Tower Rock · Photo: Robstutz · CC BY-SA 3.0Hardy is drier than 93% of U.S. towns: 15 inches of precipitation a year
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 84°. Its January nights bite harder than in 80% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.2° more than in 1901–2000, led by January. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 21, with the first autumn frost due around September 19.
A year in Hardy at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hardy’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hardy’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Hardy feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 120 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 21 and the first by September 19. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cascade 5 S, MT, 6 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hardy’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −23°. 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 67 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cascade 5 S, MT, falls mostly in January, February, April, November and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 15 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 80 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Hardy
95% 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 Cascade 5 S, MT.
Living with Hardy’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
120 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 21 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 19.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Hardy from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (58%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 18%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hardy and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Hardy yet.
Climates most like Hardy’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardy, MT | 16° | 84° | 15" | 67" |
| Ranchettes, WY | 16° | 85° | 16" | 65" |
| Rexburg, ID | 12° | 84° | 13" | 70" |
| Castle Rock, CO | 18° | 85° | 18" | 58" |
| Doney Park, AZ | 17° | 86° | 16" | 52" |
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 Hardy averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.6°).
A smaller shift than in 66% 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 Hardy compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hardy’s place among Montana’s.
Hardy weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Hardy’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cascade 5 S, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 16° | 0.5" | 10.6" | 5 | 14° – 37° |
| February | 38° | 17° | 0.6" | 10.5" | 6 | 3° – 39° |
| March | 47° | 23° | 0.7" | 9.2" | 7 | 20° – 43° |
| April | 55° | 31° | 1.7" | 9.9" | 9 | 38° – 48° |
| May | 65° | 39° | 2.4" | 1.2" | 9 | 47° – 56° |
| June | 73° | 46° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 56° – 65° |
| July | 84° | 51° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 58° – 74° |
| August | 83° | 49° | 1.1" | 0.2" | 6 | 60° – 70° |
| September | 72° | 42° | 1.4" | 0.3" | 5 | 53° – 63° |
| October | 58° | 33° | 1.1" | 4.6" | 6 | 36° – 51° |
| November | 44° | 24° | 0.6" | 9.8" | 5 | 23° – 44° |
| December | 36° | 17° | 0.6" | 10.5" | 5 | 14° – 35° |
| Year | 58° | 32° | 14.7" | 66.8" | 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 39°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Hardy’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 Hardy’s center.
- Snow: Cascade 5 S, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cascade 5 S, MT, 6 miles from the town’s center, 110 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 Hardy’s climate
What is the weather like in Hardy?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 67 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 80% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hardy in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 146 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 14°.
How much snow does Hardy get?
About 67 inches in a normal winter at Cascade 5 S, MT, most of it in January, February, April, November and December.
How hot does it get in Hardy?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 51°. About 26 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Cascade 5 S, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Hardy?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 21 and the first fall frost by September 19, about 120 frost-free days, at Cascade 5 S, MT.
What growing zone is Hardy in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −23°.
What is the best time of year to visit Hardy?
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 Hardy getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 66% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Hardy.
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.