Elizabeth has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 32 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normalsUpdated once a decade
☀️
July high
86°
430th hottest of 941 New Jersey towns
❄️
January low
26°
152nd mildest of 941 New Jersey towns
💧
Rain + melted snow
47 in
310th driest of 941 New Jersey towns
🌨️
Snow a winter
32 in
62nd snowiest of 898 New Jersey towns
A normal year
What a year in Elizabeth feels like
❄️
Winter
43° / 28°
Typical high / low · 7 days with an inch or more of snow
🌷
Spring
61° / 43°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Apr 2
☀️
Summer
84° / 66°
Typical high / low · 28 days reach 90° in a normal year
🍂
Fall
66° / 49°
Typical high / low · First frost around Nov 10
10°
20°
40°
50°
60°
70°
80°
90°
100°
32°
41°
26°
43°
27°
50°
34°
62°
43°
72°
53°
81°
63°
86°
69°
85°
67°
78°
60°
66°
49°
55°
39°
45°
31°
JanJFebFMarMAprAMayMJunJJulJAugASepSOctONovNDecD
32°, freezingBar runs from the typical overnight low up to the afternoon high
Best months to be outsideMayJunSepOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month
Elizabeth weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 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
11
0
58° – 67°
June
81°
63°
4.3"
0
11
0
69° – 75°
July
86°
69°
4.6"
0
10
0
73° – 81°
August
85°
67°
4.4"
0
10
0
72° – 79°
September
78°
60°
4.0"
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
“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.
Rain & snow
Rain and snow in Elizabeth
Elizabeth gets 47 inches of rain and melted snow a year. July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 123 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 22 days of the year.
💧
47 in
Rain + melted snow a year
More rain than 77% of U.S. towns
❄️
32 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 59% of U.S. towns
⛄
22 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
Fewer than 57% of U.S. towns
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
4.6"
JFMAMJJASOND
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
10"
JFMAMJJASOND
Frost & the growing season
About 222 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 2 and the first one by November 10. That leaves about 222 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 83% of U.S. towns.
🌱 Apr 2
🍂 Nov 10
222 frost-free days
JFMAMJJASOND
🥶
80
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
🧊
<1
nights below 0° in a normal year
🔥
28
days that reach 90° in a normal year
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
JFMAMJJASOND
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
JFMAMJJASOND
Heating & cooling
Heating and cooling a home in Elizabeth
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Elizabeth, 79% of that work is heating and 21% is cooling.
🔥
4,701 heating degree daysLess heating than 71% of U.S. towns
❄️
1,270 cooling degree daysMore cooling than 71% of U.S. towns
Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
Around Elizabeth
Elizabeth and its neighbors
Elizabeth borders 8 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 3.2°. Union has both the coldest January nights (24°) and the hottest July afternoons (87°). Elizabeth’s January low is 26° and its July high 86°.
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Then and now
Warmer than it used to be
+2.2°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)
The last 30 years in Elizabeth averaged 2.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.7°). The shift is larger than in 97% of U.S. towns.
❄️ Winter+3.1°now 35°, was 32°
🌷 Spring+1.9°now 52°, was 50°
☀️ Summer+2.0°now 75°, was 73°
🍂 Fall+1.8°now 58°, was 56°
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Elizabeth’s spot on NOAA’s grid
+1.3°
+3.7°
JanJFebFMarMAprAMayMJunJJulJAugASepSOctONovNDecD
Year to year
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. December swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 31° to 50°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
10°
20°
30°
40°
50°
60°
70°
80°
90°
JanJFebFMarMAprAMayMJunJJulJAugASepSOctONovNDecD
Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions
Common questions about Elizabeth’s climate
What is the coldest month in Elizabeth?
January, with a typical high of 41° and a low of 26°.
What is the hottest month in Elizabeth?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 69°. About 28 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Elizabeth get?
About 32 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.
When is the first frost in Elizabeth?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by November 10, and the last spring frost by April 2.
What is the rainiest month in Elizabeth?
July, with 4.6 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 47 inches.
📍Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Elizabeth itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Newark Intl Airport, NJ (2 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.