Opheim has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
July afternoons average 79°. Temperatures cover 78° across the year, low to high. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 95% of U.S. towns. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly June 1 to September 7.
A year in Opheim at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Opheim’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Opheim’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Opheim feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 99 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 1 and the first by September 7. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Opheim 12 Sse, MT, 12 miles from the town’s center, 320 ft lower; frost dates and degree days from Opheim 10 N, MT, 10 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Opheim’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −30°. 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 33 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Opheim 10 N, MT, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 15 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 61 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Opheim
98% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from September 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 Opheim 10 N, MT.
Living with Opheim’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
99 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by Jun 1 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 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 0.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 40% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Opheim from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Opheim and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Opheim yet.
Climates most like Opheim’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opheim, MT | 1° | 79° | 15" | 33" |
| Minot, ND | 2° | 82° | 17" | 52" |
| Gunnison, CO | 0° | 82° | 12" | 50" |
| Thief River Falls, MN | −4° | 79° | 22" | 50" |
| Watertown, SD | 2° | 81° | 25" | 41" |
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 Opheim averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.7°).
A bigger shift than in 61% 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 Opheim compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Opheim’s place among Montana’s.
Opheim weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Opheim’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Opheim 10 N, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20° | 1° | 0.4" | 4.5" | 3 | −2° – 25° |
| February | 24° | 3° | 0.4" | 6.2" | 3 | −9° – 27° |
| March | 36° | 15° | 0.5" | 5.1" | 3 | 7° – 37° |
| April | 51° | 26° | 1.0" | 2.5" | 5 | 31° – 45° |
| May | 62° | 36° | 2.4" | 0.9" | 7 | 45° – 56° |
| June | 70° | 46° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 53° – 62° |
| July | 79° | 51° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 58° – 72° |
| August | 79° | 49° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 58° – 70° |
| September | 67° | 39° | 1.3" | 0.2" | 6 | 48° – 59° |
| October | 51° | 28° | 1.0" | 1.2" | 4 | 31° – 46° |
| November | 35° | 15° | 0.5" | 5.3" | 3 | 13° – 36° |
| December | 23° | 4° | 0.4" | 7.1" | 3 | 1° – 24° |
| Year | 50° | 26° | 14.8" | 33.0" | 61 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -9° to 27°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Opheim’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 Opheim’s center.
- Snow: Opheim 10 N, MT.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Opheim 10 N, MT, 10 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Opheim 12 Sse, MT, 12 miles from the town’s center, 320 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 Opheim’s climate
What is the weather like in Opheim?
A typical July afternoon reaches 79°, a January night drops to 1°, and about 33 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 55 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 95% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Opheim in winter?
January nights average 1°. About 217 nights a year reach 32° or below and 49 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −2°.
How much snow does Opheim get?
About 33 inches in a normal winter at Opheim 10 N, MT, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Opheim?
July, with a typical high of 79° and a low of 51°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Opheim 10 N, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Opheim?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 1 and the first fall frost by September 7, about 99 frost-free days, at Opheim 10 N, MT.
What growing zone is Opheim in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −30°.
What is the best time of year to visit Opheim?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Opheim getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 61% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Opheim.
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.