Editing Fargo, North Dakota (section)

==Geography==
[[File:FEMA - 40347 - Flooded neighborhood in Fargo, North Dakota.jpg|thumb|left|Spring flooding in Riverview area of Fargo, 2009]]

Fargo is a core city of the [[Fargo metropolitan area|Fargo-Moorhead, ND–MN Combined Statistical Area]], which also includes Moorhead, West Fargo, and Dilworth and outlying communities.

Fargo sits on the western bank of the [[Red River of the North]] in a flat geographic region known as the [[Red River Valley]]. The Red River Valley resulted from the withdrawal of [[glacier|glacial]] [[Lake Agassiz]], which drained away about 9,300 years ago. The lake sediments deposited from Lake Agassiz made the land around Fargo some of the richest in the world for agricultural uses.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Handy |first=Barbara |title=Lessons from Lake Agassiz {{!}} State Historical Society of North Dakota Blog |url=https://blog.statemuseum.nd.gov/blog/lake-agassiz |access-date=August 19, 2023 |website=[[State Historical Society of North Dakota]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bluemle |first=John P. |title=Glacial Lake Agassiz |url=https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndgs/ndnotes/agassiz/ |url-status= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201133951/https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndgs/ndnotes/agassiz/ |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |access-date=August 19, 2023 |website=North Dakota Geological Survey}}</ref>

Seasonal floods due to the rising water of the Red River, which flows from the United States into [[Lake Winnipeg]] in Manitoba, Canada, have presented challenges. The Red flows northward, which means melting snow and river ice, as well as runoff from its tributaries, often create ice dams causing the river to overflow. Fargo's surrounding Red River Valley terrain is essentially flat, leading to overland flooding. Since the potentially devastating [[2009 Red River flood]], both Fargo and Moorhead have taken great strides in flood protection; only a near-record flood would cause concern today. Work on the [[FM Diversion]] has begun and upon completion, it will permanently floodproof the metro for 500-year floods.

Its location makes the city vulnerable to flooding during seasons with above-average precipitation. The Red River's minor flood stage in Fargo begins at a level of 18 feet, with major flooding categorized at 30 feet and above. Many major downtown roadways and access to Moorhead are closed off at this level. Record snowfalls late in 1996 led to flooding in 1997, causing the Red to rise to a record crest of 39.5 feet, nearly overtaking city defenses. In 2008–2009, significant fall precipitation coupled with rapid snowmelt in March 2009 caused the Red to rise to a new record level of 40.84 feet, but again Fargo remained safe, in large part due to flood mitigation efforts instituted after the 1997 event and sandbagging efforts by the city residents. Further upgrades were made to city infrastructure and additional resources brought to bear following the 2009 flood, which caused no issues for the city in 2010 despite another rapid melt that caused the Red to rise to 37 feet (which ranks among the top-ten highest levels ever recorded). The estimated $1.5 billion FM diversion project is under construction and will channel the Red's water away from the city. As of 2012, Fargo has bought 700 houses in flood-prone areas.<ref>[http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/71153/ Fargo lifts the ban on building permits in flood-prone areas | WDAY | Fargo, ND] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130217004320/http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/71153/ |date=February 17, 2013}}. WDAY (November 8, 2012). Retrieved on August 25, 2013.</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|50.835|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|50.834|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.001|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2023"/>

===Climate===
Because of its location in the [[Great Plains]] and its distance from both mountains and oceans, Fargo has an extreme [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Dfb'', bordering on ''Dwb''), featuring long, bitterly cold winters and warm to hot, humid summers. It lies in USDA Plant [[hardiness zone]] 4a.<ref>{{cite web|title=USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map|url=http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/|publisher=United States Department of Agriculture|access-date=April 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227032333/http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/|archive-date=February 27, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> The city features winters among the coldest in the contiguous United States; the coldest month of January has a normal mean temperature of {{convert|9.2|°F|1}}. There is an annual average of 43 days with a minimum of {{convert|0|°F|0}} or lower.<ref name=NOAA-F/> Snowfall averages {{convert|51.4|in|cm|0}} per season.<ref name=NOAA-F /> Spring and autumn are short and highly variable seasons. Summers have frequent thunderstorms, and the warmest month, July, has a normal mean temperature of {{convert|70.7|°F|1}}; highs reach {{convert|90|°F|0}} on an average of 12.7 days each year.<ref name=NOAA-F /> Annual precipitation of {{convert|24.0|in|mm|0}} is concentrated in the warmer months. Record temperatures have ranged from {{convert|−48|°F|0}} on January 8, 1887, to {{convert|114|°F|0}} on [[1936 North American heat wave|July 6, 1936]]; the record coldest daily maximum is {{convert|−29|°F|0}} on [[1936 North American cold wave|January 22, 1936]], while, conversely, the record warmest daily minimum was {{convert|82|°F|0}}, set four days after the all-time record high.<ref name = ThreadEx/> On average, the first and last dates to see a minimum at or below the freezing mark are September 30 and May 8, respectively, allowing a growing season of 144 days.<ref name=NOAA-F />

