Fort Peck Theatre · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0Fort Peck has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
July afternoons average 88°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 95% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with January up the most. For walks and days out, May, June and September bring highs of 69–78°.
A year in Fort Peck at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fort Peck’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fort Peck’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Fort Peck feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 145 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 8 and the first by October 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ft Peck Pwr Plt, MT, 2.1 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fort Peck’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −27°. 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 41 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Glasgow International Airport, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 95 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fort Peck
91% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Ft Peck Pwr Plt, MT.
Living with Fort Peck’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
145 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 8 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 40% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fort Peck from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fort Peck and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Fort Peck yet.
Climates most like Fort Peck’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Peck, MT | 4° | 88° | 13" | 41" |
| Green River, WY | 9° | 87° | 9" | 39" |
| Gypsum, CO | 11° | 86° | 14" | 39" |
| Pierre, SD | 9° | 88° | 19" | 37" |
| 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 Fort Peck averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.3°).
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 Fort Peck compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fort Peck’s place among Montana’s.
Fort Peck weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fort Peck’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Glasgow International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25° | 4° | 0.3" | 9.8" | 8 | 24 | 2° – 29° |
| February | 31° | 8° | 0.3" | 6.2" | 6 | 18 | −3° – 33° |
| March | 45° | 20° | 0.4" | 5.6" | 7 | 12 | 16° – 42° |
| April | 59° | 31° | 1.0" | 2.5" | 8 | 1 | 39° – 49° |
| May | 69° | 42° | 2.3" | 0.9" | 11 | 0 | 51° – 62° |
| June | 78° | 51° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 60° – 69° |
| July | 88° | 57° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 64° – 79° |
| August | 87° | 55° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 66° – 77° |
| September | 74° | 45° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| October | 58° | 32° | 1.0" | 1.5" | 7 | 1 | 37° – 51° |
| November | 41° | 19° | 0.4" | 5.9" | 6 | 8 | 17° – 40° |
| December | 29° | 8° | 0.4" | 8.3" | 7 | 17 | 4° – 30° |
| Year | 57° | 31° | 13.0" | 40.7" | 95 | 80 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -3° to 33°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Fort Peck’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 Fort Peck’s center.
- Snow: Glasgow International Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ft Peck Pwr Plt, MT, 2.1 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft lower; 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 Fort Peck’s climate
What is the weather like in Fort Peck?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 4°, and about 41 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 145 U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 65% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fort Peck in winter?
January nights average 4°. About 164 nights a year reach 32° or below and 28 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 2°.
How much snow does Fort Peck get?
About 41 inches in a normal winter at Glasgow International Airport, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 80 days a year.
How hot does it get in Fort Peck?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 57°. About 38 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Ft Peck Pwr Plt, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Fort Peck?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 8 and the first fall frost by October 1, about 145 frost-free days, at Ft Peck Pwr Plt, MT.
What growing zone is Fort Peck in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −27°.
What is the best time of year to visit Fort Peck?
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 Fort Peck 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 Fort Peck.
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.