Azure’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 35 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Azure at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Azure’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Azure’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Azure 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. Frost and day counts come from Ft Assiniboine, MT, 13 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Azure’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −25°. 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 35 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ft Assiniboine, MT, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 17 inches a year; June is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 88 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Azure
95% 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 Ft Assiniboine, MT.
Living with Azure’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
130 frost-free days in zone 4a. 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, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 71% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Azure from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Azure and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Azure in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Azure’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azure, MT | 9° | 82° | 17" | 35" |
| Dickinson, ND | 5° | 83° | 16" | 35" |
| Taos, NM | 11° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
| Aberdeen, SD | 3° | 84° | 22" | 43" |
| Gleneagle, CO | 14° | 84° | 21" | 55" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Azure averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.9°).
A bigger shift than in 71% 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 Azure compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Azure’s place among Montana’s.
Azure weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Azure’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ft Assiniboine, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 9° | 0.6" | 6.4" | 7 | 7° – 34° |
| February | 34° | 11° | 0.6" | 7.3" | 5 | −3° – 37° |
| March | 43° | 20° | 0.6" | 4.0" | 5 | 14° – 40° |
| April | 54° | 29° | 1.4" | 2.7" | 8 | 36° – 46° |
| May | 64° | 38° | 2.6" | 0.7" | 11 | 47° – 57° |
| June | 72° | 46° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 56° – 63° |
| July | 82° | 51° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 57° – 74° |
| August | 81° | 50° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 60° – 71° |
| September | 70° | 41° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 51° – 61° |
| October | 55° | 30° | 1.3" | 1.9" | 7 | 35° – 49° |
| November | 42° | 20° | 0.8" | 5.2" | 6 | 18° – 41° |
| December | 33° | 12° | 0.6" | 6.4" | 5 | 8° – 32° |
| Year | 55° | 30° | 16.5" | 34.6" | 88 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -3° to 37°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Azure’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 Azure’s center.
- Snow: Ft Assiniboine, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ft Assiniboine, MT, 13 miles from the town’s center, 950 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 Azure’s climate
What is the weather like in Azure?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 35 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 83% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Azure in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 179 nights a year reach 32° or below and 30 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 7°.
How much snow does Azure get?
About 35 inches in a normal winter at Ft Assiniboine, MT, most of it in February.
How hot does it get in Azure?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 51°. About 27 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Ft Assiniboine, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Azure?
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 Ft Assiniboine, MT.
What growing zone is Azure in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −25°.
What is the best time of year to visit Azure?
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 Azure getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 71% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Azure.
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.