Dry weather: only 15 inches of rain and melted snow a year in Helmville, less than in 93% of U.S. towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 12°. Winter and summer sit 70° apart. By January nights alone, it runs colder than 91% of U.S. towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from October to May, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Helmville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Helmville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Helmville’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Helmville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 247 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 31 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ovando 9 Sse, MT, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Helmville’s center in zone 4a: 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 31 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Drummond Aviation, MT, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 15 inches a year; June is the wettest month and March the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 103 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Helmville
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September 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 Ovando 9 Sse, MT.
Living with Helmville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 4a, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 67 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Helmville from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (45%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Helmville and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Helmville yet.
Climates most like Helmville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helmville, MT | 12° | 82° | 15" | 31" |
| Taos, NM | 11° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
| Dickinson, ND | 5° | 83° | 16" | 35" |
| Cody, WY | 14° | 85° | 11" | 45" |
| Cimarron Hills, CO | 18° | 85° | 17" | 33" |
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 Helmville averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.9°).
A bigger shift than in 78% 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 Helmville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Helmville’s place among Montana’s.
Helmville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Helmville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Drummond Aviation, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 12° | 1.2" | 5.3" | 10 | 17 | 12° – 29° |
| February | 36° | 13° | 0.9" | 4.8" | 8 | 12 | 12° – 33° |
| March | 46° | 21° | 0.9" | 4.7" | 8 | 5 | 25° – 40° |
| April | 54° | 27° | 1.1" | 1.7" | 10 | 0 | 36° – 47° |
| May | 64° | 34° | 1.9" | 0.9" | 10 | 0 | 44° – 54° |
| June | 72° | 41° | 2.3" | 0.7" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 65° |
| July | 82° | 45° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 55° – 70° |
| August | 82° | 43° | 0.9" | 0.2" | 7 | 0 | 56° – 66° |
| September | 71° | 36° | 1.2" | 0.1" | 6 | 0 | 49° – 58° |
| October | 56° | 27° | 1.3" | 0.7" | 8 | 0 | 34° – 48° |
| November | 40° | 19° | 1.2" | 5.0" | 9 | 7 | 23° – 38° |
| December | 31° | 12° | 1.3" | 6.4" | 10 | 16 | 14° – 27° |
| Year | 55° | 27° | 15.1" | 30.5" | 103 | 58 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 12° to 33°. September is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Helmville’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 Helmville’s center.
- Snow: Drummond Aviation, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ovando 9 Sse, MT, 5 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 Helmville’s climate
What is the weather like in Helmville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 91% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 78% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Helmville in winter?
January nights average 12°. About 247 nights a year reach 32° or below and 31 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 12°.
How much snow does Helmville get?
About 31 inches in a normal winter at Drummond Aviation, MT, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 58 days a year.
How hot does it get in Helmville?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 45°. About 10 days a year reach 90° (Ovando 9 Sse, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Helmville?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Ovando 9 Sse, MT, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 247 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 67 days.
What growing zone is Helmville in?
Zone 4a 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 Helmville?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Helmville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 78% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Helmville.
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.