Photo: ERoss99 · CC BY-SA 3.0Elizabeth is drier than 90% of U.S. towns: 19 inches of precipitation a year
In January the night’s low is typically 15°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 84% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 1.3°, most of all in March. If you like long walks, June, August and September offer highs of 75–82°.
A year in Elizabeth at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Elizabeth’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Elizabeth’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Elizabeth feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 137 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 16 and the first by October 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Elizabeth 2nw, CO, 1.8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Elizabeth’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −11°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 75 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Elizabeth 2nw, CO, falls mostly in April. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 19 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 93 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Elizabeth
94% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Elizabeth 2nw, CO.
Living with Elizabeth’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
137 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 16 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, August and September. 0.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Elizabeth from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (39%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Elizabeth and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Elizabeth yet.
Climates most like Elizabeth’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth, CO | 15° | 84° | 19" | 75" |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 16° | 84° | 18" | 90" |
| Bozeman, MT | 13° | 83° | 17" | 91" |
| Rexburg, ID | 12° | 84° | 13" | 70" |
| Spearfish, SD | 15° | 86° | 25" | 71" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Elizabeth averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.2°).
A smaller shift than in 53% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Elizabeth compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Elizabeth’s place among Colorado’s.
Elizabeth weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Elizabeth’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Elizabeth 2nw, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 15° | 0.6" | 7.9" | 5 | 19 | 21° – 35° |
| February | 45° | 17° | 0.7" | 10.2" | 6 | 17 | 24° – 37° |
| March | 52° | 24° | 1.3" | 10.9" | 7 | 11 | 33° – 44° |
| April | 58° | 30° | 2.3" | 14.6" | 8 | 7 | 39° – 49° |
| May | 67° | 39° | 2.6" | 2.8" | 10 | 1 | 46° – 57° |
| June | 79° | 48° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 59° – 68° |
| July | 84° | 54° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| August | 82° | 53° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 63° – 71° |
| September | 75° | 44° | 1.3" | 0.3" | 8 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| October | 62° | 33° | 1.0" | 8.7" | 6 | 4 | 40° – 53° |
| November | 51° | 23° | 0.7" | 7.4" | 5 | 9 | 28° – 44° |
| December | 43° | 15° | 0.6" | 12.0" | 5 | 19 | 22° – 34° |
| Year | 62° | 33° | 18.5" | 74.8" | 93 | 87 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 28° to 44°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Elizabeth’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Elizabeth’s center.
- Snow: Elizabeth 2nw, CO (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Elizabeth 2nw, CO, 1.8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Elizabeth’s climate
What is the weather like in Elizabeth?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 75 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 84% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 56% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Elizabeth in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 170 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Elizabeth get?
About 75 inches in a normal winter at Elizabeth 2nw, CO, most of it in April, with snow on the ground about 87 days a year.
How hot does it get in Elizabeth?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 54°. About 19 days a year reach 90° (Elizabeth 2nw, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Elizabeth?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 16 and the first fall frost by October 2, about 137 frost-free days, at Elizabeth 2nw, CO.
What growing zone is Elizabeth in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −11°.
What is the best time of year to visit Elizabeth?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Elizabeth getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 53% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Elizabeth.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.