In 2011, Fargo won [[The Weather Channel]]'s "America's Toughest Weather City" poll. After almost 850,000 votes, blizzards, cold, and floods secured the title for the city.<ref>{{cite web|title=America's Toughest Weather City Champion|url=https://weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/americas-toughest-weather-city-champion_2011-03-31|website=Weather.com|access-date=July 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611212148/https://weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/americas-toughest-weather-city-champion_2011-03-31|archive-date=June 11, 2013}}</ref>

{{Weather box |location = Fargo, North Dakota ([[Hector International Airport|Hector Int'l]]), 1991–2020 normals,{{efn|Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.}} extremes 1881–present{{efn|Official records for Fargo were kept at the Weather Bureau Office in [[Moorhead, Minnesota]] from January 1881 to January 1942, and at Hector Int'l since February 1942. For more information, see [http://threadex.rcc-acis.org/ ThreadEx]}}
|collapsed = Y 
|single line = Y
|Jan record high F = 55
|Feb record high F = 66
|Mar record high F = 80
|Apr record high F = 100
|May record high F = 104
|Jun record high F = 104
|Jul record high F = 114
|Aug record high F = 106
|Sep record high F = 102
|Oct record high F = 97
|Nov record high F = 74
|Dec record high F = 65
|year record high F = 114
|Jan avg record high F = 39.8
|Feb avg record high F = 42.0
|Mar avg record high F = 57.5
|Apr avg record high F = 78.3
|May avg record high F = 88.9
|Jun avg record high F = 92.4
|Jul avg record high F = 92.9
|Aug avg record high F = 92.2
|Sep avg record high F = 89.7
|Oct avg record high F = 79.5
|Nov avg record high F = 59.4
|Dec avg record high F = 42.6
|year avg record high F = 95.8
|Jan high F = 18.2
|Feb high F = 22.7
|Mar high F = 36.3
|Apr high F = 54.1
|May high F = 68.7
|Jun high F = 78.1
|Jul high F = 82.1
|Aug high F = 80.7
|Sep high F = 72.0
|Oct high F = 55.8
|Nov high F = 38.1
|Dec high F = 24.0
|year high F = 52.6
|Jan mean F = 9.2
|Feb mean F = 13.4
|Mar mean F = 27.2
|Apr mean F = 43.0
|May mean F = 56.6
|Jun mean F = 66.8
|Jul mean F = 70.7
|Aug mean F = 68.8
|Sep mean F = 60.0
|Oct mean F = 45.5
|Nov mean F = 29.5
|Dec mean F = 15.7
|year mean F = 42.2
|Jan low F = 0.2
|Feb low F = 4.1
|Mar low F = 18.1
|Apr low F = 31.9
|May low F = 44.4
|Jun low F = 55.6
|Jul low F = 59.4
|Aug low F = 56.8
|Sep low F = 48.1
|Oct low F = 35.2
|Nov low F = 20.9
|Dec low F = 7.5
|year low F = 31.8
|Jan avg record low F = −22.8
|Feb avg record low F = -18.8
|Mar avg record low F = -7.4
|Apr avg record low F = 15.9
|May avg record low F = 29.1
|Jun avg record low F = 42.4
|Jul avg record low F = 47.3
|Aug avg record low F = 44.4
|Sep avg record low F = 31.7
|Oct avg record low F = 19.6
|Nov avg record low F = 1.3
|Dec avg record low F = -15.1
|year avg record low F = -25.0
|Jan record low F = −48
|Feb record low F = −47
|Mar record low F = −34
|Apr record low F = -13
|May record low F = 14
|Jun record low F = 28
|Jul record low F = 36
|Aug record low F = 32
|Sep record low F = 17
|Oct record low F = -4
|Nov record low F = −27
|Dec record low F = −36
|year record low F = -48
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 0.71
|Feb precipitation inch = 0.69
|Mar precipitation inch = 1.25
