The Surface Weather Observations was a form used to record daily weather conditions in Grand Forks. The forms date from 1946-1948, 1952-1959, 1965, 1967-1977, and 1980-1987. From 1946 until 1970, the data was recorded by the Weather Bureau, an agency of the United States Department of Commerce. Responsibility for this task fell to the National Weather Service, a branch of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, in 1970.

One individual sheet was kept per day, and one reading was taken per hour. The weather data which was recorded included: temperature, precipitation, snow fall and depth, station and sea- level pressure, wind direction, speed, and character, sky and ceiling conditions, dew point, and visibility. These recordings were taken at the Grand Forks Airport. The records were originally housed in the Geography Department Library. While most of the records are originals, some are photocopies.