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Grand Forks, North Dakota

16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1934 and the latest in 1994. It stands in Grand Forks City. It lies in ZIP code area 58203. The Survey maps it on the Grand Forks quadrangle. 59,166 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 843 feet above sea level.

Grand Forks within Grand Forks County

On record in Grand Forks

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 12 of 71 shown

Every listing in Grand Forks County

Population over time

3 figures

Grand Forks grew from 1,705 to 59,166 between 1880 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
18801,705
201052,838
202059,166+6,328 (+12%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

10 surveys from 16 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

4 since 2015

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 4 fires within 5 miles of Grand Forks between 2015 and 2020, burning about 4 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning2
Railroad operations and maintenance1
Fireworks1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
1 July 2016Fireworks1.0 acresNorth Dakota State Forest Service6000 DEMERS AVE
18 June 2015Railroad operations and maintenance1.0 acresNorth Dakota State Forest Service5500 32ND AVE
19 May 2020Debris and open burning1.0 acresNorth Dakota State Forest ServiceFOX FARM FIRE
13 October 2016Debris and open burning1.0 acresNorth Dakota State Forest Service4796 42ND BRUSH FIRE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Grand Forks County

Storms near this place

60 of 198 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Grand Forks in 198 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 80 hail, 69 thunderstorm wind, 27 flash flood, 6 funnel cloud. The reports record 14 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
August 2001Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks12 hurt, $18,000,000The NWS Davis system measured a 101 mph wind gust. The strong wind resulted in many trees being blown down and a citywide state of emergency. Trees fell on vehicles, fences, and homes. The wind blew over traffic lights, signs, fences, and street lights. Over 50 streets in town were impassable as an estimated 3000 or more trees were flattened. 11,000 customers lost power with hundreds of power poles damaged. A 32 unit apartment building lost its roof and many homes had shingle damage. One home under construction was demolished and a semi truck was blown over. The city had to restrict water use because of the power loss. The University of North Dakota cancelled classes on the 9th.
May 2001HailGrand Forks1 hurt, $10,000,000A male was hit in the head by a hailstone and required four stitches. Many homes and cars were damaged by the large hail, especially south of 32nd avenue south.
September 2003LightningGrand Forks1 hurtA woman leaving work was struck by lightning as she walked to her car. She suffered no visible injuries, but was taken to the emergency room for observation. She later reported seizure-like muscle twitches.
July 1996HailGrand Forks$10,000,000no account filed
April 2023FloodGrand Forks$1,000,000East Grand Forks - Crest of 40.83 ft occurred on 4/24. Flooding extended into May.|NOTE: Damages dollar amount is for the entire county. Not separated by specific river basin or damage type.
July 2001Flash FloodGrand Forks$250,000Three inches of rain in nearly a half hour caused problems for portions of the city of Grand Forks. Widespread flooding was reported, with 2 to 4 feet of water on some city streets. Numerous vehicles were stalled in the high water. The Old Englestad Arena took on 4 1/2 feet of water and 20 other UND buildings reported some water damage. Water seepage occurred in several basements.
August 2001Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks$150,000A double circuit transmission line and 15 poles were damaged by the wind.
June 1998Flash FloodGrand Forks$150,0001 to 3 inches of rain fell in less than two hours, quickly flooding low-lying areas around Grand Forks. Water was reported to be up to the bumpers of cars on some streets. Several streets and underpasses were closed due to high water. On the western edge of Grand Forks on US Highway 2, water flowed over the highway for about an hour.
May 1996Flash FloodGrand Forks$100,000no account filed
April 2022Flash FloodGrand Forks$50,000Streets flooded to more than a foot deep at several intersections.
July 1996Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks$25,000no account filed
July 2008LightningGrand Forks$20,000Several lightning strikes were reported in the Grand Forks area, producing roofing and electrical system damage to homes.
July 2001Flash FloodGrand Forks$20,000Street flooding was reported in Grand Forks with a few stalled vehicles. Sewer backup occurred in the basement of one house. Underground parking lots were flooded.
June 2000Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks$20,000High winds tore the roof off a metal building. The roof fell and damaged several parked cars and another building.
June 1999FloodGrand Forks$20,000A thunderstorm complex converged over the greater Grand Forks area, producing 1 to 3 inches of rain in about an hour. 1.65 inches of rain fell at the NWS on the west side of Grand Forks. Several streets were flooded and closed to traffic. The heavy rain and poor visibility may have contributed to a motorhome crash on Interstate 29, 2 miles south of Grand Forks. The driver and 5 passengers were taken to a hospital for treatment.
June 2002Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks$10,000A 73 mph wind gust was measured by a Davis system on the south end of Grand Forks. Many trees were blown down and the temperature rose to 98 degrees at the same time.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks$10,000Strong wind blew down 12 trees, ripped apart a garage roof, and damaged a truck. A survey of the damage pattern indicated a gustnado may have formed along the thunderstorm downburst.
June 1999Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks$10,000no account filed
August 2016Flash FloodGrand Forks$5,000Portions of University avenue, DeMers avenue, Washington Street, and 42nd street were flooded by heavy rain. The Washington underpass was also flooded and closed to traffic.
