Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 3.0Ely’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 54 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Ely at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ely’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ely’s place in Nevada beside it.
What a year in Ely feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 91 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 12 and the first by September 13. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ely Yelland Fld Airport, 2.5 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ely’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −14°. 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 54 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ely Yelland Fld Airport, falls mostly in January, March and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 11 inches a year; May is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 73 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ely
96% 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 Ely Yelland Fld Airport.
Living with Ely’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
91 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Jun 12 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 13.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June. 31 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ely from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (63%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 20%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ely and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ely yet.
Climates most like Ely’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ely, NV | 13° | 88° | 11" | 54" |
| Douglas, WY | 12° | 88° | 13" | 59" |
| Laurel, MT | 15° | 88° | 14" | 48" |
| Carbondale, CO | 11° | 88° | 13" | 39" |
| Preston, ID | 14° | 89° | 15" | 52" |
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 Ely averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.1°).
A bigger shift than in 63% 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 Ely compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ely’s place among Nevada’s.
Ely weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ely’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ely Yelland Fld Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 13° | 0.9" | 10.5" | 7 | 19 | 20° – 36° |
| February | 43° | 16° | 1.0" | 9.1" | 7 | 15 | 23° – 38° |
| March | 51° | 23° | 1.1" | 9.5" | 7 | 6 | 31° – 43° |
| April | 58° | 28° | 1.2" | 5.3" | 8 | 2 | 37° – 49° |
| May | 68° | 35° | 1.2" | 2.0" | 8 | 1 | 44° – 56° |
| June | 79° | 43° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 54° – 66° |
| July | 88° | 50° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| August | 86° | 48° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 64° – 71° |
| September | 77° | 39° | 0.8" | 0.2" | 5 | 0 | 55° – 62° |
| October | 64° | 29° | 0.9" | 2.0" | 5 | 1 | 40° – 52° |
| November | 50° | 20° | 0.7" | 5.9" | 5 | 5 | 27° – 41° |
| December | 40° | 12° | 0.8" | 9.6" | 7 | 13 | 20° – 31° |
| Year | 62° | 30° | 10.6" | 54.1" | 73 | 62 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 36°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Ely’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 Ely’s center.
- Snow: Ely Yelland Fld Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ely Yelland Fld Airport, 2.5 miles from the town’s center, 160 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 Ely’s climate
What is the weather like in Ely?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 54 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 89% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ely in winter?
December nights average 12°. About 215 nights a year reach 32° or below and 16 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Ely get?
About 54 inches in a normal winter at Ely Yelland Fld Airport, most of it in January, March and December, with snow on the ground about 62 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ely?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 50°. About 29 days a year reach 90° (Ely Yelland Fld Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Ely?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 12 and the first fall frost by September 13, about 91 frost-free days, at Ely Yelland Fld Airport.
What growing zone is Ely in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −14°.
What is the best time of year to visit Ely?
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 Ely getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 63% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ely.
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.