|Apr precipitation inch = 1.54
|May precipitation inch = 3.09
|Jun precipitation inch = 4.29
|Jul precipitation inch = 3.07
|Aug precipitation inch = 2.60
|Sep precipitation inch = 2.68
|Oct precipitation inch = 2.17
|Nov precipitation inch = 0.97
|Dec precipitation inch = 0.89
|year precipitation inch = 23.95
|Jan snow inch = 10.3
|Feb snow inch = 8.1
|Mar snow inch = 9.2
|Apr snow inch = 4.1
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 1.2
|Nov snow inch = 6.8
|Dec snow inch = 11.7
|year snow inch = 51.4
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 8.9
|Feb precipitation days = 7.5
|Mar precipitation days = 7.7
|Apr precipitation days = 8.2
|May precipitation days = 11.4
|Jun precipitation days = 11.8
|Jul precipitation days = 9.7
|Aug precipitation days = 8.6
|Sep precipitation days = 8.7
|Oct precipitation days = 8.5
|Nov precipitation days = 7.6
|Dec precipitation days = 10.0
|year precipitation days = 108.6
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 9.5
|Feb snow days = 7.6
|Mar snow days = 5.5
|Apr snow days = 2.3
|May snow days = 0.1
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 1.2
|Nov snow days = 5.4
|Dec snow days = 10.2
|year snow days = 41.8
|Jan humidity = 73.1
|Feb humidity = 74.7
|Mar humidity = 76.0
|Apr humidity = 65.6
|May humidity = 60.0
|Jun humidity = 66.1
|Jul humidity = 66.9
|Aug humidity = 66.5
|Sep humidity = 69.2
|Oct humidity = 68.8
|Nov humidity = 75.7
|Dec humidity = 76.1
|year humidity = 69.9
|Jan sun = 140.9
|Feb sun = 153.9
|Mar sun = 212.3
|Apr sun = 241.6
|May sun = 283.2
|Jun sun = 303.2
|Jul sun = 350.2
|Aug sun = 313.2
|Sep sun = 231.2
|Oct sun = 178.9
|Nov sun = 113.1
|Dec sun = 107.4
|year sun = 2629.1
|Jan percentsun = 51
|Feb percentsun = 53
|Mar percentsun = 58
|Apr percentsun = 59
|May percentsun = 61
|Jun percentsun = 64
|Jul percentsun = 73
|Aug percentsun = 71
|Sep percentsun = 61
|Oct percentsun = 53
|Nov percentsun = 40
|Dec percentsun = 40
|year percentsun = 59
|Jan uv = 1
|Feb uv = 2
|Mar uv = 3
|Apr uv = 5
|May uv = 6
|Jun uv = 8
|Jul uv = 8
|Aug uv = 7
|Sep uv = 5
|Oct uv = 3
|Nov uv = 1
|Dec uv = 1
|source 1 = NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961–1990)<ref name=NOAA-F>
{{cite web 
| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=fgf
| title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
| access-date = June 19, 2021}}</ref><ref name= ThreadEx>
{{cite web
| url = http://threadex.rcc-acis.org/
| title = Thread Stations Extremes
| access-date = September 13, 2011
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00014914&format=pdf
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| title = Station: Fargo Hector INTL AP, ND
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020)
| access-date = June 19, 2021}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web
| url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/US/GROUP4/72753.TXT
| title = WMO Climate Normals for FARGO/WSO AP ND 1961–1990
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = June 19, 2021}}</ref>
|source 2= Weather Atlas (UV)<ref name="Weather Atlas">
{{cite web
| url = https://www.weather-us.com/en/north-dakota-usa/fargo-climate
| title = Fargo, North Dakota, USA – Monthly weather forecast and Climate data
| publisher = Weather Atlas
| access-date = July 4, 2019}}</ref>
}}