Less rain and snow falls on Boyd than on 94% of U.S. towns: 14 inches a year
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 85°. Precipitation peaks in May and eases off in February. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 83% of U.S. towns. Central heating does most of its work from October to April, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Boyd at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Boyd’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Boyd’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Boyd feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 107 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 29 and the first by September 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Joliet, MT, 3 miles from the town’s center, 320 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Boyd’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −19°. 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 51 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Joliet, MT, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 81 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Boyd
97% 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 Joliet, MT.
Living with Boyd’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
107 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 29 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 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Boyd from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (73%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Boyd and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Boyd yet.
Climates most like Boyd’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boyd, MT | 15° | 85° | 14" | 51" |
| Doney Park, AZ | 17° | 86° | 16" | 52" |
| Gillette, WY | 13° | 86° | 16" | 56" |
| The Pinery, CO | 17° | 86° | 17" | 58" |
| Los Alamos, NM | 19° | 85° | 15" | 42" |
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 Boyd averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.2°).
A bigger shift than in 53% 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 Boyd compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Boyd’s place among Montana’s.
Boyd weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Boyd’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Joliet, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 15° | 0.5" | 7.7" | 5 | 19 | 17° – 36° |
| February | 39° | 17° | 0.5" | 9.5" | 5 | 12 | 10° – 38° |
| March | 49° | 24° | 0.8" | 8.0" | 6 | 6 | 26° – 44° |
| April | 56° | 32° | 1.7" | 4.1" | 9 | 3 | 38° – 48° |
| May | 65° | 40° | 2.4" | 0.8" | 11 | 0 | 48° – 57° |
| June | 75° | 48° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 56° – 66° |
| July | 85° | 55° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 60° – 76° |
| August | 84° | 53° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| September | 73° | 44° | 1.3" | 0.4" | 6 | 0 | 55° – 65° |
| October | 58° | 34° | 1.4" | 4.8" | 7 | 3 | 37° – 52° |
| November | 46° | 24° | 0.7" | 6.5" | 5 | 6 | 25° – 44° |
| December | 36° | 16° | 0.5" | 9.1" | 5 | 17 | 16° – 33° |
| Year | 59° | 34° | 13.6" | 50.9" | 81 | 66 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 10° to 38°. May is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Boyd’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 Boyd’s center.
- Snow: Joliet, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Joliet, MT, 3 miles from the town’s center, 320 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 Boyd’s climate
What is the weather like in Boyd?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 51 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 83% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Boyd in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 185 nights a year reach 32° or below and 18 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Boyd get?
About 51 inches in a normal winter at Joliet, MT, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 66 days a year.
How hot does it get in Boyd?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 55°. About 29 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Joliet, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Boyd?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 29 and the first fall frost by September 15, about 107 frost-free days, at Joliet, MT.
What growing zone is Boyd in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Boyd?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Boyd getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 53% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Boyd.
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.