Photo: Ildar Sagdejev (Specious) · CC BY-SA 4.0Cooke City gets about 213 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 9 U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 73°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 213 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Cooke City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cooke City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cooke City’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Cooke City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 268 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 47 to 0° or below. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Silver Gate, MT, 2.7 miles from the town’s center, 780 ft lower; frost dates and degree days from Cooke City 2 W, MT, 3 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cooke City’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −23°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 213 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cooke City 2 W, MT, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 27 inches a year; May is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 159 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cooke City
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September through June.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Cooke City 2 W, MT.
Living with Cooke City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 4b, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 36 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July. 14 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cooke City from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (82%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cooke City and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cooke City yet.
Climates most like Cooke City’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooke City, MT | 9° | 73° | 27" | 213" |
| Ishpeming, MI | 5° | 77° | 33" | 197" |
| Woodland Park, CO | 11° | 77° | 22" | 134" |
| Incline Village, NV | 22° | 73° | 38" | 179" |
| Summit Park, UT | 19° | 79° | 30" | 153" |
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 Cooke City averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+4.1°).
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 Cooke City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cooke City’s place among Montana’s.
Cooke City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cooke City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cooke City 2 W, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 9° | 2.4" | 38.8" | 17 | 31 | 13° – 24° |
| February | 31° | 9° | 2.2" | 29.7" | 13 | 29 | 15° – 26° |
| March | 39° | 16° | 2.1" | 31.0" | 13 | 31 | 22° – 34° |
| April | 45° | 23° | 2.4" | 22.4" | 13 | 29 | 28° – 39° |
| May | 54° | 30° | 2.8" | 9.0" | 14 | 12 | 37° – 47° |
| June | 63° | 36° | 2.8" | 3.4" | 15 | 1 | 43° – 55° |
| July | 73° | 42° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 63° |
| August | 71° | 40° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 51° – 59° |
| September | 62° | 34° | 1.8" | 1.0" | 10 | 1 | 44° – 52° |
| October | 47° | 25° | 2.2" | 13.4" | 12 | 9 | 27° – 43° |
| November | 35° | 16° | 2.3" | 26.5" | 13 | 26 | 17° – 34° |
| December | 27° | 9° | 2.5" | 37.9" | 17 | 31 | 11° – 22° |
| Year | 48° | 24° | 27.0" | 213.1" | 159 | 199 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 17° to 34°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Cooke City’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 Cooke City’s center.
- Snow: Cooke City 2 W, MT.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Cooke City 2 W, MT, 3 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Silver Gate, MT, 2.7 miles from the town’s center, 780 ft lower; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 Cooke City’s climate
What is the weather like in Cooke City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 73°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 213 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 128 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cooke City in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 268 nights a year reach 32° or below and 47 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 13°.
How much snow does Cooke City get?
About 213 inches in a normal winter at Cooke City 2 W, MT, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 199 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cooke City?
July, with a typical high of 73°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Cooke City 2 W, MT.
When is the first and last frost in Cooke City?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Cooke City 2 W, MT, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 268 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 36 days.
What growing zone is Cooke City in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −23°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cooke City?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), July. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Cooke City 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 Cooke City.
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.