Highwood is drier than 92% of U.S. towns: 16 inches of precipitation a year
Sunny July days climb to about 84°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 87% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.2° higher. Central heating does most of its work from October to April, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Highwood at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Highwood’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Highwood’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Highwood feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 149 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 7 and the first by October 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Highwood 7 Ne, MT, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Highwood’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −24°. 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 43 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Carter 14 W, MT, is heaviest from January through March, about 7 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 70 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Highwood
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 Highwood 7 Ne, MT.
Living with Highwood’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
149 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 7 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 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Highwood 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 →Highwood and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Highwood yet.
Climates most like Highwood’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highwood, MT | 14° | 84° | 16" | 43" |
| Cody, WY | 14° | 85° | 11" | 45" |
| Gleneagle, CO | 14° | 84° | 21" | 55" |
| Doney Park, AZ | 17° | 86° | 16" | 52" |
| Rapid City, SD | 14° | 86° | 19" | 36" |
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 Highwood averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.4°).
A smaller shift than in 65% 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 Highwood compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Highwood’s place among Montana’s.
Highwood weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Highwood’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Carter 14 W, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 14° | 0.6" | 7.1" | 5 | 12° – 37° |
| February | 37° | 16° | 0.5" | 6.9" | 5 | −1° – 39° |
| March | 46° | 23° | 0.6" | 7.5" | 5 | 18° – 43° |
| April | 55° | 31° | 1.7" | 5.3" | 8 | 38° – 48° |
| May | 65° | 40° | 2.7" | 1.6" | 9 | 48° – 58° |
| June | 73° | 48° | 3.1" | 0.2" | 10 | 58° – 65° |
| July | 84° | 53° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 59° – 76° |
| August | 83° | 52° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 5 | 62° – 72° |
| September | 72° | 44° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 5 | 54° – 64° |
| October | 58° | 33° | 1.1" | 2.1" | 5 | 36° – 52° |
| November | 44° | 24° | 0.7" | 6.1" | 4 | 23° – 43° |
| December | 36° | 16° | 0.6" | 5.7" | 4 | 14° – 36° |
| Year | 57° | 33° | 15.8" | 42.5" | 70 |
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 8°.
Where Highwood’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 Highwood’s center.
- Snow: Carter 14 W, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Highwood 7 Ne, MT, 6 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 Highwood’s climate
What is the weather like in Highwood?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 43 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 87% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 64% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Highwood in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 141 nights a year reach 32° or below and 21 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 12°.
How much snow does Highwood get?
About 43 inches in a normal winter at Carter 14 W, MT, heaviest from January through March, about 7 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Highwood?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 53°. About 24 days a year reach 90° (Highwood 7 Ne, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Highwood?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 7 and the first fall frost by October 2, about 149 frost-free days, at Highwood 7 Ne, MT.
What growing zone is Highwood in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −24°.
What is the best time of year to visit Highwood?
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 Highwood getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Highwood.
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.