Kevin Depot · Photo: am · CC BY-SA 3.0Hardly any U.S. towns collect less precipitation than Kevin: 11 inches a year
High summer brings afternoon highs near 82°. A year here swings 73° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. In January, nights here are colder than in 95% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 15, with the first autumn frost due around September 25.
A year in Kevin at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Kevin’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Kevin’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Kevin feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 132 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 15 and the first by September 25. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sunburst 8 E, MT, 15 miles from the town’s center, 370 ft higher; frost dates and degree days from Sweetgrass, MT, 17 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Kevin’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −28°. 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 39 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Shelby, MT, falls mostly in January and March. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 11 inches a year; June is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 77 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Kevin
96% 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 Sweetgrass, MT.
Living with Kevin’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
132 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 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 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 1.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 49% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Kevin from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Kevin and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Kevin yet.
Climates most like Kevin’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin, MT | 9° | 82° | 11" | 39" |
| Taos, NM | 11° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
| Dickinson, ND | 5° | 83° | 16" | 35" |
| Alamosa, CO | 3° | 82° | 8" | 30" |
| Laramie, WY | 12° | 81° | 12" | 64" |
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 Kevin averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+5.6°).
A bigger shift than in 74% 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 Kevin compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Kevin’s place among Montana’s.
Kevin weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Kevin’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Shelby, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 9° | 0.3" | 7.3" | 5 | 15 | 6° – 34° |
| February | 35° | 11° | 0.3" | 5.8" | 5 | 10 | −3° – 36° |
| March | 44° | 19° | 0.4" | 6.9" | 6 | 7 | 14° – 41° |
| April | 55° | 28° | 1.1" | 4.1" | 7 | 2 | 35° – 47° |
| May | 65° | 38° | 1.8" | 1.9" | 9 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| June | 72° | 46° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 56° – 64° |
| July | 82° | 51° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 57° – 74° |
| August | 81° | 49° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| September | 71° | 40° | 1.1" | 0.5" | 6 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| October | 56° | 29° | 0.6" | 1.4" | 5 | 1 | 35° – 50° |
| November | 42° | 19° | 0.4" | 5.5" | 5 | 5 | 17° – 40° |
| December | 33° | 11° | 0.2" | 5.5" | 5 | 11 | 9° – 33° |
| Year | 56° | 29° | 11.4" | 38.9" | 77 | 51 |
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 36°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Kevin’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 Kevin’s center.
- Snow: Shelby, MT.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Sweetgrass, MT, 17 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Sunburst 8 E, MT, 15 miles from the town’s center, 370 ft higher; 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 Kevin’s climate
What is the weather like in Kevin?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 39 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 82% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Kevin in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 181 nights a year reach 32° or below and 23 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 6°.
How much snow does Kevin get?
About 39 inches in a normal winter at Shelby, MT, most of it in January and March, with snow on the ground about 51 days a year.
How hot does it get in Kevin?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 51°. About 12 days a year reach 90° (Sweetgrass, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Kevin?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 15 and the first fall frost by September 25, about 132 frost-free days, at Sweetgrass, MT.
What growing zone is Kevin in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −28°.
What is the best time of year to visit Kevin?
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 Kevin getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 74% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Kevin.
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.