Northeast Entrance Station · Photo: National Park Service inventory · Public domainSilver Gate gets about 213 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 9 U.S. towns
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 71° on average. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Warming shows here too: 1.8° more than in 1901–2000, led by March. Plan time outside for July and August, when highs sit at 69–71°.
A year in Silver Gate at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Silver Gate’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Silver Gate’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Silver Gate 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 272 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 44 to 0° or below. Frost dates and degree days from Cooke City 2 W, MT, 0.6 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Silver Gate’s center in zone 4b: 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°
About 213 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cooke City 2 W, MT, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 30 inches a year; June is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 159 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Silver Gate
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September through June.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Cooke City 2 W, MT.
Living with Silver Gate’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 4b, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 36 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August. 1.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Silver Gate from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (82%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Silver Gate and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Silver Gate yet.
Climates most like Silver Gate’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Gate, MT | 10° | 71° | 30" | 213" |
| Ishpeming, MI | 5° | 77° | 33" | 197" |
| Incline Village, NV | 22° | 73° | 38" | 179" |
| Woodland Park, CO | 11° | 77° | 22" | 134" |
| Summit Park, UT | 19° | 79° | 30" | 153" |
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 Silver Gate averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+4.2°).
A bigger shift than in 82% 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 Silver Gate compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Silver Gate’s place among Montana’s.
Silver Gate weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Silver Gate’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cooke City 2 W, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 10° | 2.7" | 38.8" | 17 | 31 | 12° – 24° |
| February | 30° | 10° | 2.4" | 29.7" | 13 | 29 | 15° – 26° |
| March | 38° | 16° | 2.5" | 31.0" | 13 | 31 | 21° – 33° |
| April | 44° | 22° | 2.8" | 22.4" | 13 | 29 | 27° – 38° |
| May | 53° | 30° | 3.1" | 9.0" | 14 | 12 | 36° – 46° |
| June | 61° | 36° | 3.2" | 3.4" | 15 | 1 | 42° – 54° |
| July | 71° | 42° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 62° |
| August | 69° | 41° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 51° – 59° |
| September | 60° | 35° | 2.0" | 1.0" | 10 | 1 | 43° – 51° |
| October | 45° | 26° | 2.5" | 13.4" | 12 | 9 | 27° – 42° |
| November | 33° | 16° | 2.6" | 26.5" | 13 | 26 | 16° – 32° |
| December | 25° | 9° | 2.8" | 37.9" | 17 | 31 | 11° – 21° |
| Year | 46° | 24° | 30.1" | 213.1" | 159 | 199 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 16° to 32°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Silver Gate’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 Silver Gate’s center.
- Snow: Cooke City 2 W, MT (NOAA station in town).
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Cooke City 2 W, MT, 0.6 miles away.
- 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 Silver Gate’s climate
What is the weather like in Silver Gate?
A typical July afternoon reaches 71°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 213 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 94% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 89 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Silver Gate in winter?
December nights average 9°. About 272 nights a year reach 32° or below and 44 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 11°.
How much snow does Silver Gate get?
About 213 inches in a normal winter at Cooke City 2 W, MT, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 199 days a year.
How hot does it get in Silver Gate?
July, with a typical high of 71°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Cooke City 2 W, MT.
When is the first and last frost in Silver Gate?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Cooke City 2 W, MT, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 272 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 36 days.
What growing zone is Silver Gate in?
Zone 4b 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 Silver Gate?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), July and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Silver Gate getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Silver Gate.
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.