Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 4.0Nashua has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
Sunny July days climb to about 87°. Precipitation peaks in June and eases off in February. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 95% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from October to April, which average under 50°.
A year in Nashua at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Nashua’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Nashua’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Nashua feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 134 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 12 and the first by September 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Nashua #2, MT, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Nashua’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −29°. 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 41 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Glasgow International Airport, falls mostly in January. 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 95 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Nashua
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 Nashua #2, MT.
Living with Nashua’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
134 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 12 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 3.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 45% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Nashua from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Nashua and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Nashua yet.
Climates most like Nashua’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashua, MT | 3° | 87° | 13" | 41" |
| Green River, WY | 9° | 87° | 9" | 39" |
| Gypsum, CO | 11° | 86° | 14" | 39" |
| Dickinson, ND | 5° | 83° | 16" | 35" |
| Pierre, SD | 9° | 88° | 19" | 37" |
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 Nashua averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.4°).
A bigger shift than in 63% 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 Nashua compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Nashua’s place among Montana’s.
Nashua weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Nashua’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Glasgow International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 3° | 0.4" | 9.8" | 8 | 24 | 1° – 28° |
| February | 29° | 7° | 0.3" | 6.2" | 6 | 18 | −4° – 32° |
| March | 44° | 19° | 0.4" | 5.6" | 7 | 12 | 15° – 41° |
| April | 58° | 31° | 0.9" | 2.5" | 8 | 1 | 38° – 49° |
| May | 69° | 41° | 2.2" | 0.9" | 11 | 0 | 50° – 62° |
| June | 78° | 51° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 60° – 69° |
| July | 87° | 57° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 63° – 79° |
| August | 86° | 55° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 65° – 76° |
| September | 74° | 44° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 54° – 66° |
| October | 58° | 31° | 0.9" | 1.5" | 7 | 1 | 37° – 50° |
| November | 41° | 18° | 0.4" | 5.9" | 6 | 8 | 17° – 40° |
| December | 27° | 7° | 0.3" | 8.3" | 7 | 17 | 3° – 29° |
| Year | 56° | 30° | 12.8" | 40.7" | 95 | 80 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -4° to 32°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Nashua’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 Nashua’s center.
- Snow: Glasgow International Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Nashua #2, MT, 0.2 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 Nashua’s climate
What is the weather like in Nashua?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 3°, and about 41 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 113 U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Nashua in winter?
January nights average 3°. About 183 nights a year reach 32° or below and 35 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 1°.
How much snow does Nashua get?
About 41 inches in a normal winter at Glasgow International Airport, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 80 days a year.
How hot does it get in Nashua?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 57°. About 40 days a year reach 90° and 5 reach 100° (Nashua #2, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Nashua?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 12 and the first fall frost by September 24, about 134 frost-free days, at Nashua #2, MT.
What growing zone is Nashua in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −29°.
What is the best time of year to visit Nashua?
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 Nashua getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 63% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Nashua.
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.