Rifle, Colorado Weather
Rifle, Colorado — live current conditions, hourly and 7-day forecasts, NWS alerts, radar and satellite imagery for Rifle, Garfield County.
Full aviation weather for Rifle is published on the Garfield County Regional Airport (KRIL) page, 5 km away. It carries the current METAR decoded into plain language — surface wind, visibility, cloud layers and ceiling, temperature and dewpoint, and altimeter setting — alongside the raw observation as transmitted. 3 airfields within reach of Rifle have their own pages, listed below.
The Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) is shown across its full validity period, with each change group broken out so you can see when conditions are expected to shift. Flight category is derived automatically — VFR, MVFR, IFR or LIFR — from reported ceiling and visibility, with runway details and field elevation alongside. Observations update roughly hourly and forecasts several times a day.
Other airports near Rifle: Glenwood Springs Municipal Airport (KGWS) 41 km · Meeker Airport (KEEO) 58 km
Conditions reported at KRIL describe the airfield itself. Weather 5 km away can differ, particularly in terrain or near the coast. For conditions at Rifle specifically, see the current conditions and forecast above.
About Rifle, Colorado
Rifle, Colorado, rests within a broad valley, a place where the earth has been folded and creased by immense geological forces, leaving behind a landscape of dramatic mesas and sprawling benches. It lies 52.4 miles north-east of Grand Junction, CO (from Grand Junction, CO: bearing 51°T), and is situated 6.8 miles west of Silt. The air here carries a dry, crisp scent, particularly in the early mornings when the sun, still low, paints the sandstone cliffs in hues of ochre and rose, a quiet spectacle that has unfolded for millennia. Cottonwood trees, their leaves a vibrant green against the muted tones of the surrounding terrain, line the banks of the river that gives the town its name, a silver ribbon winding through the arid expanse. The sky overhead is vast and often a startling blue, a canvas that seems to stretch infinitely, emphasizing the scale of the natural world. The history of Rifle is deeply entwined with the resourcefulness of those who have made their home here, from the early ranchers who tamed the land to the prospectors who sought its mineral wealth. The local economy, once heavily reliant on coal mining and now increasingly diversified, still echoes with the echoes of that industrial past, a tangible presence in the very character of Rifle. The discovery of natural gas reserves brought a new wave of activity, shaping the town’s growth and its connection to the wider energy sector. Yet, even amidst the hum of modern commerce, the enduring spirit of the West is palpable, a testament to the enduring appeal of this rugged, sun-drenched corner of Colorado.
Live animated radar for Rifle and surroundings — RainViewer.
NOAA GOES-16 GEOCOLOR — live animated loop updated every 10 minutes. Shows cloud cover, storm systems and weather patterns across the continental US.
Source: NOAA/NESDIS GOES-East · Public domain · Auto-updates on page reload
| Location | Rifle, Garfield County, Colorado |
| Coordinates | 39.534702°N, 107.78312°W |
| Timezone | Mountain Time (America/Denver) |
| ZIP Code(s) | 81650 |
| Area Code | 719 |
| Page generated | September 2026 |
| Weather data | Open-Meteo (open-source), NOAA National Weather Service |
About This Rifle, Colorado Weather Page
This page provides live weather conditions and forecasts for Rifle, Colorado, including current conditions, a 24-hour hourly forecast, 7-day outlook, NWS extended text forecast, precipitation radar and NOAA GOES-16 satellite imagery. Aviation weather — live METAR observations and TAF forecasts — is published separately on the pages for the nearest reporting airports, linked from the aviation section above. Additional sections may include tide predictions, wave height, wave direction and sea-surface temperature, a barometric pressure trend, and a solunar-based fishing forecast with a fishing-conditions rating for coastal localities, and soil temperature, crop weather and live USGS river gauge data for agricultural areas near a monitored waterway. All data updates automatically on every page visit.
Location data for Rifle includes coordinates 39.534702°N, 107.783120°W, situated in Garfield County. ZIP code 81650. Telephone area code: 719. Timezone: Mountain Time (America/Denver).
Weather data is sourced from the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) and the open-source Open-Meteo API. River and stream data is sourced from the USGS National Water Information System. Tide predictions are sourced from NOAA CO-OPS; marine and solunar data are modeled from Open-Meteo and public sunrise/moon calculations and should be treated as a general guide alongside on-the-water conditions. Radar is provided by RainViewer. Satellite imagery is sourced from NOAA/NESDIS GOES-East and is public domain.
