Photo: Appyranch · CC BY-SA 3.0Alberton’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 49 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Alberton at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Alberton’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Alberton’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Alberton feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 126 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 18 and the first by September 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Alberton, MT, 0.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Alberton’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −11°. 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 49 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Alberton, MT, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 23 inches a year; November is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 137 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Alberton
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 Alberton, MT.
Living with Alberton’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
126 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 18 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 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Alberton from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (38%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Alberton and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Alberton yet.
Climates most like Alberton’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberton, MT | 20° | 83° | 23" | 49" |
| Air Force Academy, CO | 14° | 84° | 21" | 55" |
| Airway Heights, WA | 24° | 84° | 17" | 45" |
| Sturgis, SD | 14° | 85° | 22" | 48" |
| 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 Alberton averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.9°).
A smaller shift than in 60% 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 Alberton compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Alberton’s place among Montana’s.
Alberton weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Alberton’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Alberton, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 20° | 2.2" | 10.3" | 14 | 25 | 17° – 34° |
| February | 37° | 22° | 2.1" | 11.1" | 13 | 18 | 19° – 36° |
| March | 46° | 26° | 2.0" | 6.0" | 14 | 8 | 29° – 42° |
| April | 54° | 31° | 2.0" | 1.4" | 13 | 1 | 38° – 49° |
| May | 64° | 38° | 2.3" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 46° – 57° |
| June | 72° | 45° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| July | 83° | 50° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 57° – 74° |
| August | 82° | 49° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 61° – 69° |
| September | 71° | 42° | 1.3" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 53° – 62° |
| October | 54° | 33° | 2.1" | 1.2" | 12 | 1 | 37° – 50° |
| November | 39° | 26° | 2.4" | 6.4" | 13 | 6 | 26° – 38° |
| December | 32° | 20° | 2.3" | 12.8" | 14 | 20 | 20° – 31° |
| Year | 56° | 33° | 23.0" | 49.4" | 137 | 79 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 17° to 34°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Alberton’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 Alberton’s center.
- Snow: Alberton, MT (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Alberton, MT, 0.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Alberton’s climate
What is the weather like in Alberton?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 49 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 57% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Alberton in winter?
December nights average 20°. About 183 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Alberton get?
About 49 inches in a normal winter at Alberton, MT, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 79 days a year.
How hot does it get in Alberton?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 50°. About 33 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Alberton, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Alberton?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 18 and the first fall frost by September 25, about 126 frost-free days, at Alberton, MT.
What growing zone is Alberton in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −11°.
What is the best time of year to visit Alberton?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Alberton getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 60% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Alberton.
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.