Photo: User:Velela · Public domainRed Lodge gets about 142 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 70 U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 79°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 142 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Red Lodge at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Red Lodge’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Red Lodge’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Red Lodge feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 106 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 3 and the first by September 19. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Red Lodge, MT, 1.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Red Lodge’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 142 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Red Lodge, MT, falls mostly in April. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 20 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 92 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Red Lodge
98% 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 Red Lodge, MT.
Living with Red Lodge’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
106 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Jun 3 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 19.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 5.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Red Lodge from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (73%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Red Lodge and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Red Lodge yet.
Climates most like Red Lodge’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Lodge, MT | 17° | 79° | 20" | 142" |
| Evergreen, CO | 16° | 81° | 19" | 130" |
| Park City, UT | 18° | 81° | 23" | 153" |
| South Lake Tahoe, CA | 22° | 81° | 19" | 179" |
| Traverse City, MI | 17° | 79° | 32" | 101" |
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 Red Lodge averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.7°).
A bigger shift than in 86% 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 Red Lodge compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Red Lodge’s place among Montana’s.
Red Lodge weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Red Lodge’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Red Lodge, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 17° | 0.8" | 13.5" | 5 | 29 | 18° – 31° |
| February | 36° | 17° | 0.9" | 19.4" | 5 | 25 | 13° – 36° |
| March | 44° | 24° | 1.5" | 20.2" | 7 | 22 | 24° – 42° |
| April | 51° | 30° | 2.3" | 25.5" | 9 | 10 | 34° – 45° |
| May | 60° | 38° | 3.8" | 6.2" | 12 | 1 | 43° – 54° |
| June | 70° | 46° | 2.5" | 0.6" | 11 | 0 | 51° – 64° |
| July | 79° | 53° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 56° – 72° |
| August | 78° | 52° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| September | 68° | 44° | 1.6" | 2.1" | 7 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| October | 54° | 34° | 2.0" | 17.0" | 7 | 5 | 36° – 51° |
| November | 42° | 23° | 1.0" | 18.7" | 6 | 18 | 24° – 43° |
| December | 34° | 17° | 0.9" | 18.7" | 6 | 26 | 18° – 32° |
| Year | 54° | 33° | 20.0" | 141.9" | 92 | 137 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 13° to 36°. September is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Red Lodge’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 Red Lodge’s center.
- Snow: Red Lodge, MT (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Red Lodge, MT, 1.2 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 Red Lodge’s climate
What is the weather like in Red Lodge?
A typical July afternoon reaches 79°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 142 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 75% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 94% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Red Lodge in winter?
December nights average 17°. About 192 nights a year reach 32° or below and 17 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Red Lodge get?
About 142 inches in a normal winter at Red Lodge, MT, most of it in April, with snow on the ground about 137 days a year.
How hot does it get in Red Lodge?
July, with a typical high of 79° and a low of 53°. About 6 days a year reach 90° (Red Lodge, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Red Lodge?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 3 and the first fall frost by September 19, about 106 frost-free days, at Red Lodge, MT.
What growing zone is Red Lodge 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 Red Lodge?
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 Red Lodge getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 86% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Red Lodge.
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.