The summer weather in Grand Junction can get hot, but not too hot!

I wrote a post called Grand Junction Weather that summarizes the seasons we experience. It outlines the varying temperatures in the Grand Valley (which includes Fruita, Grand Junction and Palisade). I also wrote one called Winter Weather in Grand Junction. Now it’s time to give you some insight on summer weather in Grand Junction.

Before we came to Grand Junction the first time, we didn’t even know Colorado had high desert. We thought it was all about that great “Rocky Mountain high” that John Denver sang about. (You can connect with nature in the John Denver Sanctuary in downtown Aspen, CO. Cool place!)

How Does Summer Weather in Grand Junction Compare to Other Cities?

If you live in Phoenix, it’s hot. Temps well over 100°F during the long summer, sometimes 115°F or higher! Phoenix is significantly warmer with temperatures rarely dropping below 80°. Summer weather in Grand Junction is hot, but it’s not too hot. Because of the lack of humidity 95°F feels like 88°F to us. It’s not so hot that you want to stay indoors all day during the summer. And we don’t get dust storms or monsoons like Phoenix, AZ.

What about Texas? Texas is hot too. Austin, has a humid subtropical climate with long, hot summers, and mild winters. Texas gets a lot more rain than we do. Severe thunderstorms and flooding occur. A temp like 95° in Austin, TX feels like 106° because of the humidity. Florida and the southeast in general are similar, with lots of humidity.

How about St. Louis? Summers are also hot, with highs in the lower 90’s, but the humidity makes it feel even hotter (heat index values can reach up to 102°F). And the Midwest gets tornados. We don’t get a lot of severe weather here. The risk of a tornado in Grand Junction is much lower than in the rest of the state of Colorado and elsewhere. I had to research to see if there ever has been a tornado here. I found an article written in 2023 that said there have been a total of 10 tornados in Mesa County. That’s very, very low!

No hurricanes or extremely volatile storms. I rarely hear thunder or see lightening. We do get some wind, occasional hail, and we need to be mindful about fire restrictions during the summer to avoid forest fires.

It’s a Dry Heat

Peach Street Distillers Corn Dip and Margaritas

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “but it’s a dry heat” from those of us who live in a high desert environment. I understood what people were saying before we visited but I didn’t really appreciate it until we spent more time in Grand Junction and western Colorado. We would do an activity outside during the summer and I wondered why I wasn’t sweating. I was, it was just evaporating so quickly that I didn’t notice. That’s why everyone here says to drink plenty of water. You don’t realize you are losing water because you don’t get sweaty just walking around like you do in more humid environments.

Because the summer temperatures are comfortable, we like to dine outside whenever possible. Many of the local establishments have outdoor patios or rooftop decks. Some are in the sun while others offer shade. Grand Junction, Fruita and Palisade are all very dog friendly. You’ll often see water bowls for dogs along the sidewalk and on restaurant patios.

If you feel warm, try some outdoor water activities like floating down the Colorado River, boating at Highline Lake State Park, or fishing up on the Mesa.

Overnight Temps Drop

Because Grand Junction is in the desert, it cools off at night. For example, in August it might get to 95°F during the day but that’s from about 2pm to 5pm. In the morning, we start out in the 70’s between 7am to 9am. A great time to have your morning tea or coffee outdoors. And after the sun sets our overnight lows are in the 60’s. We often sit outside after dark comfortably. We don’t wake up and say it’s hot right away, because it’s not. Mornings and evenings are very different than midday because we are in the desert. And if you are in the shade vs the sun makes a big difference too. We really do enjoy the summer weather in Grand Junction, day and night.

Bugs, what bugs?

Island Lake on the Grand Mesa taken near the boat launch and campgrounds

If you live in the Midwest, when you read the line above about us sitting outside comfortably after dark you probably laughed, right? You thought the mosquitos would carry us away! We don’t really have mosquitoes in Grand Junction. Maybe there are some by the Colorado River or other small creeks and streams. But in general, we don’t see them. Now, if you go up on the Grand Mesa, they have mosquitoes there because they also have 300+ lakes in the forest. That’s 45 minutes southeast of us. So we do bring our bug spray when we go up there during the summer until about mid-September. After the first frost, no bugs up there either.

My point is, if you are searching for a new place to live, keep reading about Grand Junction, Fruita, Palisade and Mesa County here on the western slope of Colorado. Consider moving to Colorado.

If you want a mild climate and all four seasons, move to Grand Junction. If you want to downhill ski in the morning and golf in the afternoon, move to Grand Junction. If you want to sell your snow shovel and snow blower and be done with icy conditions, move to Grand Junction. If you want to experience around 300 days of sunshine per year, move to Grand Junction. If you want to live in a place that offers outdoor activities and recreation year round, you guessed it, move to Grand Junction! And that goes for Fruita and Palisade too!

Learn more about my experience and how I serve my clients. If you are 50+ you might also like my post called Retire in Grand Junction: Your grandkids and kids will thank you, and my post about not waiting, semi-retire in Grand Junction. We will welcome you with open arms.

Ready to look for homes in Grand Junction, Palisade or Fruita, here’s how you get started!

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Dining outside at Peach Street Distillers in Palisade, CO

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PAUL ASPELIN, REALTOR®
GRI, SRES®, CNE
Serving clients since 2001

Grand Junction Real Estate Expert
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