Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 3.0The climate in Port Elizabeth sits close to the middle of U.S. towns
Expect July afternoons of about 86°. Only 61° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. Its yearly precipitation tops that of 65% of U.S. towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to March, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Port Elizabeth at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Port Elizabeth’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Port Elizabeth’s place in New Jersey beside it.
What a year in Port Elizabeth feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 181 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 24 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Millville Muni Airport, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Port Elizabeth’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 5°. 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 22 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Estell Manor, NJ, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 125 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Port Elizabeth
82% 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 Millville Muni Airport.
Living with Port Elizabeth’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
181 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 24 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Port Elizabeth from natural hazards, coastal flooding is the largest share (44%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Port Elizabeth and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Port Elizabeth in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Port 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Elizabeth, NJ | 25° | 86° | 46" | 22" |
| Covington, KY | 24° | 86° | 45" | 23" |
| Forestville, OH | 23° | 86° | 45" | 23" |
| Warrenton, VA | 25° | 86° | 44" | 21" |
| Lawrenceburg, IN | 23° | 86° | 45" | 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 Port Elizabeth averaged 2.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.6°).
A bigger shift than in 97% 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 Port Elizabeth compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Port Elizabeth’s place among New Jersey’s.
Port Elizabeth weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Port Elizabeth’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Estell Manor, NJ. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 25° | 3.3" | 6.1" | 11 | 5 | 27° – 41° |
| February | 45° | 26° | 2.9" | 8.2" | 11 | 7 | 25° – 43° |
| March | 53° | 33° | 4.4" | 3.4" | 12 | 2 | 38° – 51° |
| April | 64° | 42° | 3.5" | 0.7" | 12 | 0 | 50° – 58° |
| May | 73° | 51° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 57° – 68° |
| June | 81° | 61° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| July | 86° | 67° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 72° – 80° |
| August | 84° | 65° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 58° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| October | 67° | 46° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 52° – 63° |
| November | 57° | 36° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 40° – 51° |
| December | 48° | 29° | 4.2" | 3.6" | 11 | 3 | 30° – 50° |
| Year | 65° | 45° | 46.0" | 22.0" | 125 | 17 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 30° to 50°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Port 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 Port Elizabeth’s center.
- Snow: Estell Manor, NJ.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Millville Muni Airport, 6 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 Port Elizabeth’s climate
What is the weather like in Port Elizabeth?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 22 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 63% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 57% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Port Elizabeth in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 108 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Port Elizabeth get?
About 22 inches in a normal winter at Estell Manor, NJ, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 17 days a year.
How hot does it get in Port Elizabeth?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 67°. About 22 days a year reach 90° (Millville Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Port Elizabeth?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 24 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 181 frost-free days, at Millville Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Port Elizabeth in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Port Elizabeth?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Port Elizabeth getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 97% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Port 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.