Huntley Project Office · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0Ballantine’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 34 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Ballantine at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ballantine’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ballantine’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Ballantine feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 136 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 12 and the first by September 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Huntley Exp Stn, MT, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ballantine’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −23°. 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 34 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Huntley Exp Stn, MT, falls mostly in January, February and December. 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 85 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ballantine
94% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Huntley Exp Stn, MT.
Living with Ballantine’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
136 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 12 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: May, June and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ballantine from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (57%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 25%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ballantine and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ballantine yet.
Climates most like Ballantine’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballantine, MT | 14° | 88° | 14" | 34" |
| Glenwood Springs, CO | 14° | 87° | 15" | 39" |
| Spring Creek, NV | 15° | 89° | 14" | 41" |
| Chubbuck, ID | 17° | 88° | 12" | 39" |
| Alliance, NE | 13° | 88° | 17" | 45" |
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 Ballantine averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.3°).
A smaller 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 Ballantine compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ballantine’s place among Montana’s.
Ballantine weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ballantine’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Huntley Exp Stn, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 14° | 0.5" | 6.7" | 5 | 18 | 15° – 38° |
| February | 40° | 16° | 0.5" | 7.1" | 5 | 12 | 7° – 40° |
| March | 51° | 24° | 0.9" | 4.7" | 6 | 7 | 25° – 46° |
| April | 59° | 33° | 1.7" | 1.8" | 9 | 1 | 39° – 51° |
| May | 68° | 42° | 2.5" | 0.2" | 12 | 0 | 50° – 59° |
| June | 78° | 50° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 59° – 69° |
| July | 88° | 56° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 63° – 78° |
| August | 87° | 54° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| September | 76° | 45° | 1.3" | 0.2" | 7 | 0 | 56° – 67° |
| October | 61° | 33° | 1.4" | 2.7" | 7 | 2 | 38° – 53° |
| November | 47° | 23° | 0.6" | 4.4" | 5 | 7 | 23° – 43° |
| December | 37° | 15° | 0.5" | 6.6" | 5 | 12 | 15° – 35° |
| Year | 60° | 34° | 14.3" | 34.4" | 85 | 59 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 7° to 40°. May is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Ballantine’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 Ballantine’s center.
- Snow: Huntley Exp Stn, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Huntley Exp Stn, MT, 5 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 Ballantine’s climate
What is the weather like in Ballantine?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 34 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 88% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 67% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ballantine in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 182 nights a year reach 32° or below and 20 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Ballantine get?
About 34 inches in a normal winter at Huntley Exp Stn, MT, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 59 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ballantine?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 56°. About 39 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Huntley Exp Stn, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Ballantine?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 12 and the first fall frost by September 25, about 136 frost-free days, at Huntley Exp Stn, MT.
What growing zone is Ballantine in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −23°.
What is the best time of year to visit Ballantine?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Ballantine getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 55% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ballantine.
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.