Photo: Sara goth · CC BY-SA 3.0Lockwood’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 35 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Lockwood at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lockwood’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lockwood’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Lockwood feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 142 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 10 and the first by October 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Billings Wtp, MT, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lockwood’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 35 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Billings Wtp, MT, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 15 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 81 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lockwood
93% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
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 Wtp, MT.
Living with Lockwood’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
142 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 10 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 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 0.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lockwood from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (44%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 44%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lockwood and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Lockwood yet.
Climates most like Lockwood’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lockwood, MT | 15° | 88° | 15" | 35" |
| Glenwood Springs, CO | 14° | 87° | 15" | 39" |
| Spring Creek, NV | 15° | 89° | 14" | 41" |
| Chubbuck, ID | 17° | 88° | 12" | 39" |
| 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 Lockwood 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 Lockwood compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lockwood’s place among Montana’s.
Lockwood weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lockwood’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Billings Wtp, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 15° | 0.5" | 7.5" | 5 | 18 | 15° – 37° |
| February | 40° | 17° | 0.6" | 4.7" | 5 | 10 | 8° – 40° |
| March | 51° | 25° | 1.0" | 4.9" | 6 | 5 | 26° – 46° |
| April | 58° | 33° | 1.8" | 3.2" | 9 | 1 | 39° – 50° |
| May | 68° | 42° | 2.6" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 50° – 59° |
| June | 78° | 51° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| July | 88° | 57° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 62° – 78° |
| August | 86° | 55° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| September | 75° | 45° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 56° – 66° |
| October | 60° | 34° | 1.5" | 1.7" | 7 | 1 | 38° – 53° |
| November | 46° | 24° | 0.7" | 3.1" | 6 | 5 | 24° – 44° |
| December | 37° | 16° | 0.6" | 9.8" | 5 | 11 | 16° – 35° |
| Year | 60° | 34° | 15.2" | 35.0" | 81 | 52 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 8° to 40°. May is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Lockwood’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 Lockwood’s center.
- Snow: Billings Wtp, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Billings Wtp, MT, 6 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 Lockwood’s climate
What is the weather like in Lockwood?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 35 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 85% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 65% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lockwood in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 157 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 15°.
How much snow does Lockwood get?
About 35 inches in a normal winter at Billings Wtp, MT, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 52 days a year.
How hot does it get in Lockwood?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 57°. About 41 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Billings Wtp, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Lockwood?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 10 and the first fall frost by October 1, about 142 frost-free days, at Billings Wtp, MT.
What growing zone is Lockwood 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 Lockwood?
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 Lockwood 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 Lockwood.
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.