#1Libby
Lincoln County · 3,274 peopleJanuary low·July high 86°·182 freezing nights a year
Libby, #1 on this list · Photo: USEPA Environmental-Protection-Agency · Public domainMontana rankings · Climate
Towns with the mildest winters in Montana
Libby has the mildest winters of Montana’s 43 towns of 2,500+: January nights average a low of 21° (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). The typical town here averages 15°; none of the 43 stay above freezing.
The average January low. NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020, from NOAA’s 5 km grid at each town’s center; one town for each grid cell. A described list: no letters. How grades work
#121°
#2Polson
Lake County · 5,653 peopleJanuary low·July high 83°·153 freezing nights a year
#3Hamilton
Ravalli County · 5,451 peopleJanuary low·July high 86°·173 freezing nights a year
All 43 towns
January low, highest first. Towns with the same figure share a rank (T = tied; 15 towns here).
43 towns ranked. Not here? See why a town may be missing.
#TownJanuary lowNights ≤32°July high
T21Helena Valley West Centralunincorporated, Lewis and Clark County · 8,056 people17085°average high
Quick answers
Questions people ask
Which Montana town has the mildest winters?
Libby (Lincoln County): January nights average a low of 21°. Polson (20°) and Hamilton (20°) follow.
How are these towns ranked?
By the average January low (the coldest month’s nights), highest first, on NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals, read from its 5 km grid at each town’s center. Towns with the same figure share a rank (T); the figure and the state rank are the ones on each town’s Climate page. How grades work.
Why isn’t my town on this list?
The list covers towns of 2,500+ residents, one for each of NOAA’s 5 km grid cells (43 in Montana): where towns share a cell, one of them stands for it, since the grid gives them the same figures. Every town’s own figures are on its Climate page. Every town is on the Montana page.
Go deeper
All Montana rankings →More Montana lists
Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.
Best places to live41 towns · #1 Four CornersBest small towns34 towns · #1 Four CornersMost affordable towns42 towns · #1 North BrowningSafest towns26 towns · #1 LibbyTowns with the best schools41 towns · #1 Four CornersHealthiest towns41 towns · #1 Four CornersBest towns for jobs & income42 towns · #1 Helena Valley NortheastMost walkable towns42 towns · #1 BozemanTowns with the lowest natural-hazard risk42 towns · #1 HelenaBest towns for the outdoors42 towns · #1 HelenaMost historic towns42 towns · #1 Butte-Silver BowTowns with the most civic life28 towns · #1 LivingstonTowns with the least snow38 towns · #1 DillonDescribed, no lettersSnowiest towns38 towns · #1 Red LodgeDescribed, no lettersTowns with the hottest summers43 towns · #1 Miles CityDescribed, no lettersTowns with the coolest summers43 towns · #1 Anaconda-Deer Lodge CountyDescribed, no lettersTowns with the highest incomes42 towns · #1 Helena Valley NortheastDescribed, no lettersTowns with the lowest property taxes41 towns · #1 North BrowningDescribed, no lettersFastest-growing towns28 towns · #1 KalispellDescribed, no letters
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