Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Laurel’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 48 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Laurel at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Laurel’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Laurel’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Laurel 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 5 and the first by October 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Billings Wfo, MT, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Laurel’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −20°. 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 48 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Billings Wfo, MT, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 98 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Laurel
92% 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 Billings Wfo, MT.
Living with Laurel’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
149 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 5 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 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 0.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Laurel from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (45%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 46%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Laurel and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Laurel yet.
Climates most like Laurel’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurel, MT | 15° | 88° | 14" | 48" |
| Spring Creek, NV | 15° | 89° | 14" | 41" |
| Fort Collins, CO | 16° | 89° | 15" | 49" |
| Preston, ID | 14° | 89° | 15" | 52" |
| Alliance, NE | 13° | 88° | 17" | 45" |
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 Laurel averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.2°).
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 Laurel compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Laurel’s place among Montana’s.
Laurel weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Laurel’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Billings Wfo, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 15° | 0.5" | 9.2" | 6 | 17 | 16° – 36° |
| February | 41° | 17° | 0.5" | 9.6" | 8 | 11 | 9° – 39° |
| March | 51° | 25° | 0.9" | 7.2" | 7 | 5 | 26° – 46° |
| April | 59° | 32° | 1.8" | 3.7" | 10 | 1 | 39° – 50° |
| May | 68° | 41° | 2.4" | 0.4" | 13 | 0 | 50° – 59° |
| June | 78° | 50° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| July | 88° | 56° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 62° – 78° |
| August | 87° | 54° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| September | 76° | 45° | 1.3" | 0.3" | 8 | 0 | 56° – 66° |
| October | 61° | 34° | 1.4" | 3.5" | 8 | 2 | 39° – 53° |
| November | 47° | 24° | 0.6" | 5.6" | 6 | 6 | 25° – 44° |
| December | 37° | 16° | 0.5" | 8.7" | 6 | 12 | 17° – 34° |
| Year | 61° | 34° | 14.2" | 48.2" | 98 | 53 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 9° to 39°. May is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Laurel’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 Laurel’s center.
- Snow: Billings Wfo, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Billings Wfo, MT, 11 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 Laurel’s climate
What is the weather like in Laurel?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 48 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 86% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 67% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Laurel in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 158 nights a year reach 32° or below and 13 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Laurel get?
About 48 inches in a normal winter at Billings Wfo, MT, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 53 days a year.
How hot does it get in Laurel?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 56°. About 41 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Billings Wfo, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Laurel?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 5 and the first fall frost by October 3, about 149 frost-free days, at Billings Wfo, MT.
What growing zone is Laurel in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −20°.
What is the best time of year to visit Laurel?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Laurel 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 Laurel.
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.