Photo: Melinda R. HImel · CC BY-SA 3.0Drummond’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Drummond at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Drummond’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Drummond’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Drummond 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 212 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 18 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Drummond Aviation, MT, 2.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Drummond’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 31 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Drummond Aviation, MT, falls mostly in 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 103 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Drummond
98% 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 Drummond Aviation, MT.
Living with Drummond’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 80 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Drummond from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (46%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Drummond and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Drummond yet.
Climates most like Drummond’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drummond, MT | 12° | 84° | 11" | 31" |
| Taos, NM | 11° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
| Salida, CO | 10° | 85° | 8" | 37" |
| Cody, WY | 14° | 85° | 11" | 45" |
| Dickinson, ND | 5° | 83° | 16" | 35" |
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 Drummond averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.5°).
A bigger shift than in 68% 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 Drummond compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Drummond’s place among Montana’s.
Drummond weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Drummond’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Drummond Aviation, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 12° | 0.5" | 5.3" | 10 | 17 | 12° – 29° |
| February | 37° | 13° | 0.5" | 4.8" | 8 | 12 | 12° – 33° |
| March | 47° | 22° | 0.6" | 4.7" | 8 | 5 | 26° – 41° |
| April | 56° | 28° | 1.0" | 1.7" | 10 | 0 | 37° – 48° |
| May | 66° | 35° | 1.6" | 0.9" | 10 | 0 | 45° – 55° |
| June | 73° | 41° | 2.1" | 0.7" | 11 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| July | 84° | 45° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 55° – 71° |
| August | 83° | 43° | 0.9" | 0.2" | 7 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| September | 73° | 36° | 1.0" | 0.1" | 6 | 0 | 51° – 59° |
| October | 57° | 27° | 0.8" | 0.7" | 8 | 0 | 35° – 49° |
| November | 41° | 18° | 0.6" | 5.0" | 9 | 7 | 22° – 38° |
| December | 31° | 11° | 0.6" | 6.4" | 10 | 16 | 14° – 27° |
| Year | 57° | 27° | 10.9" | 30.5" | 103 | 58 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 12° to 33°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Drummond’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 Drummond’s center.
- Snow: Drummond Aviation, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Drummond Aviation, MT, 2.4 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 Drummond’s climate
What is the weather like in Drummond?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Drummond in winter?
December nights average 11°. About 212 nights a year reach 32° or below and 18 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 14°.
How much snow does Drummond get?
About 31 inches in a normal winter at Drummond Aviation, MT, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 58 days a year.
How hot does it get in Drummond?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 45°. About 24 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Drummond Aviation, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Drummond?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Drummond Aviation, MT, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 212 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 80 days.
What growing zone is Drummond 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 Drummond?
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 Drummond getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 68% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Drummond.
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.