Nevada Annual Temperatures and Extremes

City

Avg High Temp

Avg Low Temp 

Avg Annual Temp

 Avg # days > 90F Avg # days < 32F  Record High Temp Record Low Temp
Elko 62.8 29.2 46.0 45 206 108 / 1889 -43 / 1937
Ely 61.1 28.2 44.7 20 218 101 / 1998 -30 / 1989
Las Vegas 80.0 53.9 67.0 136 33 117 / 1942 8 / 1963
Reno 67.2 34.1 50.6 52 169 108 / 2002 -16 / 1942
Winnemucca 64.8  33.0 48.9 51 178 109 / 2002 -37 / 1990
  • Nevada annual average temperature - 49.87 degrees, 28th warmest state in the U.S.
  • Record Hottest year in Nevada - 1934 / Avg temperature 53.70 degrees
  • Record Coldest year in Nevada - 1911 / Avg temperature 46.01 degrees
  • Nevada average Summer temperature (June, July, August) 69.0 F degrees,  32nd warmest U.S. summer state
  • Nevada average Winter temperature (December, January, February) 32.2 F degrees, 26th coldest U.S. winter state

Nevada's Temperature Records 

  • Hottest temperature ever recorded: 125 F, Laughlin, southern Nevada, 6/29/1994
  • Coldest temperature ever recorded: -50 F, San Jacinto, northeastern Nevada, 1/8/1937
  • Hottest location ranked by highest average annual temperature: Mesquite and Overton, southern Nevada, 67.3 F
  • Coldest location ranked by lowest average annual temperature: Ruth, eastern Nevada, 41.9 F
  • Although parts of Nevada experience very hot summers, some areas are surprisingly cool. In northeast and
    northwest Nevada, the frost-free period averages only 70 days. 
  • Low humidity causes Las Vegas to experience quite cool annual low temperatures. Charleston, SC (59.6F), 
    Mobile, AL (56.2F) and Dallas, TX (55.4F) all have warmer annual average low temperatures than Las Vegas (53.9)

The mean annual temperatures in Nevada vary from about 45 degrees Fahrenheit (° F) in the northeast to about 50 in the west and central areas and to the middle 60s in the south. In the northeast, summers are short and hot; winters are long and cold. In the west, summers are also short and hot, but the winters are only moderately cold; in the south the summers are long and hot and the winters short and mild. Long periods of extremely cold weather are rare, primarily because the mountains east and north of Nevada act as a barrier to the intensely cold continental arctic air masses. However, on occasion, a cold air mass spills over these barriers and produces prolonged cold waves.

There is strong surface heating during the day and rapid nighttime cooling because of the dry air, resulting in wide daily ranges in temperature. Even after the hottest days, the nights are usually cool. The average range between the highest and the lowest daily temperatures is about 30 to 35 degrees. Daily ranges are larger in summer than the winter. Extreme temperatures have ranged from 125 to -50° F.

Summer temperatures above 100° F occur rather frequently in the south and occasionally over the rest of the State. Humidity is usually low so that the higher temperatures are less disagreeable in Nevada than in more humid climates. Because of the dryness of the air, evaporative coolers operate very efficiently in the homes of Nevada's residents. Over the northern and central portions of the State, freezes begin early in the autumn and continue until late in the spring. The freeze-free season varies from less than 70 days in the northwest and northeast to about 140 days in the west and south-central areas, to over 225 days in the south.

 

Nevada precipitation averages and extremes, precipitation and temperature data for all U.S. states and Top 10 U.S. climate extremes
Data source: National Climatic Data Center