Lindsay has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 85°. The seasons are far apart: from a winter night to a summer afternoon the average spans 80°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 94% of U.S. towns. For walks and days out, June and September bring highs of 73–76°.
A year in Lindsay at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lindsay’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lindsay’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Lindsay feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 113 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 26 and the first by September 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Terry 21 Nnw, MT, 19 miles from the town’s center, 430 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lindsay’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −23°. 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 24 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lindsay, MT, is heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month. 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 55 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lindsay
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 Terry 21 Nnw, MT.
Living with Lindsay’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
113 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 26 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 17.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and September.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 58% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lindsay from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lindsay and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Lindsay yet.
Climates most like Lindsay’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lindsay, MT | 5° | 85° | 14" | 24" |
| Taos, NM | 11° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
| Alamosa, CO | 3° | 82° | 8" | 30" |
| Rock Springs, WY | 9° | 87° | 9" | 31" |
| Aberdeen, SD | 3° | 84° | 22" | 43" |
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 Lindsay averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.1°).
A smaller shift than in 59% 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 Lindsay compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lindsay’s place among Montana’s.
Lindsay weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lindsay’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lindsay, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 5° | 0.4" | 4.8" | 3 | 4° – 30° |
| February | 31° | 9° | 0.4" | 4.7" | 4 | −2° – 32° |
| March | 44° | 19° | 0.5" | 3.5" | 3 | 15° – 43° |
| April | 56° | 29° | 1.4" | 2.4" | 5 | 36° – 47° |
| May | 66° | 39° | 2.7" | 0.3" | 8 | 48° – 59° |
| June | 76° | 49° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 57° – 67° |
| July | 85° | 55° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 60° – 76° |
| August | 84° | 52° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 4 | 62° – 75° |
| September | 73° | 42° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 4 | 52° – 65° |
| October | 57° | 30° | 1.0" | 0.8" | 4 | 35° – 49° |
| November | 41° | 18° | 0.4" | 3.0" | 3 | 18° – 39° |
| December | 30° | 9° | 0.4" | 4.2" | 3 | 6° – 28° |
| Year | 56° | 30° | 14.1" | 23.7" | 55 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -2° to 32°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Lindsay’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 Lindsay’s center.
- Snow: Lindsay, MT (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Terry 21 Nnw, MT, 19 miles from the town’s center, 430 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 Lindsay’s climate
What is the weather like in Lindsay?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 5°, and about 24 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 98% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lindsay in winter?
January nights average 5°. About 198 nights a year reach 32° or below and 33 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 4°.
How much snow does Lindsay get?
About 24 inches in a normal winter at Lindsay, MT, heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Lindsay?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 55°. About 18 days a year reach 90° (Terry 21 Nnw, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Lindsay?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 26 and the first fall frost by September 17, about 113 frost-free days, at Terry 21 Nnw, MT.
What growing zone is Lindsay in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −23°.
What is the best time of year to visit Lindsay?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Lindsay getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 59% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Lindsay.
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.