Photo: Jbenny99 · CC BY-SA 4.0Alzada’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Alzada at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Alzada’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Alzada’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Alzada feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 130 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 15 and the first by September 24. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Colony, WY, 16 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; frost dates and degree days from Belle Fourche 22 Nnw, SD, 23 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Alzada’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −22°. 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 37 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Belle Fourche 22 Nnw, SD, falls mostly in March and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 62 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Alzada
93% 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 Belle Fourche 22 Nnw, SD.
Living with Alzada’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
130 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 15 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and September.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 37% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Alzada from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Alzada and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Alzada yet.
Climates most like Alzada’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alzada, MT | 10° | 87° | 16" | 37" |
| Gypsum, CO | 11° | 86° | 14" | 39" |
| Pierre, SD | 9° | 88° | 19" | 37" |
| Alliance, NE | 13° | 88° | 17" | 45" |
| Green River, WY | 9° | 87° | 9" | 39" |
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 Alzada averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.1°).
A bigger shift than in 55% 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 Alzada compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Alzada’s place among Montana’s.
Alzada weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Alzada’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Belle Fourche 22 Nnw, SD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 10° | 0.4" | 3.5" | 3 | 12° – 34° |
| February | 36° | 12° | 0.5" | 6.3" | 3 | 6° – 34° |
| March | 47° | 21° | 0.8" | 7.6" | 4 | 22° – 46° |
| April | 57° | 30° | 1.7" | 4.7" | 7 | 36° – 49° |
| May | 67° | 40° | 3.0" | 1.1" | 9 | 47° – 58° |
| June | 77° | 50° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 58° – 69° |
| July | 87° | 56° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 62° – 78° |
| August | 85° | 53° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 5 | 64° – 75° |
| September | 75° | 43° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 4 | 52° – 65° |
| October | 59° | 31° | 1.4" | 1.4" | 5 | 37° – 51° |
| November | 45° | 20° | 0.5" | 4.8" | 3 | 21° – 41° |
| December | 35° | 11° | 0.4" | 7.7" | 3 | 13° – 31° |
| Year | 59° | 31° | 16.2" | 37.1" | 62 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 6° to 34°. May is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Alzada’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 Alzada’s center.
- Snow: Belle Fourche 22 Nnw, SD.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Belle Fourche 22 Nnw, SD, 23 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Colony, WY, 16 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 Alzada’s climate
What is the weather like in Alzada?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 94% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 60% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Alzada in winter?
January nights average 10°. About 160 nights a year reach 32° or below and 17 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 12°.
How much snow does Alzada get?
About 37 inches in a normal winter at Belle Fourche 22 Nnw, SD, most of it in March and December.
How hot does it get in Alzada?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 56°. About 29 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Belle Fourche 22 Nnw, SD).
When is the first and last frost in Alzada?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 15 and the first fall frost by September 24, about 130 frost-free days, at Belle Fourche 22 Nnw, SD.
What growing zone is Alzada in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −22°.
What is the best time of year to visit Alzada?
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 Alzada getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 55% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Alzada.
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.