Photo: Matt cichosz · CC BY-SA 4.0Few U.S. towns get less rain and snow than Belfry: 10 inches a year
July afternoons average 87°. Rain follows the seasons: May brings about 5.9 times as much as February. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 90% of U.S. towns. Tender plants can go out after about May 14; in half of years the first frost comes by September 24.
A year in Belfry at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Belfry’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Belfry’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Belfry feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 129 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 14 and the first by September 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Bridger 2 N, MT, 14 miles from the town’s center, 280 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Belfry’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −21°. 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 30 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bridger 2 N, MT, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 10 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 54 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Belfry
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 Bridger 2 N, MT.
Living with Belfry’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
129 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 14 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: May, June and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Belfry from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (70%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Belfry and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Belfry yet.
Climates most like Belfry’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belfry, MT | 13° | 87° | 10" | 30" |
| Rock Springs, WY | 9° | 87° | 9" | 31" |
| Carbondale, CO | 11° | 88° | 13" | 39" |
| Gallup, NM | 17° | 88° | 10" | 34" |
| Chubbuck, ID | 17° | 88° | 12" | 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 Belfry averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.6°).
A bigger shift than in 83% 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 Belfry compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Belfry’s place among Montana’s.
Belfry weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Belfry’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bridger 2 N, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 13° | 0.3" | 5.1" | 2 | 16° – 34° |
| February | 40° | 16° | 0.3" | 4.5" | 2 | 12° – 37° |
| March | 51° | 24° | 0.5" | 3.1" | 3 | 27° – 45° |
| April | 58° | 31° | 1.2" | 3.5" | 6 | 39° – 50° |
| May | 68° | 41° | 1.7" | 0.7" | 8 | 50° – 59° |
| June | 78° | 48° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 56° – 69° |
| July | 87° | 55° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 4 | 60° – 76° |
| August | 86° | 52° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 62° – 74° |
| September | 75° | 44° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 5 | 54° – 65° |
| October | 60° | 33° | 1.0" | 2.0" | 5 | 38° – 53° |
| November | 46° | 22° | 0.5" | 4.7" | 3 | 24° – 44° |
| December | 36° | 14° | 0.4" | 6.7" | 3 | 16° – 31° |
| Year | 60° | 33° | 9.7" | 30.3" | 54 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 12° to 37°. May is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Belfry’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 Belfry’s center.
- Snow: Bridger 2 N, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Bridger 2 N, MT, 14 miles from the town’s center, 280 ft lower; 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 Belfry’s climate
What is the weather like in Belfry?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 30 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 90% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 63% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Belfry in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 179 nights a year reach 32° or below and 15 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Belfry get?
About 30 inches in a normal winter at Bridger 2 N, MT, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Belfry?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 55°. About 35 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Bridger 2 N, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Belfry?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 14 and the first fall frost by September 24, about 129 frost-free days, at Bridger 2 N, MT.
What growing zone is Belfry in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −21°.
What is the best time of year to visit Belfry?
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 Belfry getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 83% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Belfry.
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.