Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Missoula’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 43 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Missoula at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Missoula’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Missoula’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Missoula feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 130 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 16 and the first by September 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Missoula International Airport, 4 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Missoula’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. 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 43 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Missoula International Airport, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; June is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 124 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Missoula
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 Missoula International Airport.
Living with Missoula’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
130 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 16 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and September. 112 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Missoula from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (31%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 31%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Missoula and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Missoula yet.
Climates most like Missoula’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missoula, MT | 18° | 86° | 14" | 43" |
| Los Alamos, NM | 19° | 85° | 15" | 42" |
| Doney Park, AZ | 17° | 86° | 16" | 52" |
| Chubbuck, ID | 17° | 88° | 12" | 39" |
| Altamont, OR | 22° | 86° | 13" | 52" |
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 Missoula averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.5°).
A smaller shift than in 72% 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 Missoula compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Missoula’s place among Montana’s.
Missoula weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Missoula’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Missoula International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 18° | 0.9" | 9.9" | 13 | 20 | 16° – 33° |
| February | 39° | 20° | 0.8" | 8.5" | 11 | 14 | 18° – 36° |
| March | 50° | 27° | 0.8" | 5.0" | 11 | 5 | 31° – 44° |
| April | 58° | 32° | 1.3" | 1.3" | 11 | 0 | 41° – 51° |
| May | 68° | 39° | 1.7" | 0.3" | 12 | 0 | 49° – 59° |
| June | 75° | 46° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| July | 86° | 51° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 59° – 76° |
| August | 85° | 49° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| September | 74° | 41° | 1.0" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| October | 58° | 32° | 1.2" | 0.9" | 10 | 1 | 38° – 52° |
| November | 42° | 24° | 1.0" | 5.4" | 11 | 5 | 27° – 39° |
| December | 33° | 18° | 1.1" | 11.6" | 13 | 16 | 19° – 30° |
| Year | 58° | 33° | 13.6" | 43.0" | 124 | 61 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 18° to 36°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Missoula’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 Missoula’s center.
- Snow: Missoula International Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Missoula International Airport, 4 miles from the city’s center point, 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 Missoula’s climate
What is the weather like in Missoula?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 43 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 56% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Missoula in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 173 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Missoula get?
About 43 inches in a normal winter at Missoula International Airport, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 61 days a year.
How hot does it get in Missoula?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 51°. About 27 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Missoula International Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Missoula?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 16 and the first fall frost by September 26, about 130 frost-free days, at Missoula International Airport.
What growing zone is Missoula in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Missoula?
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 Missoula getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 72% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Missoula.
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.