Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 3.0Elko’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 41 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Elko at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Elko’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Elko’s place in Nevada beside it.
What a year in Elko feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 111 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 29 and the first by September 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Elko Rgnl Airport, 1.2 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Elko’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 41 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Elko Rgnl Airport, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 10 inches a year; May is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 79 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Elko
93% 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 Elko Rgnl Airport.
Living with Elko’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
111 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 29 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June. 38 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Elko from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (72%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Elko and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Elko yet.
Climates most like Elko’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elko, NV | 15° | 90° | 10" | 41" |
| Cortez, CO | 15° | 91° | 12" | 33" |
| Scottsbluff, NE | 15° | 90° | 15" | 43" |
| Torrington, WY | 14° | 90° | 13" | 31" |
| Gallup, NM | 17° | 88° | 10" | 34" |
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 Elko averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in 95% 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 Elko compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Elko’s place among Nevada’s.
Elko weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Elko’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Elko Rgnl Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 15° | 1.2" | 10.4" | 9 | 18 | 16° – 37° |
| February | 43° | 18° | 0.9" | 6.8" | 8 | 12 | 22° – 39° |
| March | 52° | 24° | 0.9" | 5.5" | 8 | 3 | 33° – 44° |
| April | 59° | 29° | 1.0" | 3.3" | 9 | 1 | 40° – 50° |
| May | 69° | 36° | 1.2" | 0.4" | 9 | 0 | 45° – 58° |
| June | 80° | 43° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| July | 90° | 50° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 60° – 75° |
| August | 89° | 47° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| September | 79° | 39° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 55° – 62° |
| October | 65° | 28° | 0.7" | 0.5" | 5 | 0 | 40° – 53° |
| November | 50° | 21° | 0.9" | 4.1" | 7 | 2 | 27° – 41° |
| December | 39° | 14° | 1.2" | 10.2" | 9 | 13 | 19° – 32° |
| Year | 63° | 30° | 9.9" | 41.2" | 79 | 49 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 16° to 37°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Elko’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 Elko’s center.
- Snow: Elko Rgnl Airport (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Elko Rgnl Airport, 1.2 miles from the town’s center, 110 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 Elko’s climate
What is the weather like in Elko?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 41 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 84% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 79% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Elko in winter?
December nights average 14°. About 195 nights a year reach 32° or below and 9 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Elko get?
About 41 inches in a normal winter at Elko Rgnl Airport, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 49 days a year.
How hot does it get in Elko?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 50°. About 48 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Elko Rgnl Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Elko?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 29 and the first fall frost by September 18, about 111 frost-free days, at Elko Rgnl Airport.
What growing zone is Elko 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 Elko?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Elko getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 95% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Elko.
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.