UND Atmospheric Sciences West Skycam

A Meteorological Lens on the Northern Plains

This camera is mounted on the roof of Clifford Hall, home of the University of North Dakota's renowned Department of Atmospheric Sciences. Pointed due west, it offers a flat, far-reaching view across the prairie that makes it a genuine instrument for watching weather roll in off the Great Plains.

Big-Sky Country Over Grand Forks

The Red River Valley around Grand Forks is famously level and open, and that geography turns the sky into the main event. Towering cumulus, distant rain shafts, and the long sweep of the horizon dominate the frame, while the campus and city edge anchor the foreground.

A Living METAR Display

Across the top of the image runs a live METAR weather string for KGFK (Grand Forks International Airport), pairing the visual scene with real aviation-grade observations of wind, visibility, cloud cover, and pressure — a small teaching tool in its own right.

Part of a Campus Sky Network

This is the west-facing member of a trio of UND sky cameras, complemented by east and southwest views from the same rooftop. Together they give a near-panoramic record of the ever-changing skies above the Northern Plains.