Few U.S. towns get less rain and snow than Carter: 12 inches a year
July afternoons average 86°. Only 75° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. Its January nights bite harder than in 93% of U.S. towns. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly May 23 to September 23.
A year in Carter at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Carter’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Carter’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Carter feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 120 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 23 and the first by September 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Carter 14 W, MT, 13 miles from the town’s center, 370 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Carter’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −27°. 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 38 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ft Benton, MT, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 82 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Carter
96% 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 Carter 14 W, MT.
Living with Carter’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
120 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 23 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and September. 0.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Carter from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (63%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 24%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Carter and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Carter yet.
Climates most like Carter’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carter, MT | 11° | 86° | 12" | 38" |
| Gypsum, CO | 11° | 86° | 14" | 39" |
| Taos, NM | 11° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
| Green River, WY | 9° | 87° | 9" | 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 Carter averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.5°).
A smaller 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 Carter compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Carter’s place among Montana’s.
Carter weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Carter’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ft Benton, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 11° | 0.4" | 7.9" | 5 | 15 | 10° – 37° |
| February | 38° | 13° | 0.4" | 6.9" | 6 | 11 | −2° – 39° |
| March | 48° | 21° | 0.5" | 4.3" | 6 | 6 | 18° – 43° |
| April | 58° | 30° | 1.3" | 3.0" | 8 | 2 | 39° – 48° |
| May | 67° | 39° | 2.0" | 0.3" | 10 | 0 | 49° – 59° |
| June | 76° | 47° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 58° – 66° |
| July | 86° | 53° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 60° – 77° |
| August | 85° | 51° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 62° – 73° |
| September | 74° | 43° | 1.1" | 0.3" | 7 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| October | 59° | 31° | 0.8" | 1.9" | 7 | 1 | 36° – 52° |
| November | 45° | 21° | 0.5" | 5.7" | 6 | 5 | 21° – 42° |
| December | 36° | 14° | 0.4" | 7.9" | 5 | 10 | 12° – 35° |
| Year | 59° | 31° | 12.2" | 38.2" | 82 | 50 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -2° to 39°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Carter’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 Carter’s center.
- Snow: Ft Benton, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Carter 14 W, MT, 13 miles from the town’s center, 370 ft higher; 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 Carter’s climate
What is the weather like in Carter?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 38 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 93% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 54% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Carter in winter?
January nights average 11°. About 170 nights a year reach 32° or below and 22 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 10°.
How much snow does Carter get?
About 38 inches in a normal winter at Ft Benton, MT, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 50 days a year.
How hot does it get in Carter?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 53°. About 27 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Carter 14 W, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Carter?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 23 and the first fall frost by September 23, about 120 frost-free days, at Carter 14 W, MT.
What growing zone is Carter in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −27°.
What is the best time of year to visit Carter?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Carter getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 53% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Carter.
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.