Lower Logging Lake Snowshoe Cabin and Boathouse · Photo: National Park Service inventory · Public domainLoring Colony has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
July afternoons average 83°. Precipitation peaks in June and eases off in February. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 95% of U.S. towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from October to April, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Loring Colony at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Loring Colony’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Loring Colony’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Loring Colony feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 124 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 19 and the first by September 22. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Port Of Morgan, MT, 16 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Loring Colony’s center in zone 3b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −31°. 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 23 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Port Of Morgan, MT, falls mostly in March. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 67 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Loring Colony
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 Port Of Morgan, MT.
Living with Loring Colony’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
124 frost-free days in zone 3b. The last frost comes by May 19 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 22.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 48% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Loring Colony from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Loring Colony and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Loring Colony yet.
Climates most like Loring Colony’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loring Colony, MT | 3° | 83° | 13" | 23" |
| Alamosa, CO | 3° | 82° | 8" | 30" |
| Dickinson, ND | 5° | 83° | 16" | 35" |
| Taos, NM | 11° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
| 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 Loring Colony averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.7°).
A bigger shift than in 65% 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 Loring Colony compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Loring Colony’s place among Montana’s.
Loring Colony weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Loring Colony’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Port Of Morgan, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 3° | 0.4" | 3.5" | 4 | −1° – 28° |
| February | 29° | 7° | 0.3" | 3.0" | 4 | −6° – 32° |
| March | 41° | 17° | 0.5" | 4.6" | 3 | 10° – 39° |
| April | 56° | 29° | 1.1" | 1.4" | 5 | 36° – 48° |
| May | 66° | 39° | 2.0" | 0.6" | 9 | 48° – 59° |
| June | 74° | 48° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 57° – 64° |
| July | 83° | 53° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 60° – 76° |
| August | 83° | 51° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 61° – 73° |
| September | 71° | 42° | 1.2" | 0.3" | 6 | 51° – 63° |
| October | 55° | 30° | 0.8" | 1.8" | 5 | 35° – 48° |
| November | 39° | 17° | 0.5" | 3.6" | 4 | 16° – 39° |
| December | 27° | 7° | 0.4" | 4.1" | 4 | 3° – 28° |
| Year | 54° | 29° | 13.0" | 22.9" | 67 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -6° to 32°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Loring Colony’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 Loring Colony’s center.
- Snow: Port Of Morgan, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Port Of Morgan, MT, 16 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 Loring Colony’s climate
What is the weather like in Loring Colony?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 3°, and about 23 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 133 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Loring Colony in winter?
January nights average 3°. About 189 nights a year reach 32° or below and 36 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −1°.
How much snow does Loring Colony get?
About 23 inches in a normal winter at Port Of Morgan, MT, most of it in March.
How hot does it get in Loring Colony?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 53°. About 16 days a year reach 90° (Port Of Morgan, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Loring Colony?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 19 and the first fall frost by September 22, about 124 frost-free days, at Port Of Morgan, MT.
What growing zone is Loring Colony in?
Zone 3b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −31°.
What is the best time of year to visit Loring Colony?
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 Loring Colony getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Loring Colony.
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.