Chief Plenty Coups (Alek-Chea-Ahoosh) House · Public domainPryor is drier than 92% of U.S. towns: 17 inches of precipitation a year
Sunny July days climb to about 83°. Its January nights bite harder than in 85% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with January up the most. The heating season runs October to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Pryor at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Pryor’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Pryor’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Pryor feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 107 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 29 and the first by September 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Joliet, MT, 24 miles from the town’s center, 400 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Pryor’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −19°. 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 32 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Pryor, MT, falls mostly in January, February, March, November and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 17 inches a year; May is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 72 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Pryor
97% 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 Joliet, MT.
Living with Pryor’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
107 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 29 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, July, August and September. 33 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Pryor from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (47%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 19%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Pryor and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Pryor yet.
Climates most like Pryor’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pryor, MT | 15° | 83° | 17" | 32" |
| Raton, NM | 15° | 85° | 16" | 25" |
| Cimarron Hills, CO | 18° | 85° | 17" | 33" |
| Rapid City, SD | 14° | 86° | 19" | 36" |
| Doney Park, AZ | 17° | 86° | 16" | 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 Pryor averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.8°).
A bigger shift than in 74% 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 Pryor compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Pryor’s place among Montana’s.
Pryor weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Pryor’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Pryor, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 15° | 0.6" | 5.3" | 4 | 10 | 16° – 32° |
| February | 37° | 16° | 0.6" | 5.5" | 5 | 7 | 12° – 37° |
| March | 47° | 23° | 1.1" | 5.1" | 6 | 6 | 25° – 44° |
| April | 54° | 31° | 1.9" | 3.6" | 7 | 3 | 36° – 47° |
| May | 63° | 40° | 2.9" | 0.5" | 10 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| June | 73° | 48° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 67° |
| July | 83° | 55° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 58° – 75° |
| August | 82° | 53° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 61° – 73° |
| September | 71° | 44° | 1.5" | 0.2" | 6 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| October | 57° | 33° | 1.9" | 1.3" | 6 | 1 | 36° – 51° |
| November | 43° | 23° | 0.9" | 5.1" | 5 | 3 | 24° – 43° |
| December | 35° | 15° | 0.6" | 5.6" | 5 | 7 | 16° – 32° |
| Year | 57° | 33° | 16.6" | 32.2" | 72 | 39 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 12° to 37°. May is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Pryor’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 Pryor’s center.
- Snow: Pryor, MT (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Joliet, MT, 24 miles from the town’s center, 400 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 Pryor’s climate
What is the weather like in Pryor?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 32 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 85% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Pryor in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 185 nights a year reach 32° or below and 18 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Pryor get?
About 32 inches in a normal winter at Pryor, MT, most of it in January, February, March, November and December, with snow on the ground about 39 days a year.
How hot does it get in Pryor?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 55°. About 29 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Joliet, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Pryor?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 29 and the first fall frost by September 15, about 107 frost-free days, at Joliet, MT.
What growing zone is Pryor in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Pryor?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Pryor getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 74% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Pryor.
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.