Weather in Moab in July

A hard month. July is a hard month in Moab, and worth planning around. Daytime highs average 37.1 °C and the afternoon is not negotiable — outdoor plans move to early morning or evening.

July ranks 12 of 12 — near the bottom of Moab's year. April is the month that works, and the swing between the two is 50 points, which is a different holiday rather than a slightly better one.

Rain on 8 days, 0 of them heavy. Enough to need a plan B, not enough to need a plan around it. Pack for heat management rather than style: shade, water, and a schedule that gives up on the middle of the day.

What the averages hide

Averages flatten a month, and this one hides a few things: 24 days of the month clear 35 °C — that is not a heatwave, it is the month; the day swings 15.4 °C from low to high, which means one bag has to cover both. Across the twenty years measured, the hottest July day reached 43.8 °C and the coldest night fell to 12.9 °C.

July is moderately variable: 13 mm in the driest year against 60 mm in the wettest, around an average of 31 mm. Roughly two Julys in three land near that average, and the third does something else entirely.

Wind is light at 7.7 km/h, so the temperature on the page is close to the temperature on your skin, and the air is dry at 33% humidity, which makes the heat far more bearable than the same figure somewhere humid — and dehydrates you faster than you expect.

How July sits in the year

This is a turning point in the year — June and August sit on opposite sides of it, so the month contains the change rather than following it. Rain has already shifted: 6 days more than June had.

Daylight in July

July is at or near the longest days of Moab's year: 14.6 hours of daylight, losing 0.6 hours across the month. Evenings are the real gain — dinner outdoors still happens in full light.

An inland climate

With no coast nearby, the year swings a fair way — 39.1 °C between the warmest afternoons and the coldest nights, wider than any coastal city at this latitude would manage. At 1227 m the air is thin enough to matter — sun that burns faster than the temperature suggests, and nights that cool off quickly. Within July itself the daily swing is 15.4 °C, so mornings and afternoons need different clothes.

How busy it gets

Off season. The genuine off season: cheapest by a distance, with the caveat that some tours and restaurants close entirely.

Crowd levels are estimated from climate desirability and school-holiday calendars, not from visitor numbers.

July in Moab versus nearby

If Moab is one option among several, the nearby comparison is worth making. Aspen is a better bet in July — 10.2 °C cooler, 5 days more rain. Park City is a better bet in July — 8.6 °C cooler, the same number of rain days.

So: July is a compromise. April is 50 points better and is what Moab is actually like at its best — worth moving the trip for if that is possible, and worth adjusting expectations for if it is not.

Every month in Moab

See all twelve months in Moab, or where else to go in July.