Lonesomehurst Cabin · Public domainHebgen Lake Estates gets about 177 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 34 U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 78°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with March up the most. Tender plants can go out after about June 15; in half of years the first frost comes by September 10.
A year in Hebgen Lake Estates at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hebgen Lake Estates’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hebgen Lake Estates’ place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Hebgen Lake Estates feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 87 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 15 and the first by September 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Hebgen Dam, MT, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hebgen Lake Estates’ center in zone 3b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −32°. 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 177 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Hebgen Dam, MT, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 25 inches a year; December is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 118 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Hebgen Lake Estates
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September through June.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Hebgen Dam, MT.
Living with Hebgen Lake Estates’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
87 frost-free days in zone 3b. The last frost comes by Jun 15 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 10.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Hebgen Lake Estates from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (71%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hebgen Lake Estates and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Hebgen Lake Estates yet.
Climates most like Hebgen Lake Estates’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hebgen Lake Estates, MT | 4° | 78° | 25" | 177" |
| Aspen, CO | 10° | 80° | 20" | 171" |
| Ishpeming, MI | 5° | 77° | 33" | 197" |
| Snyderville, UT | 18° | 80° | 26" | 153" |
| Lyndon, VT | 5° | 79° | 41" | 142" |
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 Hebgen Lake Estates averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.3°).
A smaller shift than in 75% 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 Hebgen Lake Estates compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hebgen Lake Estates’ place among Montana’s.
Hebgen Lake Estates weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Hebgen Lake Estates’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Hebgen Dam, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 4° | 2.5" | 43.8" | 14 | 31 | 8° – 22° |
| February | 31° | 6° | 2.1" | 33.7" | 11 | 29 | 13° – 25° |
| March | 40° | 15° | 2.1" | 20.6" | 9 | 30 | 22° – 34° |
| April | 48° | 22° | 2.3" | 7.7" | 10 | 19 | 29° – 40° |
| May | 59° | 31° | 2.7" | 1.2" | 12 | 2 | 39° – 50° |
| June | 68° | 37° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 47° – 59° |
| July | 78° | 42° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 51° – 66° |
| August | 78° | 40° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 54° – 62° |
| September | 67° | 33° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 47° – 54° |
| October | 51° | 25° | 1.9" | 4.1" | 8 | 2 | 28° – 44° |
| November | 36° | 14° | 2.2" | 20.9" | 10 | 20 | 16° – 33° |
| December | 26° | 5° | 2.8" | 45.2" | 13 | 31 | 10° – 21° |
| Year | 51° | 23° | 25.0" | 177.2" | 118 | 162 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 16° to 33°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Hebgen Lake Estates’ 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 Hebgen Lake Estates’ center.
- Snow: Hebgen Dam, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Hebgen Dam, MT, 10 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 Hebgen Lake Estates’ climate
What is the weather like in Hebgen Lake Estates?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 4°, and about 177 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 169 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hebgen Lake Estates in winter?
January nights average 4°. About 226 nights a year reach 32° or below and 38 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 8°.
How much snow does Hebgen Lake Estates get?
About 177 inches in a normal winter at Hebgen Dam, MT, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 162 days a year.
How hot does it get in Hebgen Lake Estates?
July, with a typical high of 78° and a low of 42°. About 2 days a year reach 90° (Hebgen Dam, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Hebgen Lake Estates?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 15 and the first fall frost by September 10, about 87 frost-free days, at Hebgen Dam, MT.
What growing zone is Hebgen Lake Estates in?
Zone 3b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −32°.
What is the best time of year to visit Hebgen Lake Estates?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), July. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Hebgen Lake Estates getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 75% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Hebgen Lake Estates.
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.