Dry weather: only 14 inches of rain and melted snow a year in Dutton, less than in 94% of U.S. towns
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 12° on average. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in June and the lightest in January. Its January nights bite harder than in 91% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from October to April, which average under 50°.
A year in Dutton at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dutton’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dutton’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Dutton feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 123 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 20 and the first by September 22. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Choteau 8ne, MT, 14 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dutton’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 14 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 Dutton
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 8ne, MT.
Living with Dutton’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
123 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 20 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 22.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Dutton from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (61%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 30%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dutton and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Dutton yet.
Climates most like Dutton’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dutton, MT | 12° | 83° | 14" | 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 Dutton averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+5.0°).
A bigger shift than in 52% 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 Dutton compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dutton’s place among Montana’s.
Dutton weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dutton’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 | 35° | 12° | 0.4" | 6.4" | 5 | 13 | 11° – 35° |
| February | 37° | 14° | 0.5" | 7.6" | 6 | 10 | −1° – 38° |
| March | 46° | 21° | 0.6" | 8.1" | 6 | 7 | 16° – 43° |
| April | 55° | 29° | 1.5" | 6.6" | 8 | 3 | 37° – 46° |
| May | 65° | 38° | 2.2" | 1.4" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| June | 73° | 45° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 56° – 65° |
| July | 83° | 50° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 57° – 74° |
| August | 82° | 49° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 60° – 70° |
| September | 71° | 41° | 1.3" | 0.9" | 6 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| October | 57° | 31° | 0.9" | 4.2" | 6 | 3 | 35° – 50° |
| November | 43° | 21° | 0.6" | 6.9" | 5 | 8 | 22° – 42° |
| December | 35° | 14° | 0.5" | 5.4" | 5 | 11 | 13° – 34° |
| Year | 57° | 30° | 13.5" | 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 Dutton’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 Dutton’s center.
- Snow: Choteau, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Choteau 8ne, MT, 14 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 Dutton’s climate
What is the weather like in Dutton?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, 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 76% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dutton in winter?
January nights average 12°. About 180 nights a year reach 32° or below and 27 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 11°.
How much snow does Dutton 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 Dutton?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 50°. About 14 days a year reach 90° (Choteau 8ne, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Dutton?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 20 and the first fall frost by September 22, about 123 frost-free days, at Choteau 8ne, MT.
What growing zone is Dutton 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 Dutton?
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 Dutton getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Dutton.
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.