Santa Rita sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for precipitation, with 12 inches a year
January nights here settle around 11°. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 92% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.8° above 1901–2000. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from October to April, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Santa Rita at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Santa Rita’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Santa Rita’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Santa Rita feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 113 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 24 and the first by September 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cut Bank Muni Airport, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Santa Rita’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −27°. 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 39 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Shelby, MT, falls mostly in January and March. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; June is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 77 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Santa Rita
98% 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 Cut Bank Muni Airport.
Living with Santa Rita’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
113 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 24 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. 2.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 52% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Santa Rita from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Santa Rita and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Santa Rita yet.
Climates most like Santa Rita’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Rita, MT | 11° | 80° | 12" | 39" |
| Laramie, WY | 12° | 81° | 12" | 64" |
| Taos, NM | 11° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
| Dickinson, ND | 5° | 83° | 16" | 35" |
| Alamosa, CO | 3° | 82° | 8" | 30" |
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 Santa Rita averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+5.8°).
A bigger shift than in 80% 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 Santa Rita compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Santa Rita’s place among Montana’s.
Santa Rita weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Santa Rita’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Shelby, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 11° | 0.4" | 7.3" | 5 | 15 | 8° – 35° |
| February | 34° | 12° | 0.4" | 5.8" | 5 | 10 | −3° – 37° |
| March | 43° | 20° | 0.5" | 6.9" | 6 | 7 | 13° – 40° |
| April | 52° | 28° | 1.1" | 4.1" | 7 | 2 | 34° – 46° |
| May | 63° | 37° | 1.8" | 1.9" | 9 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| June | 70° | 45° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 55° – 63° |
| July | 80° | 50° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 56° – 73° |
| August | 79° | 48° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| September | 69° | 40° | 1.1" | 0.5" | 6 | 0 | 51° – 60° |
| October | 55° | 30° | 0.8" | 1.4" | 5 | 1 | 34° – 50° |
| November | 41° | 20° | 0.5" | 5.5" | 5 | 5 | 18° – 40° |
| December | 33° | 12° | 0.4" | 5.5" | 5 | 11 | 10° – 33° |
| Year | 54° | 29° | 12.1" | 38.9" | 77 | 51 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -3° to 37°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Santa Rita’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 Santa Rita’s center.
- Snow: Shelby, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cut Bank Muni Airport, 7 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 Santa Rita’s climate
What is the weather like in Santa Rita?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 39 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Santa Rita in winter?
January nights average 11°. About 186 nights a year reach 32° or below and 28 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 8°.
How much snow does Santa Rita get?
About 39 inches in a normal winter at Shelby, MT, most of it in January and March, with snow on the ground about 51 days a year.
How hot does it get in Santa Rita?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 50°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Cut Bank Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Santa Rita?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 24 and the first fall frost by September 15, about 113 frost-free days, at Cut Bank Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Santa Rita in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −27°.
What is the best time of year to visit Santa Rita?
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 Santa Rita getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 80% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Santa Rita.
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.