Photo: English, H. Wallace, copyright claimant · Public domainSaltese sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for July heat
Deep winter brings January lows near 21°. December is the wettest month, July the driest. Plan time outside from June to September, when highs sit at 67–78°.
A year in Saltese at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Saltese’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Saltese’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Saltese feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 215 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 10 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from Haugan 1 W, MT, 4 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Saltese’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −12°. 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 76 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Wallace, ID, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 41 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 151 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Saltese
99% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from September 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 Haugan 1 W, MT.
Living with Saltese’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 5b, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 90 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 1.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Saltese from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (48%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Saltese and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Saltese yet.
Climates most like Saltese’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saltese, MT | 21° | 78° | 41" | 76" |
| Dunkirk, NY | 20° | 80° | 39" | 76" |
| Ashtabula, OH | 22° | 80° | 41" | 90" |
| Ludington, MI | 18° | 78° | 34" | 79" |
| Meadville, PA | 18° | 81° | 45" | 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 Saltese averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.8°).
A smaller shift than in 65% 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 Saltese compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Saltese’s place among Montana’s.
Saltese weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Saltese’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Wallace, ID. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 21° | 5.1" | 19.7" | 17 | 19° – 31° |
| February | 35° | 22° | 4.1" | 13.3" | 14 | 18° – 35° |
| March | 42° | 26° | 4.5" | 11.5" | 17 | 27° – 41° |
| April | 50° | 30° | 3.1" | 1.3" | 15 | 34° – 47° |
| May | 60° | 38° | 3.0" | 0.2" | 12 | 44° – 54° |
| June | 67° | 44° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 51° – 64° |
| July | 78° | 49° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 53° – 70° |
| August | 78° | 48° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 5 | 58° – 67° |
| September | 67° | 41° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 50° – 60° |
| October | 51° | 33° | 3.7" | 0.4" | 12 | 36° – 49° |
| November | 37° | 26° | 5.2" | 6.5" | 18 | 25° – 37° |
| December | 30° | 21° | 5.3" | 22.7" | 16 | 19° – 30° |
| Year | 52° | 33° | 40.7" | 75.6" | 151 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 18° to 35°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Saltese’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 Saltese’s center.
- Snow: Wallace, ID.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Haugan 1 W, MT, 4 miles from the town’s center, 340 ft lower; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 Saltese’s climate
What is the weather like in Saltese?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 76 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 55% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Saltese in winter?
December nights average 21°. About 215 nights a year reach 32° or below and 10 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Saltese get?
About 76 inches in a normal winter at Wallace, ID, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Saltese?
July, with a typical high of 78° and a low of 49°. About 24 days a year reach 90° (Haugan 1 W, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Saltese?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Haugan 1 W, MT, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 215 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 90 days.
What growing zone is Saltese in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Saltese?
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 Saltese getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Saltese.
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.