Do you need a snowblower in Grand Forks, ND?
What clears snow in Grand Forks
Gas single-stage
Grand Forks gets enough snow that shovelling it all is a real job, about 6.3 tons a winter on this driveway, but storms over 8 inches are uncommon.
Before you buy, check the intake height against the deepest storm above, and plan to clear before the city plow leaves its ridge of heavy slush at the end of the drive.
A normal Grand Forks winter
- Snow a year
- 49 in
- Storms of 5 in or more
- 2.0 a winter
- Storms of 10 in or more
- about once every 3 winters
- Days with snow on the ground
- 108
Heavy, more than most snowy cities. That is about 1.4 times what a typical snowy US city gets. It tends to stay, so each storm lands on the last one.
On a two car driveway that is about 6.3 tons of snow to move in a season, and a 10 inch storm weighs 2,600 pounds.
When the snow comes in Grand Forks
- Oct1.5
- Nov5.1
- Dec13.5
- Jan9.5
- Feb8.2
- Mar7.8
- Apr3.0
- May0.1
Snow worth clearing runs from October to April, heaviest in December. Start and service a machine in September.
Towns near Grand Forks
Grand Forks is number 5 of 9 North Dakota towns here for snowfall; Fargo gets the most at 53 inches.
| Town | Miles | Snow | Two car, paved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fargo, ND | 74 | 53 in | Gas single-stage |
| West Fargo, ND | 74 | 51 in | Gas single-stage |
| Moorhead, MN | 75 | 53 in | Gas single-stage |
| Detroit Lakes, MN | 96 | 48 in | Gas single-stage |
| Jamestown, ND | 103 | 46 in | Gas single-stage |
| Bemidji, MN | 107 | 49 in | Gas single-stage |
Where these numbers come from
Read next: Snowblowers on a gravel driveway and Single-stage or two-stage.
NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals from Grand Forks Univ (Nws), 0.5 miles from Grand Forks. A normal winter, not this winter's forecast. Snow is weighed at 6.24 pounds a cubic foot, fresh and fairly dry; wet spring snow can weigh three times that.