Photo: Sam Beebe · CC BY 2.0Hardly any U.S. towns collect less precipitation than Deer Lodge: 11 inches a year
Midsummer highs settle at about 83°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 92% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.4° more than in 1901–2000, led by January. Homes need heating from October to May, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Deer Lodge at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Deer Lodge’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Deer Lodge’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Deer Lodge 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 231 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 24 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Deer Lodge 3 W, MT, 3 miles from the town’s center, 310 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Deer Lodge’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°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 75 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Anaconda, MT, falls mostly in January, February, March, November and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 11 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 125 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Deer Lodge
99% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from September 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 Deer Lodge 3 W, MT.
Living with Deer Lodge’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 65 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 1.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 40% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Deer Lodge from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Deer Lodge and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Deer Lodge yet.
Climates most like Deer Lodge’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer Lodge, MT | 11° | 83° | 11" | 75" |
| Rexburg, ID | 12° | 84° | 13" | 70" |
| Laramie, WY | 12° | 81° | 12" | 64" |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 16° | 84° | 18" | 90" |
| Durango, CO | 12° | 86° | 18" | 64" |
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 Deer Lodge averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.3°).
A bigger shift than in 51% 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 Deer Lodge compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Deer Lodge’s place among Montana’s.
Deer Lodge weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Deer Lodge’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Anaconda, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 11° | 0.3" | 11.4" | 9 | 24 | 13° – 30° |
| February | 36° | 13° | 0.4" | 11.3" | 9 | 18 | 9° – 33° |
| March | 46° | 21° | 0.6" | 11.8" | 11 | 13 | 22° – 39° |
| April | 55° | 27° | 0.9" | 9.9" | 12 | 4 | 36° – 47° |
| May | 64° | 34° | 1.8" | 2.0" | 14 | 0 | 44° – 55° |
| June | 73° | 41° | 2.2" | 0.6" | 14 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| July | 83° | 46° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 70° |
| August | 82° | 43° | 1.0" | 0.2" | 9 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| September | 72° | 36° | 0.9" | 0.4" | 8 | 0 | 50° – 58° |
| October | 56° | 27° | 0.7" | 3.3" | 10 | 2 | 33° – 47° |
| November | 41° | 18° | 0.4" | 12.1" | 11 | 13 | 22° – 38° |
| December | 32° | 10° | 0.3" | 12.1" | 10 | 24 | 13° – 27° |
| Year | 56° | 27° | 10.7" | 75.1" | 125 | 98 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 9° to 33°. September is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Deer Lodge’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 Deer Lodge’s center.
- Snow: Anaconda, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Deer Lodge 3 W, MT, 3 miles from the town’s center, 310 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 Deer Lodge’s climate
What is the weather like in Deer Lodge?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 75 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 72% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Deer Lodge in winter?
December nights average 10°. About 231 nights a year reach 32° or below and 24 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 13°.
How much snow does Deer Lodge get?
About 75 inches in a normal winter at Anaconda, MT, most of it in January, February, March, November and December, with snow on the ground about 98 days a year.
How hot does it get in Deer Lodge?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 46°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Deer Lodge 3 W, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Deer Lodge?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Deer Lodge 3 W, MT, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 231 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 65 days.
What growing zone is Deer Lodge 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 Deer Lodge?
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 Deer Lodge getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 51% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Deer Lodge.
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.