursday, the immediate Grand Forks region is in moderate drought. A swath of land along the North Dakota-Canada border is in severe drought, but areas south and west of Grand Forks are shown to be only abnormally dry or normal.
Thomas said data show a “drier-than-average trend” in the past five years. While the average highs have been nearly average, low temperatures show a “slightly above average trend.”
As of Aug. 24 this year, Grand Forks precipitation for the month has totaled 1.19 inches (prior to a shower passing through late Thursday evening). The average maximum temperature has been 79.1 degrees and the average minimum temperature has been 58.9.
For next month, Thomas predicts near-normal temperatures, but slightly above-average precipitation, which may continue after September. There may still be a chance for severe weather, though.
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"Strong storms, historically, fade in frequency after mid to late August, but a strong storm or two usually happens in our region in September and there has been severe weather as late as October," Wheeler said.
More smoke from Canada’s wildfires is expected before summer ends, and Thomas predicts it won’t be until snow starts falling that the fires will be quelled and the smoke will go away.
Otto is a recent University of North Dakota graduate and reporter at the Herald.
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August 28, 2023 at 07:04PM
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Severe weather is down this year in Grand Forks region - Grand Forks Herald
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