Bannack Historic District · Photo: Mr Hicks46 · CC BY-SA 2.0Argenta sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for July heat
Nights in January average 15°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 95% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 1.6°, most of all in January. The heating season runs October to May: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Argenta at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Argenta’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Argenta’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Argenta feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 230 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 32 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from Dillon 18 Wsw, MT, 11 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Argenta’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 11 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Dillon U Of Montana Western, MT, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 78 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Argenta
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September through June.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Dillon 18 Wsw, MT.
Living with Argenta’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 5a, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 72 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Argenta from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (43%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 19%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Argenta and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Argenta yet.
Climates most like Argenta’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argenta, MT | 15° | 79° | 13" | 11" |
| Ruidoso, NM | 22° | 82° | 20" | 26" |
| Deschutes River Woods, OR | 24° | 84° | 13" | 22" |
| Show Low, AZ | 19° | 86° | 15" | 19" |
| Alamosa, CO | 3° | 82° | 8" | 30" |
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 Argenta averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.9°).
A bigger shift than in 66% 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 Argenta compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Argenta’s place among Montana’s.
Argenta weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Argenta’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Dillon U Of Montana Western, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 15° | 0.6" | 1.7" | 4 | 14° – 29° |
| February | 33° | 15° | 0.6" | 0.9" | 5 | 14° – 33° |
| March | 42° | 22° | 0.9" | 0.4" | 6 | 23° – 38° |
| April | 49° | 28° | 1.3" | 0.2" | 9 | 34° – 44° |
| May | 59° | 36° | 1.9" | 0.1" | 11 | 41° – 52° |
| June | 68° | 42° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 50° – 62° |
| July | 79° | 48° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 53° – 70° |
| August | 78° | 47° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 56° – 66° |
| September | 67° | 40° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 5 | 51° – 58° |
| October | 53° | 30° | 0.9" | 0.4" | 7 | 32° – 48° |
| November | 38° | 21° | 0.7" | 2.9" | 5 | 20° – 37° |
| December | 29° | 14° | 0.8" | 4.6" | 5 | 15° – 27° |
| Year | 52° | 30° | 12.9" | 11.2" | 78 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 14° to 33°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Argenta’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 Argenta’s center.
- Snow: Dillon U Of Montana Western, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Dillon 18 Wsw, MT, 11 miles from the town’s center, 180 ft lower; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 Argenta’s climate
What is the weather like in Argenta?
A typical July afternoon reaches 79°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 11 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 85% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 95% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Argenta in winter?
December nights average 14°. About 230 nights a year reach 32° or below and 32 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Argenta get?
About 11 inches in a normal winter at Dillon U Of Montana Western, MT, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Argenta?
July, with a typical high of 79° and a low of 48°. About 4 days a year reach 90° (Dillon 18 Wsw, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Argenta?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Dillon 18 Wsw, MT, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 230 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 72 days.
What growing zone is Argenta 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 Argenta?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Argenta getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 66% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Argenta.
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.