Dry weather: only 13 inches of rain and melted snow a year in Edgar, less than in 94% of U.S. towns
Sunny July days climb to about 88°. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in May and the lightest in January. By January nights alone, it runs colder than 87% of U.S. towns. If you like long walks, May, June and September offer highs of 68–78°.
A year in Edgar at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Edgar’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Edgar’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Edgar feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 107 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 29 and the first by September 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Joliet, MT, 7 miles from the town’s center, 370 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Edgar’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −19°. 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 30 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bridger 2 N, MT, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 54 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Edgar
97% 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 Joliet, MT.
Living with Edgar’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
107 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 29 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 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Edgar from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (75%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Edgar and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Edgar yet.
Climates most like Edgar’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edgar, MT | 14° | 88° | 13" | 30" |
| Wellington, CO | 16° | 88° | 14" | 34" |
| Chubbuck, ID | 17° | 88° | 12" | 39" |
| Spring Creek, NV | 15° | 89° | 14" | 41" |
| Gallup, NM | 17° | 88° | 10" | 34" |
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 Edgar averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.4°).
A bigger shift than in 60% 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 Edgar compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Edgar’s place among Montana’s.
Edgar weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Edgar’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bridger 2 N, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 14° | 0.4" | 5.1" | 2 | 16° – 35° |
| February | 40° | 16° | 0.4" | 4.5" | 2 | 11° – 39° |
| March | 51° | 24° | 0.7" | 3.1" | 3 | 27° – 45° |
| April | 59° | 32° | 1.6" | 3.5" | 6 | 39° – 50° |
| May | 68° | 41° | 2.4" | 0.7" | 8 | 50° – 59° |
| June | 78° | 49° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 57° – 69° |
| July | 88° | 55° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 4 | 61° – 77° |
| August | 87° | 52° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 63° – 74° |
| September | 75° | 44° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 5 | 55° – 66° |
| October | 60° | 33° | 1.4" | 2.0" | 5 | 38° – 53° |
| November | 47° | 23° | 0.6" | 4.7" | 3 | 25° – 44° |
| December | 37° | 15° | 0.4" | 6.7" | 3 | 16° – 32° |
| Year | 61° | 33° | 13.3" | 30.3" | 54 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 11° to 39°. May is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Edgar’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 Edgar’s center.
- Snow: Bridger 2 N, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Joliet, MT, 7 miles from the town’s center, 370 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 Edgar’s climate
What is the weather like in Edgar?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 30 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 87% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Edgar in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 185 nights a year reach 32° or below and 18 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Edgar get?
About 30 inches in a normal winter at Bridger 2 N, MT, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Edgar?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 55°. About 29 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Joliet, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Edgar?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 29 and the first fall frost by September 15, about 107 frost-free days, at Joliet, MT.
What growing zone is Edgar in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Edgar?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Edgar getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 60% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Edgar.
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.