Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Elizabeth’s winters are milder than most of the U.S., with about 32 inches of snow in Newark International Airport
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 32 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
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 New Jersey 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 222 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 2 and the first by November 10. Frost and day counts come from Newark International Airport, Elizabeth’s official weather station (the one in National Weather Service reports), 1.7 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Elizabeth’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 7°. 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 32 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Newark International Airport, is heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 123 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Elizabeth
79% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November 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 Newark International Airport.
Living with Elizabeth’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
222 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 2 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 10.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, September and October. 3.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Elizabeth from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Elizabeth and its neighbors
Union Township has the coldest January nights next door (24°, 2° colder). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
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, NJ | 26° | 86° | 47" | 32" |
| Charleston, WV | 25° | 87° | 46" | 32" |
| Redland, MD | 25° | 86° | 45" | 33" |
| Covington, KY | 24° | 86° | 45" | 23" |
| Amelia, OH | 23° | 86° | 46" | 23" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Elizabeth averaged 2.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.7°).
A bigger shift than in 96% 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. In a city of 142,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
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 New Jersey’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 Newark International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 26° | 3.4" | 9.1" | 11 | 8 | 24° – 40° |
| February | 43° | 27° | 2.9" | 10.1" | 10 | 8 | 23° – 41° |
| March | 50° | 34° | 4.1" | 5.6" | 11 | 3 | 37° – 51° |
| April | 62° | 43° | 3.8" | 0.5" | 12 | 0 | 49° – 57° |
| May | 72° | 53° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| June | 81° | 63° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 75° |
| July | 86° | 69° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 73° – 81° |
| August | 85° | 67° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 72° – 79° |
| September | 78° | 60° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| October | 66° | 49° | 4.1" | 0.2" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| November | 55° | 39° | 3.3" | 0.6" | 9 | 0 | 42° – 52° |
| December | 45° | 31° | 4.2" | 5.4" | 11 | 3 | 31° – 50° |
| Year | 64° | 47° | 47.0" | 31.5" | 123 | 22 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 31° to 50°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
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: Newark International Airport (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Newark International Airport, 1.7 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the city’s official station.
- 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 86°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 32 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 65% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Elizabeth in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 80 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 24°.
How much snow does Elizabeth get?
About 32 inches in a normal winter at Newark International Airport, heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 22 days a year.
How hot does it get in Elizabeth?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 69°. About 28 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Newark International Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Elizabeth?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 2 and the first fall frost by November 10, about 222 frost-free days, at Newark International Airport.
What growing zone is Elizabeth in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Elizabeth?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Elizabeth getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 96% 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.