Photo: Eleaf · CC BY-SA 3.0Grand Junction’s winters are colder but less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Grand Junction at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Grand Junction’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Grand Junction’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Grand Junction feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 171 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 28 and the first by October 16. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Grand Junction Walker Fld, CO, 3 miles from the city’s center point, 210 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Grand Junction’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 2°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 18 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Grand Junction Walker Fld, CO, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 9 inches a year; September is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 72 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Grand Junction
82% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Grand Junction Walker Fld, CO.
Living with Grand Junction’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
171 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 28 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 16.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September. 87 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Grand Junction from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (70%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Grand Junction and its neighbors
Redlands has the coldest January nights next door (17°, 1° colder). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Grand Junction’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Junction, CO | 18° | 95° | 9" | 18" |
| Winnemucca, NV | 21° | 93° | 8" | 22" |
| Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM | 21° | 94° | 9" | 12" |
| Payette, ID | 23° | 94° | 10" | 15" |
| Ontario, OR | 23° | 93° | 10" | 15" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Grand Junction averaged 2.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.3°).
A bigger shift than in all but 7 U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Grand Junction compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Grand Junction’s place among Colorado’s.
Grand Junction weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Grand Junction’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Grand Junction Walker Fld, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 18° | 0.6" | 4.5" | 6 | 12 | 20° – 38° |
| February | 48° | 24° | 0.5" | 2.9" | 6 | 4 | 30° – 43° |
| March | 60° | 32° | 0.7" | 1.8" | 7 | 1 | 41° – 51° |
| April | 67° | 38° | 0.9" | 0.9" | 7 | 0 | 47° – 59° |
| May | 78° | 47° | 0.8" | 0.1" | 6 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| June | 90° | 56° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| July | 95° | 63° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 74° – 84° |
| August | 92° | 61° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 72° – 81° |
| September | 83° | 51° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 62° – 71° |
| October | 69° | 39° | 1.0" | 0.4" | 6 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 54° | 28° | 0.6" | 1.9" | 5 | 1 | 34° – 47° |
| December | 40° | 19° | 0.5" | 5.2" | 6 | 7 | 22° – 36° |
| Year | 68° | 40° | 8.6" | 17.7" | 72 | 24 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 38°. September is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Grand Junction’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Grand Junction’s center.
- Snow: Grand Junction Walker Fld, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Grand Junction Walker Fld, CO, 3 miles from the city’s center point, 210 ft higher; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Grand Junction’s climate
What is the weather like in Grand Junction?
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 94% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Grand Junction in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 137 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Grand Junction get?
About 18 inches in a normal winter at Grand Junction Walker Fld, CO, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 24 days a year.
How hot does it get in Grand Junction?
July, with a typical high of 95° and a low of 63°. About 68 days a year reach 90° and 8 reach 100° (Grand Junction Walker Fld, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Grand Junction?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 28 and the first fall frost by October 16, about 171 frost-free days, at Grand Junction Walker Fld, CO.
What growing zone is Grand Junction in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 2°.
What is the best time of year to visit Grand Junction?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Grand Junction getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than all but 7 U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Grand Junction.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.