June 2009LightningGrand Forks$5,000Lightning struck a tree in south Grand Forks, which ignited an underground natural gain main. Flames up to ten feet high erupted out of the ground, until the gas line could be shut off.
August 2002Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks$2,000Large branches were blown down with scattered power outages.
August 2024Flash FloodGrand Forks$1,000English Coulee running through UND campus out of its banks, rising to height of the pedestrian bridge and almost reaching the basement of pink house on Princeton Street.
May 2001Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks$1,000Numerous large branches were blown off trees.
July 2001Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks$1,000Several large trees were blown down in south Grand Forks.
July 2001Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks$1,000Trees were blown down.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks$200A tree was blown down in the wind.
July 2025HailGrand Forks-Received a report of 1 inch hail from an FAA Weather Observer, relayed by Broadcast Media.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-Twelve inch diameter tree blow down on roof of house.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-Photo of large tree branches snapped via social media. Time estimated via radar.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-Tree branches snapped. 59 mph wind measured on home station. Trampoline thrown 150 yards.
July 2025Flash FloodGrand Forks-Minor street flooding in Grand Forks, ND.
August 2025Tornado (EF1)Grand Forks-A tornado produced intermittent EF-0 and EF-1 damage in Grand Forks, ND and East Grand Forks, MN. It initially touched down near the intersection of 38th St. and 32nd Ave where it bent a light pole from the top of the intersection stop lights. It tracked to the northeast just south of Altru Hospital along 17th Ave S., past Lewis and Clark elementary School, and then crossed the Red River of the North at Lincoln Drive Park into Minnesota. It lifted over the southern part of East Grand Forks, MN around the Red Lake River near Folsom Park. Most of the damage was to trees along the path. Maximum rating is EF-1 in Grand Forks County, with wind speed at 100 mph based on snapped hardwood tree damage in Grand Forks, ND.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-Davis Weather Sensor at NWS Grand Forks reports 66 MPH at 0123z.
May 2023FloodGrand Forks-East Grand Forks - Crest of 40.83 ft occurred on 4/24. Flooding began in April. (Crest noted in April Storm Data).
July 2023Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-Public reports wind damage relating to a thunderstorm. Healthy tree branches greater than 6 inches and some shingles blown off the roof. Time estimated by radar.
June 2022HailGrand Forks-Dime to quarter sized hail for about 5 minutes, through about 335 pm CDT. Reports and photos were relayed via social media.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-Large branches and a few trees were blown down around various parts of town. Timing is based on nearby wind sensor reports.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-Downed trees and power lines were reported in town. Additionally, a trampoline took out 4 mailboxes.
August 2021HailGrand Forks-A public report of hail was relayed via social media.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-Peak wind was measured by the UND Clifford Hall Anemometer.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-Numerous large branches and limbs down along Belmont Rd, south of 27th.
August 2020HailGrand Forks-The hail fell on the south end of Grand Forks.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-Large tree branches were blown down.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-A light pole was blown down along south 48th street, at 32nd avenue.
July 2020HailGrand Forks-Pea to nickel sized hail fell across south Grand Forks.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-A light pole and several large branches were blown down near the post office.
September 2020Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-Tree branches were blown down on the south side of Grand Forks.
September 2020Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-The wind gust was measured by a ND DOT RWIS mesonet sensor along Interstate 29.
September 2020Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-A large tree was snapped in half near Riverside Park.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-Large tree branches and power lines were blown down on Walnut Street.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-Large tree branches were blown down.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-A large tree was blown down.
June 2019Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-Several large tree limbs were blown down causing sporadic power outages. A nearby NDDOT mesonet sensor reported a 51 mph wind gust.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-A tree was blown down onto Washington Street, near Gateway Drive.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-A street pole light was bent down to the ground. Numerous large tree branches were also blown down.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-Large branches were blown down in Riverside Park.
August 2018HailGrand Forks-Dime to nickel sized hail fell just south of Grand Forks.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-A large tree was blown down.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-Tree damage was reported in south Grand Forks.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks-A portion of a fence was blown down in south Grand Forks.

Every storm recorded in Grand Forks County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Calspur3.0 miles16
North Grand Forks4.8 miles16
Merrifield6.8 miles13
Powell7.7 miles13
Thompson11.2 miles13
Kelly11.9 miles13
Ojata (historical)12.5 miles16
Manvel13.0 miles8

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on Grand ForksAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q34144The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1029197. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.