Weather

Desert thunderstorm

NPS Photo/Mark Schuler

 

Weather and River Level Information

Sunshine is abundant year-round on the Rio Grande. While this sounds welcoming, heat exhaustion and heat stroke are dangers to guard against during the hot months. Conversely, hypothermia is a life-threatening danger during the balance of the year. Infrequent and brief periods of cloudy weather are confined mostly to the winter months.

Appropriate clothing and other gear should be carried from November through April as cold fronts can bring freezing weather with rain or snow. The “rainy season” extends from mid-July through early October and can result in locally heavy thunderstorms and flash floods. Rapid river rises can be dangerous if unprepared. Relative humidity is normally between 25%-40% year around.

The statistics shown below are from Rio Grande Village, elevation 1,850 feet above sea level.

 

Current River Level Observations

• Rio Grande River Gauging Stations overview (Presidio to Langtry)
• Presidio
• Castolon for Santa Elena Canyon flows
• Johnsons Ranch
• Rio Grande Village for Hot Springs Cyn. & Boquillas Cyn. flows
• Dryden for Lower Canyons flows
• Langtry

 

Month	Temperature Averages °F/°C		Precipitation (inches/mm)	River depth (feet/meters)
	Maximum	Minimum
January	67.7 / 19.8	31.8 / -0.1	0.39 / 9.9	2.53 / 0.77
February	74.0 / 23.3	35.4 / 1.9	0.39 / 9.9	2.58 / 0.79
March	83.2 / 28.4	44.4 / 6.9	0.16 / 4.1	2.93 / 0.89
April	91.1 / 32.8	53.4 / 11.9	0.58 / 14.7	3.06 / 0.93
May	96.8 / 36.0	62.8 / 17.1	1.43 / 36.3	3.54 / 1.08
June	103.1 / 39.5	69.7 / 20.9	1.44 / 36.6	3.39 / 1.03
July	101.6 / 38.7	70.8 / 21.6	1.47 / 37.3	3.15 / 0.96
August	99.4 / 37.4	71.0 / 21.7	1.61 / 40.1	3.87 / 1.18
September	94.9 / 34.9	65.3 / 18.5	1.30 / 33.0	4.16 / 1.27
October	87.2 / 30.7	54.0 / 12.2	1.30 / 33.0	4.31 / 1.31
November	76.8 / 24.9	40.2 / 4.6	0.41 / 10.4	3.01 / 0.92
December	69.9 / 21.1	32.9 / 0.5	0.34 / 8.6	2.65 / 0.81

 

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