Photo: Djembayz · CC BY-SA 3.0Seeley Lake gets about 119 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 143 U.S. towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 81°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 90% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.4° higher. Plan time outside from June to August, when highs sit at 71–81°.
A year in Seeley Lake at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Seeley Lake’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Seeley Lake’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Seeley Lake 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 18 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Seeley Lake Rs, MT, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Seeley Lake’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −25°. 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 119 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Seeley Lake Rs, MT, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 19 inches a year; June is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 140 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Seeley Lake
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 Seeley Lake Rs, MT.
Living with Seeley Lake’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 4a, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 74 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 15 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Seeley Lake from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (54%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Seeley Lake and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Seeley Lake yet.
Climates most like Seeley Lake’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seeley Lake, MT | 12° | 81° | 19" | 119" |
| Woodmoor, CO | 14° | 82° | 21" | 121" |
| Park City, UT | 18° | 81° | 23" | 153" |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 16° | 84° | 18" | 90" |
| Hailey, ID | 10° | 84° | 14" | 102" |
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 Seeley Lake averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.1°).
A bigger shift than in 52% 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 Seeley Lake compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Seeley Lake’s place among Montana’s.
Seeley Lake weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Seeley Lake’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Seeley Lake Rs, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 12° | 2.1" | 30.4" | 16 | 31 | 14° – 28° |
| February | 36° | 13° | 1.5" | 18.5" | 11 | 29 | 13° – 32° |
| March | 45° | 21° | 1.3" | 15.2" | 12 | 27 | 26° – 40° |
| April | 53° | 27° | 1.3" | 4.5" | 12 | 9 | 35° – 47° |
| May | 64° | 34° | 2.0" | 0.7" | 12 | 0 | 44° – 54° |
| June | 71° | 41° | 2.3" | 0.4" | 14 | 0 | 53° – 63° |
| July | 81° | 45° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 54° – 71° |
| August | 81° | 43° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 57° – 66° |
| September | 70° | 36° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 50° – 58° |
| October | 54° | 28° | 1.6" | 2.3" | 12 | 1 | 35° – 46° |
| November | 39° | 20° | 1.9" | 18.0" | 14 | 15 | 23° – 36° |
| December | 31° | 13° | 2.0" | 28.9" | 16 | 30 | 15° – 27° |
| Year | 55° | 28° | 18.9" | 118.9" | 140 | 141 |
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 32°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Seeley Lake’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 Seeley Lake’s center.
- Snow: Seeley Lake Rs, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Seeley Lake Rs, 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 Seeley Lake’s climate
What is the weather like in Seeley Lake?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 119 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 91% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 86% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Seeley Lake in winter?
January nights average 12°. About 215 nights a year reach 32° or below and 18 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 14°.
How much snow does Seeley Lake get?
About 119 inches in a normal winter at Seeley Lake Rs, MT, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 141 days a year.
How hot does it get in Seeley Lake?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 45°. About 15 days a year reach 90° (Seeley Lake Rs, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Seeley Lake?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Seeley Lake Rs, 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 74 days.
What growing zone is Seeley Lake in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −25°.
What is the best time of year to visit Seeley Lake?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Seeley Lake getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Seeley Lake.
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.