Photo: User:Finphish · CC BY-SA 3.0Sčilíp sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for precipitation, with 13 inches a year
January nights here settle around 21°. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.3° above 1901–2000. For walks and days out, May, June and September bring highs of 69–76°.
A year in Sčilíp at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sčilíp’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sčilíp’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Sčilíp feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 142 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 12 and the first by October 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Saint Ignatius, MT, 12 miles from the town’s center, 380 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sčilíp’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −7°. 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 49 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Alberton, MT, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 137 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sčilíp
95% 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 Saint Ignatius, MT.
Living with Sčilíp’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
142 frost-free days in zone 6a. 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 Oct 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 7.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sčilíp from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (42%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 37%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sčilíp and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sčilíp yet.
Climates most like Sčilíp’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sčilíp, MT | 21° | 86° | 13" | 49" |
| Altamont, OR | 22° | 86° | 13" | 52" |
| Los Alamos, NM | 19° | 85° | 15" | 42" |
| Suncrest, WA | 23° | 87° | 16" | 48" |
| Pocatello, ID | 19° | 87° | 15" | 64" |
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 Sčilíp averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.9°).
A smaller shift than in 53% 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 Sčilíp compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sčilíp’s place among Montana’s.
Sčilíp weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sčilíp’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Alberton, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 21° | 0.7" | 10.3" | 14 | 25 | 18° – 35° |
| February | 39° | 22° | 0.8" | 11.1" | 13 | 18 | 19° – 38° |
| March | 50° | 28° | 0.8" | 6.0" | 14 | 8 | 31° – 44° |
| April | 59° | 33° | 1.1" | 1.4" | 13 | 1 | 41° – 52° |
| May | 69° | 41° | 1.6" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 50° – 60° |
| June | 76° | 47° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| July | 86° | 53° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 60° – 77° |
| August | 86° | 51° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| September | 75° | 43° | 1.0" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 56° – 65° |
| October | 59° | 34° | 1.2" | 1.2" | 12 | 1 | 39° – 52° |
| November | 42° | 26° | 1.0" | 6.4" | 13 | 6 | 27° – 40° |
| December | 34° | 21° | 0.9" | 12.8" | 14 | 20 | 22° – 33° |
| Year | 59° | 35° | 12.6" | 49.4" | 137 | 79 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 38°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Sčilíp’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 Sčilíp’s center.
- Snow: Alberton, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Saint Ignatius, MT, 12 miles from the town’s center, 380 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 Sčilíp’s climate
What is the weather like in Sčilíp?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 49 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 56% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sčilíp in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 152 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Sčilíp get?
About 49 inches in a normal winter at Alberton, MT, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 79 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sčilíp?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 53°. About 20 days a year reach 90° (Saint Ignatius, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Sčilíp?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 12 and the first fall frost by October 2, about 142 frost-free days, at Saint Ignatius, MT.
What growing zone is Sčilíp in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sčilíp?
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 Sčilíp getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 53% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sčilíp.
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.