Midwinter lows in Muddy sink below those of 95% of U.S. towns
July afternoons average 87°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 78° apart. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 92% of U.S. towns. Homes need heating from October to April, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Muddy at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Muddy’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Muddy’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Muddy 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 23 and the first by September 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Busby, MT, 9 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Muddy’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −22°. 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 52 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Busby, MT, is heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; May is the wettest month and November 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 Muddy
95% 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 Busby, MT.
Living with Muddy’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 23 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 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and September. 15 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Muddy from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (39%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 12%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Muddy and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Muddy yet.
Climates most like Muddy’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muddy, MT | 9° | 87° | 16" | 52" |
| Alliance, NE | 13° | 88° | 17" | 45" |
| Gypsum, CO | 11° | 86° | 14" | 39" |
| Box Elder, SD | 14° | 86° | 19" | 49" |
| Lander, WY | 8° | 88° | 13" | 67" |
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 Muddy averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.1°).
A smaller shift than in 64% 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 Muddy compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Muddy’s place among Montana’s.
Muddy weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Muddy’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Busby, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 9° | 0.7" | 9.9" | 8 | 25 | 12° – 33° |
| February | 38° | 11° | 0.8" | 9.7" | 7 | 22 | 7° – 35° |
| March | 48° | 21° | 1.0" | 7.3" | 7 | 11 | 24° – 44° |
| April | 57° | 29° | 1.8" | 5.7" | 8 | 3 | 37° – 47° |
| May | 66° | 38° | 3.0" | 0.9" | 9 | 0 | 48° – 57° |
| June | 77° | 47° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 56° – 67° |
| July | 87° | 53° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 60° – 76° |
| August | 86° | 50° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 62° – 74° |
| September | 75° | 41° | 1.5" | 0.2" | 5 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| October | 59° | 30° | 1.5" | 3.8" | 7 | 2 | 36° – 50° |
| November | 45° | 19° | 0.7" | 6.2" | 6 | 8 | 21° – 42° |
| December | 36° | 10° | 0.7" | 8.6" | 6 | 20 | 12° – 31° |
| Year | 59° | 30° | 16.4" | 52.3" | 81 | 90 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 7° to 35°. May is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Muddy’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 Muddy’s center.
- Snow: Busby, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Busby, MT, 9 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft lower; 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 Muddy’s climate
What is the weather like in Muddy?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 52 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Muddy in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 193 nights a year reach 32° or below and 25 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 12°.
How much snow does Muddy get?
About 52 inches in a normal winter at Busby, MT, heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 90 days a year.
How hot does it get in Muddy?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 53°. About 38 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Busby, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Muddy?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 23 and the first fall frost by September 15, about 113 frost-free days, at Busby, MT.
What growing zone is Muddy in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −22°.
What is the best time of year to visit Muddy?
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 Muddy getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 64% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Muddy.
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.