Oliver H. Hovda House · Photo: Dsetay · CC BY-SA 3.0Absarokee’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 72 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Absarokee at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Absarokee’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Absarokee’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Absarokee feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 108 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 27 and the first by September 14. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Columbus, MT, 12 miles from the town’s center, 450 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Absarokee’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −20°. 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 72 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Fishtail, MT, is heaviest from February through March, about 14 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 72 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Absarokee
97% 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 Columbus, MT.
Living with Absarokee’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
108 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 27 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 14.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and September. 1.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Absarokee from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (70%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Absarokee and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Absarokee yet.
Climates most like Absarokee’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absarokee, MT | 15° | 85° | 14" | 72" |
| Cheyenne, WY | 16° | 85° | 15" | 65" |
| Rexburg, ID | 12° | 84° | 13" | 70" |
| The Pinery, CO | 17° | 86° | 17" | 58" |
| Doney Park, AZ | 17° | 86° | 16" | 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 Absarokee averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.0°).
A smaller shift than in 59% 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 Absarokee compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Absarokee’s place among Montana’s.
Absarokee weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Absarokee’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Fishtail, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 15° | 0.5" | 9.6" | 4 | 18° – 35° |
| February | 40° | 16° | 0.6" | 15.1" | 5 | 10° – 38° |
| March | 49° | 24° | 0.8" | 13.7" | 6 | 27° – 44° |
| April | 56° | 31° | 1.7" | 8.8" | 7 | 38° – 48° |
| May | 66° | 39° | 2.7" | 1.6" | 9 | 48° – 57° |
| June | 75° | 47° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 56° – 66° |
| July | 85° | 53° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 59° – 75° |
| August | 84° | 51° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 62° – 72° |
| September | 74° | 43° | 1.3" | 0.5" | 6 | 54° – 64° |
| October | 59° | 33° | 1.4" | 4.7" | 5 | 37° – 52° |
| November | 46° | 23° | 0.6" | 7.4" | 4 | 26° – 45° |
| December | 37° | 16° | 0.5" | 10.8" | 4 | 17° – 34° |
| Year | 59° | 33° | 14.2" | 72.2" | 72 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 10° to 38°. May is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Absarokee’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 Absarokee’s center.
- Snow: Fishtail, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Columbus, MT, 12 miles from the town’s center, 450 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 Absarokee’s climate
What is the weather like in Absarokee?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 72 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 83% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 50% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Absarokee in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 183 nights a year reach 32° or below and 19 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Absarokee get?
About 72 inches in a normal winter at Fishtail, MT, heaviest from February through March, about 14 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Absarokee?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 53°. About 28 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Columbus, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Absarokee?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 27 and the first fall frost by September 14, about 108 frost-free days, at Columbus, MT.
What growing zone is Absarokee in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −20°.
What is the best time of year to visit Absarokee?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Absarokee getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 59% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Absarokee.
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.