Charles and Gladys Pelton House · Photo: 25or6to4 · CC BY-SA 4.0Fishtail is drier than 91% of U.S. towns: 18 inches of precipitation a year
In January the night’s low is typically 17°. Precipitation peaks in May and eases off in January. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 74% of U.S. towns. Long walks are most pleasant from June to September, when afternoons reach 72–83°.
A year in Fishtail at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fishtail’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fishtail’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Fishtail feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 100 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 1 and the first by September 11. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Nye #2, MT, 15 miles from the town’s center, 360 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fishtail’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −16°. 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 72 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Fishtail, MT, is heaviest from February through March, about 14 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 72 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fishtail
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 Nye #2, MT.
Living with Fishtail’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
100 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Jun 1 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 11.
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 Fishtail from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (70%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fishtail and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Fishtail yet.
Climates most like Fishtail’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fishtail, MT | 17° | 83° | 18" | 72" |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 16° | 84° | 18" | 90" |
| Ranchettes, WY | 16° | 85° | 16" | 65" |
| Castle Rock, CO | 18° | 85° | 18" | 58" |
| Rexburg, ID | 12° | 84° | 13" | 70" |
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 Fishtail averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.1°).
A bigger shift than in 58% 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 Fishtail compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fishtail’s place among Montana’s.
Fishtail weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fishtail’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Fishtail, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 17° | 0.5" | 9.6" | 4 | 20° – 34° |
| February | 39° | 17° | 0.8" | 15.1" | 5 | 11° – 38° |
| March | 48° | 24° | 1.1" | 13.7" | 6 | 26° – 43° |
| April | 54° | 31° | 1.9" | 8.8" | 7 | 37° – 47° |
| May | 64° | 39° | 3.6" | 1.6" | 9 | 47° – 56° |
| June | 73° | 47° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 54° – 65° |
| July | 83° | 53° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 57° – 75° |
| August | 82° | 51° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 60° – 71° |
| September | 72° | 43° | 1.5" | 0.5" | 6 | 53° – 63° |
| October | 58° | 33° | 1.7" | 4.7" | 5 | 37° – 52° |
| November | 45° | 24° | 0.8" | 7.4" | 4 | 26° – 45° |
| December | 37° | 17° | 0.7" | 10.8" | 4 | 18° – 34° |
| Year | 58° | 33° | 17.9" | 72.2" | 72 |
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 38°. May is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Fishtail’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 Fishtail’s center.
- Snow: Fishtail, MT (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Nye #2, MT, 15 miles from the town’s center, 360 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 Fishtail’s climate
What is the weather like in Fishtail?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 72 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 74% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 68% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fishtail in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 161 nights a year reach 32° or below and 15 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Fishtail get?
About 72 inches in a normal winter at Fishtail, MT, heaviest from February through March, about 14 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Fishtail?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 53°. About 18 days a year reach 90° (Nye #2, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Fishtail?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 1 and the first fall frost by September 11, about 100 frost-free days, at Nye #2, MT.
What growing zone is Fishtail in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −16°.
What is the best time of year to visit Fishtail?
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 Fishtail getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fishtail.
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.