Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Dry weather: only 14 inches of rain and melted snow a year in Livingston, less than in 94% of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 85°. In January, nights here are colder than in 73% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.4° higher. Radiators earn their keep from October to April, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Livingston at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Livingston’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Livingston’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Livingston feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 108 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 27 and the first by September 14. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Livingston Mission Fld, MT, 6 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Livingston’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −18°. 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 63 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Livingston 12 S, MT, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 95 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Livingston
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 Livingston Mission Fld, MT.
Living with Livingston’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
108 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 27 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 14.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, August and September. 5.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Livingston from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (69%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Livingston and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Livingston yet.
Climates most like Livingston’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Livingston, MT | 17° | 85° | 14" | 63" |
| Cheyenne, WY | 16° | 85° | 15" | 65" |
| The Pinery, CO | 17° | 86° | 17" | 58" |
| Doney Park, AZ | 17° | 86° | 16" | 52" |
| Pocatello, ID | 19° | 87° | 15" | 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 Livingston averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.3°).
A bigger shift than in 54% 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 Livingston compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Livingston’s place among Montana’s.
Livingston weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Livingston’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Livingston 12 S, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 17° | 0.5" | 9.6" | 7 | 19 | 19° – 34° |
| February | 39° | 17° | 0.4" | 9.6" | 7 | 15 | 13° – 38° |
| March | 48° | 24° | 0.9" | 9.2" | 8 | 7 | 25° – 44° |
| April | 55° | 30° | 1.4" | 8.0" | 9 | 2 | 37° – 48° |
| May | 65° | 38° | 2.3" | 2.4" | 11 | 0 | 47° – 56° |
| June | 74° | 46° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 54° – 66° |
| July | 85° | 51° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 58° – 75° |
| August | 84° | 49° | 1.0" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 60° – 71° |
| September | 74° | 41° | 1.2" | 0.3" | 7 | 0 | 53° – 62° |
| October | 59° | 32° | 1.4" | 3.5" | 7 | 2 | 38° – 52° |
| November | 44° | 24° | 0.7" | 7.9" | 6 | 8 | 25° – 44° |
| December | 35° | 17° | 0.4" | 12.1" | 6 | 19 | 18° – 32° |
| Year | 58° | 32° | 13.8" | 62.7" | 95 | 72 |
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 38°. September is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Livingston’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 Livingston’s center.
- Snow: Livingston 12 S, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Livingston Mission Fld, MT, 6 miles from the town’s center, 120 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 Livingston’s climate
What is the weather like in Livingston?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 63 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 73% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Livingston in winter?
December nights average 17°. About 162 nights a year reach 32° or below and 13 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Livingston get?
About 63 inches in a normal winter at Livingston 12 S, MT, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 72 days a year.
How hot does it get in Livingston?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 51°. About 28 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Livingston Mission Fld, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Livingston?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 27 and the first fall frost by September 14, about 108 frost-free days, at Livingston Mission Fld, MT.
What growing zone is Livingston in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −18°.
What is the best time of year to visit Livingston?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Livingston getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 54% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Livingston.
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.