Photo: Sam Beebe · CC BY 2.0Choteau sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for precipitation, with 12 inches a year
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 81°. Temperatures cover 69° across the year, low to high. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 91% of U.S. towns. Radiators earn their keep from October to April, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Choteau at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Choteau’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Choteau’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Choteau feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 104 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 28 and the first by September 12. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Choteau, MT, 0.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Choteau’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −25°. 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 48 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Choteau, MT, is heaviest from February through March, about 8 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January 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 Choteau
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 Choteau, MT.
Living with Choteau’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
104 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 28 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 12.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 0.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Choteau from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (50%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 24%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Choteau and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Choteau yet.
Climates most like Choteau’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Choteau, MT | 12° | 81° | 12" | 48" |
| Laramie, WY | 12° | 81° | 12" | 64" |
| Rexburg, ID | 12° | 84° | 13" | 70" |
| Taos, NM | 11° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
| Gleneagle, CO | 14° | 84° | 21" | 55" |
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 Choteau averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+5.4°).
A bigger shift than in 63% 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 Choteau compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Choteau’s place among Montana’s.
Choteau weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Choteau’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Choteau, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 12° | 0.3" | 6.4" | 5 | 13 | 12° – 35° |
| February | 38° | 13° | 0.4" | 7.6" | 6 | 10 | 1° – 38° |
| March | 46° | 21° | 0.5" | 8.1" | 6 | 7 | 17° – 42° |
| April | 55° | 29° | 1.2" | 6.6" | 8 | 3 | 36° – 46° |
| May | 64° | 37° | 2.1" | 1.4" | 9 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| June | 72° | 44° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 55° – 64° |
| July | 81° | 49° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 56° – 72° |
| August | 81° | 47° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 59° – 68° |
| September | 71° | 40° | 1.2" | 0.9" | 6 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| October | 57° | 30° | 0.8" | 4.2" | 6 | 3 | 35° – 50° |
| November | 43° | 21° | 0.4" | 6.9" | 5 | 8 | 22° – 42° |
| December | 36° | 14° | 0.3" | 5.4" | 5 | 11 | 14° – 34° |
| Year | 57° | 30° | 12.0" | 47.5" | 79 | 54 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 1° to 38°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Choteau’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 Choteau’s center.
- Snow: Choteau, MT (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Choteau, MT, 0.7 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 Choteau’s climate
What is the weather like in Choteau?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 48 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 91% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 85% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Choteau in winter?
January nights average 12°. About 177 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 12°.
How much snow does Choteau get?
About 48 inches in a normal winter at Choteau, MT, heaviest from February through March, about 8 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 54 days a year.
How hot does it get in Choteau?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 49°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Choteau, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Choteau?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 28 and the first fall frost by September 12, about 104 frost-free days, at Choteau, MT.
What growing zone is Choteau in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −25°.
What is the best time of year to visit Choteau?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Choteau getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 63% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Choteau.
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.