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McPhee Reservoir is one of the reservoirs LakeRadar tracks in Colorado. Its recorded surface area is approximately 4,470 acres. Coverage here includes an hourly and 7-day forecast, wind and gust outlook, and activity scores for boating, paddling, and swimming. If you are planning a trip, McPhee Reservoir are also nearby. This page combines the live forecast, wind, and conditions for McPhee Reservoir so you can plan a visit.
Updated
Alerts are published by official agencies and shown verbatim. View the official alert source.
Hydrologic Outlook issued October 9 at 10:53AM MDT by NWS Grand Junction CO
Overall Poor (48/100) across 4 activities. Best right now: Fishing (59/100).
How the score is calculated →Best excellent fishing window, averaging 92/100 across these hours. Wind 5 mph from the southwest. Dusk hours (18:00 local). Derived from the hourly forecast; official alerts are not forecast and are checked separately.
| Metric | 9p | 10p | 11p | 12a | 1a | 2a | 3a | 4a | 5a | 6a | 7a | 8a | 9a | 10a | 11a | 12p | 1p | 2p | 3p | 4p | 5p | 6p | 7p | 8p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°F) | 71° | 71° | 70° | 68° | 62° | 59° | 57° | 55° | 54° | 54° | 54° | 53° | 53° | 52° | 51° | 51° | 50° | 51° | 56° | 61° | 63° | 63° | 64° | 64° |
| Wind (kts) | 9 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Direction | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW | S | E | E | E | SE | E | SE | SE | E | E | SE | SE | SE | SE | S | S | S | S | SW |
| Gusts (kts) | 23 | 22 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
| Precip % | 1% | 1% | 1% | 2% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 5% | 5% | 9% | 10% | 16% | 17% | 17% | 27% | 37% | 36% | 20% | 13% | 13% | 17% | 32% | 31% | 33% |
| Time | Temp | Wind | Gusts | Precip | Cloud | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, 3 PM MDT | 71°F | 10 mph SSW (203°) | 27 mph | 1% | 16% | Sunny |
| Fri, 4 PM MDT | 71°F | 10 mph SSW (203°) | 25 mph | 1% | 16% | Sunny |
| Fri, 5 PM MDT | 70°F | 10 mph SSW (203°) | 23 mph | 1% | 10% | Sunny |
| Fri, 6 PM MDT | 68°F | 5 mph SW (225°) | 18 mph | 2% | 11% | Mostly Clear |
| Fri, 7 PM MDT | 62°F | 5 mph SSW (203°) | 15 mph | 3% | 16% | Mostly Clear |
| Fri, 8 PM MDT | 59°F | 5 mph S (180°) | 16 mph | 3% | 18% | Mostly Clear |
| Fri, 9 PM MDT | 57°F | 10 mph E (90°) | 17 mph | 3% | 18% | Mostly Clear |
| Fri, 10 PM MDT | 55°F | 5 mph E (90°) | 16 mph | 5% | 8% | Mostly Clear |
| Fri, 11 PM MDT | 54°F | 5 mph E (90°) | 14 mph | 5% | 29% | Partly Cloudy |
| Sat, 12 AM MDT | 54°F | 5 mph ESE (113°) | 13 mph | 9% | 29% | Partly Cloudy |
| Sat, 1 AM MDT | 54°F | 5 mph E (90°) | 12 mph | 10% | 46% | Partly Cloudy |
| Sat, 2 AM MDT | 53°F | 5 mph ESE (113°) | 12 mph | 16% | 41% | Isolated Rain Showers |
| Sat, 3 AM MDT | 53°F | 5 mph ESE (113°) | 12 mph | 17% | 58% | Isolated Rain Showers |
| Sat, 4 AM MDT | 52°F | 5 mph E (90°) | 13 mph | 17% | 56% | Isolated Rain Showers |
| Sat, 5 AM MDT | 51°F | 5 mph E (90°) | 14 mph | 27% | 59% | Scattered Rain Showers |
| Sat, 6 AM MDT | 51°F | 5 mph SE (135°) | 14 mph | 37% | 58% | Scattered Rain Showers |
| Sat, 7 AM MDT | 50°F | 10 mph ESE (113°) | 16 mph | 36% | 75% | Scattered Rain Showers |
| Sat, 8 AM MDT | 51°F | 10 mph ESE (113°) | 18 mph | 20% | 61% | Isolated Rain Showers |
| Sat, 9 AM MDT | 56°F | 10 mph SE (135°) | 21 mph | 13% | 41% | Isolated Showers And Thunderstorms |
| Sat, 10 AM MDT | 61°F | 10 mph SSE (158°) | 25 mph | 13% | 35% | Isolated Showers And Thunderstorms |
| Sat, 11 AM MDT | 63°F | 15 mph S (180°) | 30 mph | 17% | 30% | Isolated Showers And Thunderstorms |
| Sat, 12 PM MDT | 63°F | 15 mph S (180°) | 33 mph | 32% | 55% | Scattered Showers And Thunderstorms |
| Sat, 1 PM MDT | 64°F | 15 mph S (180°) | 33 mph | 31% | 54% | Scattered Showers And Thunderstorms |
| Sat, 2 PM MDT | 64°F | 15 mph SSW (203°) | 33 mph | 33% | 65% | Scattered Showers And Thunderstorms |
| Sat, 3 PM MDT | 64°F | 15 mph SSW (203°) | 32 mph | 45% | 63% | Scattered Showers And Thunderstorms |
Official National Weather Service hourly forecast. Showing 10 of 25 hours. Wind arrows point the way the wind is blowing; the compass point and degrees show where it comes from.
