Charles Boles House · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0Less rain and snow falls on Kalispell than on 92% of U.S. towns: 16 inches a year
Nights in January average 18°. The wettest month is June; the driest is August. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 75% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around May 31; autumn frost returns near September 10.
A year in Kalispell at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Kalispell’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Kalispell’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Kalispell feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 100 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 31 and the first by September 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Kalispell Glacier Airport, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Kalispell’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −14°. 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 54 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Kalispell Glacier Airport, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; June is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 132 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Kalispell
98% 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 Kalispell Glacier Airport.
Living with Kalispell’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
100 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 31 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: June, July, August and September. 12 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Kalispell from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 21%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Kalispell and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Kalispell yet.
Climates most like Kalispell’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalispell, MT | 18° | 83° | 16" | 54" |
| Castle Rock, CO | 18° | 85° | 18" | 58" |
| Ranchettes, WY | 16° | 85° | 16" | 65" |
| Doney Park, AZ | 17° | 86° | 16" | 52" |
| Los Alamos, NM | 19° | 85° | 15" | 42" |
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 Kalispell averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.0°).
A bigger shift than in 52% 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 Kalispell compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Kalispell’s place among Montana’s.
Kalispell weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Kalispell’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Kalispell Glacier Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 18° | 1.3" | 13.9" | 14 | 25 | 15° – 33° |
| February | 36° | 19° | 0.9" | 8.4" | 11 | 17 | 13° – 35° |
| March | 46° | 25° | 1.0" | 5.4" | 12 | 9 | 26° – 41° |
| April | 55° | 31° | 1.2" | 1.2" | 11 | 0 | 38° – 50° |
| May | 66° | 39° | 1.8" | 0.2" | 12 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| June | 72° | 46° | 2.7" | 0.3" | 13 | 0 | 56° – 66° |
| July | 83° | 50° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 58° – 73° |
| August | 82° | 48° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 60° – 69° |
| September | 71° | 40° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| October | 55° | 32° | 1.3" | 1.1" | 11 | 1 | 38° – 49° |
| November | 39° | 25° | 1.3" | 8.0" | 12 | 5 | 26° – 39° |
| December | 31° | 19° | 1.4" | 15.9" | 14 | 17 | 18° – 31° |
| Year | 55° | 33° | 15.9" | 54.4" | 132 | 75 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 13° to 35°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Kalispell’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 Kalispell’s center.
- Snow: Kalispell Glacier Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Kalispell Glacier Airport, 7 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 Kalispell’s climate
What is the weather like in Kalispell?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 54 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 75% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Kalispell in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 187 nights a year reach 32° or below and 10 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Kalispell get?
About 54 inches in a normal winter at Kalispell Glacier Airport, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 75 days a year.
How hot does it get in Kalispell?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 50°. About 14 days a year reach 90° (Kalispell Glacier Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Kalispell?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 31 and the first fall frost by September 10, about 100 frost-free days, at Kalispell Glacier Airport.
What growing zone is Kalispell in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −14°.
What is the best time of year to visit Kalispell?
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 Kalispell getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Kalispell.
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.