Grand Canyon in Fall
In fall (September, October and November), Grand Canyon sees average daytime highs around 69°F and overnight lows near 44°F, with 2.5 in of precipitation over about 11 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 85°F in early September to 51°F by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 68% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.
Fall is Grand Canyon's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Grand Canyon's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 69°F
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 44°F
- Precipitation
- 2.5 in
- 11 wet days
- Avg wind
- 5 mph
- Travel score
- 6.9
- best season of the year
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in Grand Canyon in Fall
Over the season highs ease from about 85°F in early September to 51°F by late November.
A typical fall day in Grand Canyon reaches about 69°F and drops to 44°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.
How fall really feels in Grand Canyon
Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 24 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in fall is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Grand Canyon weather by month
How the three fall months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46° / 25° | 1.4 | 5.3 | 3.4 | 9.8 | 1.3 |
| Feb | 50° / 29° | 1.5 | 6.5 | 3.8 | 10.6 | 2.5 |
| Mar | 58° / 34° | 1.1 | 5.2 | 1.9 | 11.7 | 5.0 |
| Apr | 65° / 40° | 0.8 | 4.1 | 1.2 | 12.9 | 7.1 |
| May | 76° / 49° | 0.4 | 2.2 | 0.1 | 13.9 | 8.5 |
| Jun | 87° / 58° | 0.1 | 0.9 | 0 | 14.4 | 6.2 |
| Jul | 90° / 65° | 0.8 | 5.5 | 0 | 14.2 | 4.4 |
| Aug | 88° / 63° | 0.8 | 5.1 | 0 | 13.4 | 5.2 |
| Sep | 81° / 56° | 0.8 | 3.9 | 0 | 12.2 | 7.7 |
| Oct | 69° / 44° | 0.8 | 3.5 | 0.3 | 11.1 | 8.0 |
| Nov | 57° / 33° | 0.8 | 3.6 | 1.2 | 10.1 | 4.9 |
| Dec | 46° / 26° | 1.2 | 5.3 | 3.6 | 9.6 | 1.4 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 68% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Grand Canyon gets around 2.5 in of rain and snow over 11 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 5 mph across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min in early September to 9 h 42 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 4.8 kWh/m².
Is fall a good time to visit Grand Canyon?
Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
fall is a reasonable time to visit Grand Canyon for sightseeing.
What to pack for Grand Canyon in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Grand Canyon sees daytime highs around 69°F and nights near 44°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer. About 11 days see rain.
UV index in Grand Canyon in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Grand Canyon peaks around July 17 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 9 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Where is Grand Canyon?
Grand Canyon sits at 36.1°N, 112.1°W, 0 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Flagstaff, 65 mi away.
Topography around Grand Canyon
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Grand Canyon.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Grand Canyon has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,527 ft around an average of 6,434 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,873 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,550 ft.
The land around Grand Canyon is covered by trees (71%) within 2 miles, trees (45%) and grassland (21%) within 10 miles, and grassland (42%), trees (23%) and bare terrain (23%) within 50 miles.
United States travel facts
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 120 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 100% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $90,027
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 98%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 5.8
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 12.7
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Grand Canyon (36.0544°, -112.1393°, elevation 0 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.