Research · For journalists
30 Years of Weather, 63 National Parks
We pulled 30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for every U.S. national park and put the numbers on each park's page. Here is what the data says. Free to cite with a link.
Findings
- The hottest park-month in the system is Death Valley in July, averaging 110°F by day.
- The coldest is Gates of the Arctic in January, averaging -20°F at night.
- The wettest park-month is Glacier Bay in December, with about 20.51 inches of rain.
- The biggest annual temperature swing is Black Canyon of the Gunnison: 76°F between its coldest nights and hottest days.
- 1 of the 63 parks average triple-digit heat in their hottest month.
Use the data
Every park page has a 12-month table of average highs, lows, and rainfall. The full dataset is free under CC BY 4.0:
Methodology
Averages cover 1991-2020 from the ERA5 reanalysis via the Open-Meteo archive API, sampled at each park's coordinates and converted to Fahrenheit and inches. Mountain parks vary a lot by elevation; figures are a general guide, not a forecast.
Contact
Working on a story about national parks, weather, or trip timing? Email hello@nationalparksalmanac.com. We can cut the data any way you need it.
Please cite as "National Parks Almanac" with a link to https://nationalparksalmanac.com.