Photo: Tumbleweed1954 · CC BY-SA 4.0Bridger’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 30 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Bridger at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bridger’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bridger’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Bridger 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, 2.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bridger’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −18°. 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 12 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January 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 Bridger
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 Bridger’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
129 frost-free days in zone 5a. 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. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bridger from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (75%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bridger and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Bridger yet.
Climates most like Bridger’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridger, MT | 14° | 88° | 12" | 30" |
| Carbondale, CO | 11° | 88° | 13" | 39" |
| Gallup, NM | 17° | 88° | 10" | 34" |
| Chubbuck, ID | 17° | 88° | 12" | 39" |
| Spring Creek, NV | 15° | 89° | 14" | 41" |
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 Bridger averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.7°).
A bigger shift than in 73% 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 Bridger compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bridger’s place among Montana’s.
Bridger weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bridger’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° | 14° | 0.4" | 5.1" | 2 | 16° – 35° |
| February | 40° | 16° | 0.4" | 4.5" | 2 | 11° – 38° |
| March | 51° | 24° | 0.6" | 3.1" | 3 | 27° – 45° |
| April | 59° | 31° | 1.5" | 3.5" | 6 | 39° – 50° |
| May | 68° | 40° | 2.2" | 0.7" | 8 | 50° – 59° |
| June | 78° | 48° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 56° – 69° |
| July | 88° | 54° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 4 | 60° – 77° |
| August | 86° | 52° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 62° – 74° |
| September | 75° | 43° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 5 | 54° – 66° |
| October | 60° | 33° | 1.3" | 2.0" | 5 | 38° – 53° |
| November | 47° | 23° | 0.6" | 4.7" | 3 | 24° – 44° |
| December | 36° | 14° | 0.4" | 6.7" | 3 | 16° – 32° |
| Year | 60° | 33° | 11.8" | 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 11° to 38°. May is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Bridger’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 Bridger’s center.
- Snow: Bridger 2 N, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Bridger 2 N, MT, 2.2 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 Bridger’s climate
What is the weather like in Bridger?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 30 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 88% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 65% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bridger in winter?
January nights average 14°. 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 Bridger get?
About 30 inches in a normal winter at Bridger 2 N, MT, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Bridger?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 54°. About 35 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Bridger 2 N, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Bridger?
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 Bridger in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −18°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bridger?
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 Bridger getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 73% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bridger.
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.