How Hot in the Summer in S. George

[cottonwood2420]

It's like an oven at full blast.

[klouise]

I have lived in the St. George area for 14.5 years. It can get down to 20 for a few days in the winter or even in the high teens but never more than a few days. Usually, around 30 for winter nights and it always warms up in the day because there is rarely any cloud cover in the winter unless it is the one or two days we get a winter storm. People golf all winter after the grass frost burns off around 10 AM. Summers do get hot however, as everyone has said it is dry heat. I spent a summer in Athens, Georgia and thought I would die. I was going to school and I was always tired and just could not get anything done. Just now, it has been getting into the low 100s which is typical. July would definately be the hottest month and occasionally, it gets into the teens but rarely for weeks. August is unusual in that we get monsoon weather from the south and it will be perfectly clear in the morning and by afternoon it will cloud over creating a little higher humidity and rarely still never rain or maybe a few drops. Shortly after labor day, it starts to cool off and the later part of September is heaven and also October and most of November. I was still picking raspberries in early December. Generally, the air quality is excellent. I saw a piece on the weather channel last night about the wetest and driest cites in the US. Most of the driest were in the West and they listed LA as #1 with 330 dry days. I have not had a chance to look it up although I am sure we surpass that as it seems like we only get a storm every several months. Occasionally, there is a heavy one with flash flooding potential although they only last a short time--never for days. The other thing about St. George weather is that there are many satellite suburban towns around St. George from 2 to 16 miles. All of these are cooler because they are smaller and not the asphalt jungle of larger metro areas. Some are higher in elevation and that always moderates the heat. Cedar City at 45 minutes from St. George is over 5000 ft. elevation, Pine Mountain National recreation area is 45 minutes from St. George and it is 7500 elevation, the top of the mountain is 10K. Navaho lake is a natural lake, east from Cedar, less than an hours drive at 9000 feet, where the mountians go up to 11k with a ski resort. The north rim of the Grand Canyon is between 7-8,000 feet and we have been caught in blizzards in mid June. Zions is less than an hour at a base of 5000+ feet. So, you have a great deal of control over the weather you choose to experience in the St. George area. Also three lakes within 15-20 miles.

[cottonwood2420]

Pine Valley is only about 45 minutes north of Saint George. It is up in the mountains and the weather is very nice.
Pine Valley Utah - Maps (http://pinevalleyutah.org/maps.php - broken link)