Photo: JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0Geraldine is drier than 93% of U.S. towns: 15 inches of precipitation a year
High summer brings afternoon highs near 85°. By January nights alone, it runs colder than 92% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.1° higher. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from October to April, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Geraldine at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Geraldine’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Geraldine’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Geraldine feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 134 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 14 and the first by September 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Geraldine, MT, 0.1 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Geraldine’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 38 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ft Benton, MT, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 15 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 82 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Geraldine
94% 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 Geraldine, MT.
Living with Geraldine’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
134 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 14 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Geraldine from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (43%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 40%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Geraldine and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Geraldine yet.
Climates most like Geraldine’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geraldine, MT | 11° | 85° | 15" | 38" |
| Gypsum, CO | 11° | 86° | 14" | 39" |
| Taos, NM | 11° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
| Rapid City, SD | 14° | 86° | 19" | 36" |
| Cody, WY | 14° | 85° | 11" | 45" |
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 Geraldine averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.5°).
A smaller 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 Geraldine compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Geraldine’s place among Montana’s.
Geraldine weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Geraldine’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ft Benton, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 11° | 0.6" | 7.9" | 5 | 15 | 9° – 38° |
| February | 38° | 13° | 0.5" | 6.9" | 6 | 11 | −1° – 39° |
| March | 47° | 21° | 0.7" | 4.3" | 6 | 6 | 18° – 42° |
| April | 57° | 30° | 1.8" | 3.0" | 8 | 2 | 38° – 48° |
| May | 66° | 39° | 2.5" | 0.3" | 10 | 0 | 48° – 58° |
| June | 75° | 47° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 58° – 66° |
| July | 85° | 52° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 59° – 76° |
| August | 85° | 50° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 62° – 73° |
| September | 73° | 42° | 1.3" | 0.3" | 7 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| October | 59° | 31° | 1.0" | 1.9" | 7 | 1 | 36° – 51° |
| November | 46° | 21° | 0.7" | 5.7" | 6 | 5 | 22° – 41° |
| December | 37° | 13° | 0.5" | 7.9" | 5 | 10 | 12° – 36° |
| Year | 59° | 31° | 15.1" | 38.2" | 82 | 50 |
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 39°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Geraldine’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 Geraldine’s center.
- Snow: Ft Benton, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Geraldine, MT, 0.1 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 Geraldine’s climate
What is the weather like in Geraldine?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 38 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Geraldine in winter?
January nights average 11°. About 155 nights a year reach 32° or below and 20 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 9°.
How much snow does Geraldine get?
About 38 inches in a normal winter at Ft Benton, MT, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 50 days a year.
How hot does it get in Geraldine?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 52°. About 31 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Geraldine, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Geraldine?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 14 and the first fall frost by September 26, about 134 frost-free days, at Geraldine, MT.
What growing zone is Geraldine 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 Geraldine?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Geraldine getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 68% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Geraldine.
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.