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Arches National ParkMules Ears
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Arches National Park
Weather

Southeast Utah is part of the Colorado Plateau, a "high desert" region that experiences wide temperature fluctuations, sometimes over 40 degrees in a single day. The temperate (and most popular) seasons are spring (April through May) and fall (mid-September through October), when daytime highs average 60 to 80 F and lows average 30 to 50 F.

Summer temperatures often exceed 100 F, making strenuous exercise difficult. Late summer monsoon season brings violent storm cells which often cause flash floods.

Winters are cold, with highs averaging 30 to 50 F, and lows averaging 0 to 20 F. Though large snowfalls are uncommon (except in nearby mountains), even small amounts of snow or ice can make local trails and roads impassable.

Local weather conditions and forecasts are available by phone at (801) 524-5133 (recorded information), and on the Web at www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc.

Temperatures By Month

Month

Average
High

Average
Low

Extreme
High

Extreme
Low

Days
Above 100

Days
 Below 32

Jan

44

22

63

-1

0

28

Feb

52

28

73

9

0

22

March

64

35

87

13

0

10

April

71

42

93

25

0

3

May

82

51

105

33

1

0

June

93

60

110

43

6

0

July

100

67

116

51

16

0

Aug

97

66

109

44

12

0

Sept

88

55

105

36

1

0

Oct

74

42

106

23

0

2

Nov

56

30

79

12

0

18

Dec

45

23

69

5

0

26

(Temperatures measured in degrees Fahrenheit)

Precipitation By Month/Year

Month

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

AVG

Jan

0.16

0.11

0.24

0.89

0.80

0.54

0.13

1.09

0.60

Feb

0.84

1.19

0

0.76

0.31

0.18

0.74

0.36

0.63

March

0.14

1.03

0.13

0.76

1.09

0.14

0.71

0.36

0.77

April

2.09

0.01

0.02

0.50

0.09

2.04

1.54

1.10

0.79

May

0.28

1.10

0.17

0.81

0.34

0.20

0.41

0.59

0.76

June

0.76

0.29

0.44

0.23

0.27

1.48

0.43

0.57

0.47

July

0

0.15

0.28

2.05

0.10

1.48

0.43

1.06

0.68

Aug

0.14

0.36

0.38

1.34

0.86

1.76

0.24

1.21

0.81

Sept

1.19

0.52

2.48

0.07

0.25

0.71

1.23

2.15

0.89

Oct

0.77

0.36

0.26

0.30

1.26

0

2.93

0.83

1.15

Nov

1.14

0.28

0.47

0.79

0.21

0

0.28

0.37

0.57

Dec

0.57

0.80

0.08

0.50

0.60

0.64

0.18

0.33

0.44

TOTAL

8.08

6.20

4.95

9.00

6.18

9.17

9.54

10.02

8.56


(Precipitation measured in Inches)
Collared Lizard  

Did You Know?
Lizards, including the colorful collared lizard, are one of the most frequently seen animals at Arches. When not chasing flies or basking in the sun, they are often seen doing what appears to be push-ups. Scientists believe this and other behaviors signal dominance and facilitate courtship.

Last Updated: July 25, 2006 at 00:23 EST