Less rain and snow falls on Pompeys Pillar than on 94% of U.S. towns: 14 inches a year
Expect July afternoons of about 88°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 76°. By January nights alone, it runs colder than 90% of U.S. towns. Radiators earn their keep from October to April, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Pompeys Pillar at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Pompeys Pillar’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Pompeys Pillar’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Pompeys Pillar feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 136 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 12 and the first by September 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Huntley Exp Stn, MT, 15 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Pompeys Pillar’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −23°. 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 34 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Huntley Exp Stn, MT, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; May is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 85 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Pompeys Pillar
94% 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 Huntley Exp Stn, MT.
Living with Pompeys Pillar’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
136 frost-free days in zone 4b. 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 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Pompeys Pillar from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (57%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 25%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Pompeys Pillar and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Pompeys Pillar yet.
Climates most like Pompeys Pillar’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pompeys Pillar, MT | 13° | 88° | 14" | 34" |
| Carbondale, CO | 11° | 88° | 13" | 39" |
| Spring Creek, NV | 15° | 89° | 14" | 41" |
| Hyde Park, UT | 14° | 89° | 16" | 44" |
| Torrington, WY | 14° | 90° | 13" | 31" |
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 Pompeys Pillar averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.1°).
A smaller shift than in 56% 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 Pompeys Pillar compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Pompeys Pillar’s place among Montana’s.
Pompeys Pillar weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Pompeys Pillar’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Huntley Exp Stn, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 13° | 0.5" | 6.7" | 5 | 18 | 14° – 38° |
| February | 40° | 16° | 0.5" | 7.1" | 5 | 12 | 7° – 40° |
| March | 51° | 23° | 0.8" | 4.7" | 6 | 7 | 25° – 46° |
| April | 59° | 32° | 1.6" | 1.8" | 9 | 1 | 39° – 51° |
| May | 69° | 42° | 2.5" | 0.2" | 12 | 0 | 50° – 60° |
| June | 78° | 51° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| July | 88° | 56° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 63° – 78° |
| August | 87° | 54° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 65° – 76° |
| September | 76° | 44° | 1.2" | 0.2" | 7 | 0 | 56° – 67° |
| October | 61° | 33° | 1.4" | 2.7" | 7 | 2 | 39° – 53° |
| November | 47° | 22° | 0.6" | 4.4" | 5 | 7 | 23° – 43° |
| December | 37° | 14° | 0.5" | 6.6" | 5 | 12 | 15° – 35° |
| Year | 61° | 33° | 14.0" | 34.4" | 85 | 59 |
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 40°. May is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Pompeys Pillar’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 Pompeys Pillar’s center.
- Snow: Huntley Exp Stn, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Huntley Exp Stn, MT, 15 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft higher; 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 Pompeys Pillar’s climate
What is the weather like in Pompeys Pillar?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 34 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 90% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Pompeys Pillar in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 182 nights a year reach 32° or below and 20 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 14°.
How much snow does Pompeys Pillar get?
About 34 inches in a normal winter at Huntley Exp Stn, MT, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 59 days a year.
How hot does it get in Pompeys Pillar?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 56°. About 39 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Huntley Exp Stn, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Pompeys Pillar?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 12 and the first fall frost by September 25, about 136 frost-free days, at Huntley Exp Stn, MT.
What growing zone is Pompeys Pillar in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −23°.
What is the best time of year to visit Pompeys Pillar?
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 Pompeys Pillar getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 56% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Pompeys Pillar.
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.