Elizabeth, CO Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Elizabeth's primary NOAA station, ELIZABETH 2NW.
The climate verdict for Elizabeth
Dryness leads the climate profile for Elizabeth, Colorado, with 19.3 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 48°F. At 44/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 10% of scores.
- 48°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 44/100
- comfort score, above 10% of station-mapped location scores
- 19.3"
- annual precipitation · 75" snow
- 139 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Elizabeth: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00052631 · Elizabeth, CO 48°F mean · 19.3" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 48°F
- RANK-COOL #2,196
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Waterdale
- PRCP-DRY 19.3"
- SWING-MID 40°F
- COMF-LOW 44/100
- LOAD-HEAT 6,531 HDD
- STN-1 USC00052631
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Waterdale, CO (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every CO station list.
- Elizabeth (this station) 48°F
- Cold Castleford, ID 48°F
- Hot Matheson, CO 48°F
- Near Waterdale, CO 48°F
- Near Ibapah, UT 48°F
Climate Living Index · Elizabeth
Elizabeth: 27/100 · grade F
Elizabeth publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Elizabeth, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 44/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 19.3 in · 15.7 from 35 in | 44/100 · D |
| Annual temperature balance | 48.2°F · 19.3° from 67.5°F | 32/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 186 calendar days | 22/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 139 days/year | 18/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 74.8 inches/year | 8/100 · F |
Elizabeth · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Elizabeth is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 30.4°F and warmest-month mean 70.2°F place this station in continental, no dry season, warm summer climates (Dfb). Class Dfb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfb
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 70.2°F
- Coldest month
- 30.4°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Elizabeth sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Elizabeth's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 32nd percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 73%
- Elizabeth's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 35th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Elizabeth compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Elizabeth's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
44 10th percentile score exceeds 10% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43°F (6°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 31°F (-1°C) | 0.7" | 7.9" | 28.9 | 0.0 |
| February | 44°F (6°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 31°F (-1°C) | 1.1" | 10.2" | 26.8 | 0.0 |
| March | 52°F (11°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 1.3" | 10.9" | 25.3 | 0.0 |
| April | 58°F (15°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 2.3" | 14.6" | 18.5 | 0.0 |
| May | 67°F (19°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 2.4" | 2.8" | 5.6 | 0.0 |
| June | 80°F (26°C) | 49°F (10°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 1.9" | 0.0" | 0.3 | 3.6 |
| July | 85°F (29°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 3.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 9.2 |
| August | 82°F (28°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 2.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 5.2 |
| September | 76°F (24°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 1.5" | 0.3" | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| October | 63°F (17°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 1.1" | 8.7" | 12.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 52°F (11°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 0.8" | 7.4" | 22.3 | 0.0 |
| December | 43°F (6°C) | 17°F (-8°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 1.0" | 12.0" | 28.9 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 85°F around July 11, short of 90°F on every date, while 186 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 17°F near December 15.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 26, then returns to freezing around October 24, covering 186 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is July 31, when 41% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 10 at 15%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 93 wet dates a year.
The widest day
June 24 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 31°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Elizabeth.
Where Elizabeth Stands Nationally
Freezing is routine here by normals standards — the normal low reaches 32°F or colder on about 186 nights a year, more than most ranked stations.
Elizabeth earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 7.9"
4.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 10.2"
5.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 10.9"
6.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 14.6"
8.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.8"
10.3 days with precipitation
9.2 days with precipitation
11.9 days with precipitation
12.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.3"
7.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 8.7"
6.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 7.4"
4.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 12.0"
5.4 days with precipitation
Elizabeth runs a summer-peaked wet season
37% of Elizabeth's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is July at 3.0", on a 39.8°F seasonal spread. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: July, May, April, taking 40% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: January at 0.7".
- Winter share: 14% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
How Elizabeth's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 93 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 19.3" between them, or roughly 0.21 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Elizabeth
Elizabeth averages 74.8 inches of snowfall a year, with April the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 33 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 74.8 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 33 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 39% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 2
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 16
50% probability date
Growing Season
139 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
6,531
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
425
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside CO closest to Elizabeth on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (48°F here).
- Belle Plaine, IA 48°F · 0.0°F off
- Broadus, MT 48°F · 0.0°F off
- Compton, IL 48°F · 0.0°F off
- Copake, NY 48°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (19.3" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Greer, AZ 19.3" · 0.0" off
- Leoti, KS 19.3" · 0.0" off
- Stanley, ND 19.3" · 0.0" off
- Friona, TX 19.3" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Elizabeth
heating led · dry · mid swing
Elizabeth's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 6,531 annual heating degree days against 425 for cooling. Its 39.8°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 139 days are frost-free in a normal year. That short interval is consistent with the cold-season signal, but the measure does not predict the exact first or last freeze in any one year.
-
1. Elizabeth coldest normal
December
The monthly mean of 30°F (-1°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Elizabeth typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Elizabeth snow peak
April
Elizabeth averages 74.8 inches of snow a year, with April the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Elizabeth's climate
How much snow does Elizabeth get? ▼
How cold does Elizabeth get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Elizabeth? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Elizabeth's primary station: ELIZABETH 2NW (USC00052631). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 0823740). Match rule for Elizabeth: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Elizabeth comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.