Photo: J.B. Chandler · CC BY-SA 3.0Few U.S. towns have colder winter nights than Scobey
Midsummer highs settle at about 83°. Only 83° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 94% of U.S. towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from October to April, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Scobey at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Scobey’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Scobey’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Scobey feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 99 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 28 and the first by September 6. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Scobey 4 Nw, MT, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Scobey’s center in zone 3b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −33°. 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 23 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Scobey 4 Nw, MT, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 59 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Scobey
97% 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 Scobey 4 Nw, MT.
Living with Scobey’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
99 frost-free days in zone 3b. The last frost comes by May 28 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 6.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 60% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Scobey from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Scobey and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Scobey yet.
Climates most like Scobey’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scobey, MT | 0° | 83° | 14" | 23" |
| Alamosa, CO | 3° | 82° | 8" | 30" |
| Dickinson, ND | 5° | 83° | 16" | 35" |
| Aberdeen, SD | 3° | 84° | 22" | 43" |
| Taos, NM | 11° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
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 Scobey averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.7°).
A bigger shift than in 66% 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 Scobey compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Scobey’s place among Montana’s.
Scobey weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Scobey’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Scobey 4 Nw, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22° | 0° | 0.4" | 5.8" | 3 | −1° – 25° |
| February | 26° | 4° | 0.3" | 3.4" | 2 | −7° – 29° |
| March | 40° | 16° | 0.6" | 2.8" | 3 | 10° – 40° |
| April | 55° | 28° | 0.9" | 0.8" | 5 | 33° – 48° |
| May | 67° | 38° | 2.1" | 0.9" | 8 | 48° – 60° |
| June | 76° | 48° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 57° – 67° |
| July | 83° | 52° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 61° – 75° |
| August | 83° | 50° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 61° – 72° |
| September | 71° | 40° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 5 | 50° – 62° |
| October | 55° | 28° | 1.0" | 1.2" | 4 | 33° – 47° |
| November | 38° | 15° | 0.5" | 3.5" | 3 | 13° – 37° |
| December | 25° | 4° | 0.4" | 4.5" | 3 | 2° – 24° |
| Year | 53° | 27° | 14.2" | 22.9" | 59 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -7° to 29°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Scobey’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 Scobey’s center.
- Snow: Scobey 4 Nw, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Scobey 4 Nw, MT, 4 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 Scobey’s climate
What is the weather like in Scobey?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 0°, and about 23 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 47 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 72% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Scobey in winter?
January nights average 0°. About 207 nights a year reach 32° or below and 48 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −1°.
How much snow does Scobey get?
About 23 inches in a normal winter at Scobey 4 Nw, MT, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Scobey?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 52°. About 20 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Scobey 4 Nw, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Scobey?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 28 and the first fall frost by September 6, about 99 frost-free days, at Scobey 4 Nw, MT.
What growing zone is Scobey in?
Zone 3b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −33°.
What is the best time of year to visit Scobey?
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 Scobey getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 66% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Scobey.
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.