Precipitation in Brandon trails that of 93% of U.S. towns: 16 inches a year
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 80°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 91% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with January up the most. Homes need heating from October to May, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Brandon at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Brandon’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Brandon’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Brandon feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 106 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 4 and the first by September 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Virginia City, MT, 15 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Brandon’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −15°. 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 65 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Virginia City, MT, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 93 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Brandon
98% 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 Virginia City, MT.
Living with Brandon’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
106 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Jun 4 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 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Brandon from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (78%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Brandon and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Brandon yet.
Climates most like Brandon’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon, MT | 17° | 80° | 16" | 65" |
| Laramie, WY | 12° | 81° | 12" | 64" |
| Gleneagle, CO | 14° | 84° | 21" | 55" |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 16° | 84° | 18" | 90" |
| Big Bear City, CA | 27° | 81° | 18" | 59" |
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 Brandon averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.9°).
A bigger shift than in 54% 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 Brandon compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Brandon’s place among Montana’s.
Brandon weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Brandon’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Virginia City, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 17° | 0.6" | 11.2" | 6 | 18° – 31° |
| February | 37° | 17° | 0.7" | 8.0" | 6 | 18° – 35° |
| March | 45° | 24° | 1.1" | 6.6" | 6 | 27° – 40° |
| April | 52° | 29° | 1.6" | 10.7" | 10 | 35° – 45° |
| May | 61° | 38° | 2.5" | 4.3" | 11 | 44° – 54° |
| June | 70° | 44° | 2.7" | 0.2" | 12 | 52° – 64° |
| July | 80° | 50° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 56° – 71° |
| August | 79° | 49° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 58° – 67° |
| September | 69° | 42° | 1.3" | 0.2" | 6 | 52° – 59° |
| October | 55° | 32° | 1.3" | 3.6" | 7 | 36° – 50° |
| November | 42° | 22° | 0.7" | 7.7" | 7 | 22° – 40° |
| December | 33° | 15° | 0.7" | 12.2" | 7 | 17° – 29° |
| Year | 55° | 32° | 15.5" | 64.7" | 93 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 22° to 40°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Brandon’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 Brandon’s center.
- Snow: Virginia City, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Virginia City, MT, 15 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 Brandon’s climate
What is the weather like in Brandon?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 65 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 78% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Brandon in winter?
December nights average 15°. About 198 nights a year reach 32° or below and 12 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Brandon get?
About 65 inches in a normal winter at Virginia City, MT, most of it in January and December.
How hot does it get in Brandon?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 50°. About 6 days a year reach 90° (Virginia City, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Brandon?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 4 and the first fall frost by September 18, about 106 frost-free days, at Virginia City, MT.
What growing zone is Brandon in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Brandon?
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 Brandon getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 54% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Brandon.
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.