Silver Star is among the driest of U.S. towns: 10 inches of precipitation a year
July afternoons average 85°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 74° apart. In January, nights here are colder than in 91% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs October to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Silver Star at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Silver Star’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Silver Star’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Silver Star feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 82 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 8 and the first by September 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Twin Bridges, MT, 10 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Silver Star’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −19°. 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 10 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Glen 4 N, MT, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 10 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 58 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Silver Star
99% 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 Twin Bridges, MT.
Living with Silver Star’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
82 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Jun 8 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 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and August.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Silver Star from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (67%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Silver Star and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Silver Star yet.
Climates most like Silver Star’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 Star, MT | 12° | 85° | 10" | 10" |
| Powell, WY | 11° | 87° | 7" | 11" |
| Shelley, ID | 14° | 87° | 11" | 15" |
| Santa Fe, NM | 18° | 86° | 13" | 20" |
| Show Low, AZ | 19° | 86° | 15" | 19" |
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 Star averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.0°).
A bigger shift than in 60% 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 Star compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Silver Star’s place among Montana’s.
Silver Star weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Silver Star’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Glen 4 N, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 12° | 0.2" | 2.0" | 3 | 10 | 16° – 30° |
| February | 39° | 14° | 0.2" | 1.2" | 3 | 3 | 17° – 34° |
| March | 49° | 22° | 0.4" | 1.2" | 4 | 1 | 29° – 41° |
| April | 57° | 28° | 0.9" | 1.1" | 6 | 0 | 37° – 47° |
| May | 66° | 36° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| June | 75° | 43° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 66° |
| July | 85° | 48° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 57° – 73° |
| August | 84° | 45° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 59° – 68° |
| September | 73° | 38° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 52° – 60° |
| October | 60° | 29° | 0.7" | 0.3" | 4 | 0 | 37° – 50° |
| November | 44° | 19° | 0.3" | 1.8" | 4 | 4 | 22° – 39° |
| December | 34° | 11° | 0.2" | 2.5" | 3 | 10 | 16° – 27° |
| Year | 58° | 29° | 9.5" | 10.1" | 58 | 29 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 22° to 39°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Silver Star’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 Star’s center.
- Snow: Glen 4 N, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Twin Bridges, MT, 10 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher; 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 Silver Star’s climate
What is the weather like in Silver Star?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 10 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 91% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Silver Star in winter?
December nights average 11°. About 206 nights a year reach 32° or below and 16 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Silver Star get?
About 10 inches in a normal winter at Glen 4 N, MT, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 29 days a year.
How hot does it get in Silver Star?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 48°. About 17 days a year reach 90° (Twin Bridges, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Silver Star?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 8 and the first fall frost by September 2, about 82 frost-free days, at Twin Bridges, MT.
What growing zone is Silver Star in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Silver Star?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Silver Star getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 60% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Silver Star.
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.