Photo: USDA NRCS Montana · Public domainChester sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for winter warmth
Midsummer highs settle at about 83°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 77° apart. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 97% of U.S. towns. Homes need heating from October to April, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Chester at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Chester’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Chester’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Chester feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 115 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 24 and the first by September 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Chester, MT, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Chester’s center in zone 3b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −31°. 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 37 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Chester, MT, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 11 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 79 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Chester
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 Chester, MT.
Living with Chester’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
115 frost-free days in zone 3b. The last frost comes by May 24 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 17.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 0.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 49% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Chester from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Chester and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Chester yet.
Climates most like Chester’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester, MT | 6° | 83° | 11" | 37" |
| Alamosa, CO | 3° | 82° | 8" | 30" |
| Dickinson, ND | 5° | 83° | 16" | 35" |
| Taos, NM | 11° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
| Cody, WY | 14° | 85° | 11" | 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 Chester averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+5.3°).
A bigger shift than in 77% 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 Chester compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Chester’s place among Montana’s.
Chester weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Chester’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Chester, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 6° | 0.5" | 8.3" | 5 | 21 | 4° – 32° |
| February | 34° | 9° | 0.4" | 5.7" | 5 | 16 | −6° – 37° |
| March | 44° | 18° | 0.4" | 5.1" | 6 | 9 | 14° – 40° |
| April | 56° | 28° | 1.0" | 3.7" | 7 | 2 | 36° – 46° |
| May | 66° | 38° | 1.7" | 0.4" | 10 | 0 | 47° – 59° |
| June | 74° | 46° | 2.6" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 57° – 65° |
| July | 83° | 51° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 58° – 76° |
| August | 82° | 49° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 60° – 70° |
| September | 71° | 40° | 1.0" | 0.6" | 6 | 0 | 51° – 62° |
| October | 57° | 28° | 0.7" | 0.7" | 6 | 2 | 33° – 48° |
| November | 41° | 17° | 0.5" | 5.6" | 5 | 8 | 17° – 39° |
| December | 32° | 8° | 0.4" | 6.3" | 5 | 12 | 7° – 31° |
| Year | 56° | 28° | 11.2" | 36.5" | 79 | 70 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -6° to 37°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Chester’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 Chester’s center.
- Snow: Chester, MT (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Chester, MT, 0.2 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 Chester’s climate
What is the weather like in Chester?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 98% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 71% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Chester in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 199 nights a year reach 32° or below and 36 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 4°.
How much snow does Chester get?
About 37 inches in a normal winter at Chester, MT, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 70 days a year.
How hot does it get in Chester?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 51°. About 16 days a year reach 90° (Chester, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Chester?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 24 and the first fall frost by September 17, about 115 frost-free days, at Chester, MT.
What growing zone is Chester in?
Zone 3b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −31°.
What is the best time of year to visit Chester?
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 Chester getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 77% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Chester.
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.