| Period | This Afternoon October 9, 2026 | Tonight October 9, 2026 | Saturday October 10, 2026 | Saturday Night October 10, 2026 | Sunday October 11, 2026 | Sunday Night October 11, 2026 | Columbus Day October 12, 2026 | Monday Night October 12, 2026 | Tuesday October 13, 2026 | Tuesday Night October 13, 2026 | Wednesday October 14, 2026 | Wednesday Night October 14, 2026 | Thursday October 15, 2026 | Thursday Night October 15, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°F) | 71° | 50° | 64° | 49° | 60° | 47° | 58° | 45° | 55° | 37° | 52° | 36° | 57° | 38° |
| Wind | SSW 10 mph | SE 5 to 10 mph | SSE 5 to 15 mph | SSE 10 mph | SSE 10 to 20 mph | S 10 to 20 mph | S 10 to 15 mph | SSE 5 to 10 mph | S 5 to 15 mph | S 0 to 10 mph | SSW 0 to 10 mph | N 5 mph | N 5 to 10 mph | NNE 5 to 10 mph |
| Gusts | 30 mph | 18 mph | 35 mph | 35 mph | 50 mph | 44 mph | 44 mph | 29 mph | 47 mph | 25 mph | 23 mph | 18 mph | 23 mph | 23 mph |
| Precip % | 1% | 27% | 53% | 91% | 83% | 88% | 43% | 64% | 77% | 61% | 35% | 19% | 12% | 5% |
| Forecast |
No active USGS or USACE telemetry gauge is currently mapped to McPhee Reservoir. Not available from a verified source for this lake.
Nearby river temperature: 56.7°F at MUD CREEK AT STATE HIGHWAY 32, NEAR CORTEZ, CO. (19.5 mi away) · Oct 9, 9:30 PM UTC
Fair for fishing (59/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 10 mph from the south-southwest. 1% chance of precipitation. The forecast mentions thunderstorms, which carries a risk penalty. Not available from a verified source for this lake: pressure trend, water temperature. Confidence is moderate (74%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Poor for boating (40/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 10 mph from the south-southwest. 1% chance of precipitation. The forecast mentions thunderstorms, which carries a risk penalty. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility and conditions, verified water access. Confidence is moderate (84%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Poor for sailing (47/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 10 mph from the SSW is in the preferred sailing range. 1% chance of precipitation. Working against it: Gusts exceed sustained wind by 17 mph, making the breeze puffy. The forecast mentions thunderstorms, which carries a risk penalty. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility. Confidence is high (88%).
Poor for kayaking (42/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 10 mph from the south-southwest. 1% chance of precipitation. The forecast mentions thunderstorms, which carries a risk penalty. Confidence is high (90%).
Water temperature is not available from a verified source for this lake. No swimming score is shown without it.
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Individual boat ramp GPS coordinates are maintained under the jurisdiction of CO Parks & Wildlife Authority. Public boaters should verify seasonal launch water levels, gate hours, and daily vehicle/vessel fees before traveling.
McPhee Reservoir provides vital open-water recreation for visitors across CO, offering public boat ramps and scenic shoreline amenities. Anglers target an assortment of freshwater species while pleasure boaters cruise its open basins. Facility operations and resource conservation are overseen by state and local natural resource agencies.
Valid freshwater sport fishing license issued by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is required for anglers age 16+. Digital license on mobile is accepted.
Mandatory Clean, Drain & Dry inspection. Out-of-area craft require on-site Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS Quagga/Zebra) inspection or decontamination before launch. USCG life jackets required for all.
Public shoreline and boating access managed by State & Local Authorities. Verify seasonal gate hours, launch fees, and parking rules before travel.
High-speed motorboating, pontoon cruising, wakeboarding, and water skiing across main channels. Target gamefish include Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Yellow Perch, Rainbow Trout. Morning hours typically provide optimal glassy conditions for kayak and stand-up paddleboard (SUP) touring.
Warm water temperatures, peak swimming, active watersports, and open full-service campgrounds. Highest weekly attendance; plan early arrivals on summer weekends.
Spring pre-spawn and fall feeding transitions create prime trophy angling conditions. Cooler air, lower boat traffic, and vibrant seasonal shoreline foliage.
Mild year-round outdoor climate. Uncrowded waters, active winter bass and crappie fishing, and open year-round boat launch access.
No external source rows are cited by the data currently shown on this page.
Updated
Scores are heuristics, not safety guarantees. LakeRadar scores summarize available conditions and are not a substitute for official warnings, local rules, or on-water judgment.
All telemetry for McPhee Reservoir is synchronized directly from authorized federal and state monitoring networks (USGS, NWS, NOAA, and state environmental authorities). Observations are strictly instrumented readings — unmonitored sensors are transparently disclosed rather than synthetic estimates.
Last source audit: Oct 9, 3:47 PM MDT