Weather at Grand Canyon

South Rim Spring comes early to the South Rim but the weather can be quite unpredictable. March is still typically cold and windy but you can still be snowed on anywhere until early May. June is hot and dry with not much in the way of breezes. July and August are the wettest time of the year and thunderstorms are frequent and can also be quite severe. Fall can also be a very unpredictable time of year and the weather can vary significantly from day to day. Snow normally does not start falling until November. Snow doesn't usually last long on the South Rim unless a major storm hits. Ice is common in the upper sections of all of the side canyons during the winter months. North Rim The North Rim is closed to vehicular travel from about mid-October to mid-May because of snow. Because the North Rim is 1500 feet (450 meters) higher than the south rim, most of the precipitation there falls in the form of snow and it is not uncommon for it to exceed 100 inches (250 centimeters) in a season. Summer days at the north rim are delightfully clear and cool except for the occasional thunderstorms in July and August. Inner Canyon The inner canyon is a desert environment and should never be taken lightly. In is not uncommon for temperatures during the summer (May-September) to exceed 100 degrees F (38 C). There is very little shade in the inner canyon and if you plan to be hiking there during the summer months you should plan your hikes for early morning or late afternoon and rest during the hottest part of the day. Most of the rain that falls occurs during the months of July and August. Click here for the current Grand Canyon weather via the University of Michigan's Weather Underground project Click here for The Weather Channel forecast. Click here if the table below doesn't look right. It requires a browser that supports tables to be displayed properly. Temperatures and Precipitation (Fahrenheit and Inches) Month South Rim North Rim Inner Gorge Max Min Precip Max Min Precip Max Min Precip January 41 18 1.32 37 16 3.17 56 36 0.68 February 45 21 1.55 39 18 3.22 62 42 0.75 March 51 25 1.38 44 21 2.63 71 48 0.79 April 60 32 0.93 53 29 1.73 82 56 0.47 May 70 39 0.66 62 34 1.17 92 63 0.36 June 81 47 0.42 73 40 0.86 101 72 0.30 July 84 54 1.81 77 46 1.93 106 78 0.84 August 82 53 2.25 75 45 2.85 103 75 1.40 September 76 47 1.56 69 39 1.99 97 69 0.97 October 65 36 1.10 59 31 1.38 84 58 0.65 November 52 27 0.94 46 24 1.48 68 46 0.43 December 43 20 1.62 40 20 2.83 57 37 0.87 Click here for Centigrade and Centimeters

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Copyright © Bob Ribokas, 1994-2000, all rights reserved. This publication and its text and photos may not be copied for commercial use without the express written permission of Bob Ribokas.