What type of climate exists at Grand Canyon National Park?

Question

This would include mainly precipitation and temerature. It would also be important to include if the park experiences seasonal changes that we are familiar with here in Arkansas.

Answer 1

I know it is cold there right now! But, the temperatures can vary quite a bit from the rim to the bottom of the canyon.

From the National Park Service website http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/weather-condition.htm:

With an elevation spanning from around 2000 feet to over 8000 feet (760-2440m), the Grand Canyon area experiences a variety of weather conditions. This weather variety includes cold winters and mild pleasant summers, moderate humidity, and considerable diurnal temperature changes at the higher elevations, with hot and drier summers at the bottom of the Grand Canyon along with cool damp winters. Summer thunderstorms and winter snowfall adds to the weather variety in this region.

Spring
By mid-April, winter weather usually begins to break, and although snow is not uncommon in May, warm spells become more frequent. The winter cold gives way to a warming and pleasant spring period with average high temperatures gradually rising from the 50s and 60s (10-21°C) in April through the 70s to 80s (21-32°C) by June along the Rim, and from the 80s (27-32°C) in April to near 105 (41°C) by June along the river. Low temperatures will typically fall below freezing on the Rim in April and May and warm into the 40s (4-9°C) by June, with low temperatures from the 50s (10-15°C) in April to the 70s (21-26°C) by June along the river. Spring is typically breezy to windy with winds occasionally gusting over 40 mph (18 m/s) and dry with little precipitation occurring in May and early June. Due to the very dry airmass typical of the late spring months, late season frosts and freezes are still a possibility, with sub freezing temperatures being recorded as late as July at the North Rim. Snowfall has been reported as late as the middle of June.

Answer 2

I lived in the park for almost three years. The only month snow has never been reported is August. The rim is at 7000 feet, and is considered high desert. The bottom of the canyon is closer to Phoenix weather, as it is more that a mile stright down to the bottom. Grand Canyon has the four season similar to Arkansas, however the rain fall is much less. As for rain fall/temp averages, go to nps.gov or weather.com.

Answer 3

This site tells about the seasonal weather conditions :
http://www.us-parks.com/grand_canyon/weather.html

Answer 4

it can snow, or be 104 degrees F