Photo: Richc80 · CC BY 3.0Winter nights in Nevada are colder than in 92% of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 84°. June is the wettest month, January the driest. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 73% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to April, which average under 50°.
A year in Nevada at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Nevada’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Nevada’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Nevada feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 168 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 12. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ames 5 Se, IA, 7 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Nevada’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −15°. 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 27 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ames 5 Se, IA, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 36 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 109 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Nevada
90% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Ames 5 Se, IA.
Living with Nevada’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
168 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 26 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 12.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 3.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Nevada from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (50%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Nevada and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Nevada yet.
Climates most like Nevada’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada, IA | 11° | 84° | 36" | 27" |
| Rochelle, IL | 13° | 83° | 38" | 28" |
| Edgerton, WI | 12° | 83° | 37" | 36" |
| Winona, MN | 8° | 83° | 36" | 38" |
| Lakes of the Four Seasons, IN | 16° | 83° | 40" | 27" |
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 Nevada averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 89% 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 Nevada compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Nevada’s place among Iowa’s.
Nevada weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Nevada’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ames 5 Se, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 11° | 0.9" | 6.6" | 7 | 20 | 10° – 33° |
| February | 33° | 16° | 1.1" | 7.8" | 7 | 16 | 14° – 35° |
| March | 47° | 27° | 2.0" | 3.8" | 9 | 6 | 29° – 51° |
| April | 60° | 38° | 3.9" | 0.7" | 11 | 0 | 40° – 55° |
| May | 71° | 49° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 55° – 68° |
| June | 81° | 60° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| July | 84° | 63° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 79° |
| August | 82° | 61° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| September | 76° | 52° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| October | 63° | 40° | 2.6" | 0.4" | 9 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| November | 47° | 28° | 1.8" | 1.5" | 7 | 2 | 28° – 49° |
| December | 33° | 17° | 1.4" | 6.5" | 8 | 12 | 9° – 33° |
| Year | 59° | 39° | 36.4" | 27.3" | 109 | 56 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 9° to 33°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Nevada’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 Nevada’s center.
- Snow: Ames 5 Se, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ames 5 Se, IA, 7 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft lower; 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 Nevada’s climate
What is the weather like in Nevada?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 27 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Nevada in winter?
January nights average 11°. About 151 nights a year reach 32° or below and 19 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 10°.
How much snow does Nevada get?
About 27 inches in a normal winter at Ames 5 Se, IA, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 56 days a year.
How hot does it get in Nevada?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 63°. About 15 days a year reach 90° (Ames 5 Se, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Nevada?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 12, about 168 frost-free days, at Ames 5 Se, IA.
What growing zone is Nevada in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Nevada?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Nevada getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 89% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Nevada.
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.