Spokane Creek is drier than 95% of U.S. towns: 13 inches of precipitation a year
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 82°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 79% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with January up the most. Tender plants can go out after about June 18; in half of years the first frost comes by September 5.
A year in Spokane Creek at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Spokane Creek’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Spokane Creek’s place in Montana beside it.
What a year in Spokane Creek feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 81 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 18 and the first by September 5. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Tizer Gardens, MT, 18 miles from the town’s center, 310 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Spokane Creek’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 37 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Helena Rgnl Airport, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 91 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Spokane Creek
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 Tizer Gardens, MT.
Living with Spokane Creek’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
81 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Jun 18 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 5.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 2.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Spokane Creek from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (36%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 19%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Spokane Creek and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Spokane Creek yet.
Climates most like Spokane Creek’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spokane Creek, MT | 16° | 82° | 13" | 37" |
| Cody, WY | 14° | 85° | 11" | 45" |
| Raton, NM | 15° | 85° | 16" | 25" |
| Cimarron Hills, CO | 18° | 85° | 17" | 33" |
| Doney Park, AZ | 17° | 86° | 16" | 52" |
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 Spokane Creek averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.2°).
A smaller shift than in 55% 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 Spokane Creek compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Spokane Creek’s place among Montana’s.
Spokane Creek weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Spokane Creek’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Helena Rgnl Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 16° | 0.4" | 6.6" | 7 | 18 | 16° – 33° |
| February | 36° | 17° | 0.4" | 6.6" | 7 | 11 | 11° – 36° |
| March | 46° | 24° | 0.7" | 4.6" | 7 | 5 | 25° – 42° |
| April | 54° | 31° | 1.4" | 2.9" | 9 | 1 | 38° – 48° |
| May | 63° | 39° | 2.1" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| June | 72° | 46° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 54° – 66° |
| July | 82° | 52° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 57° – 74° |
| August | 82° | 51° | 1.1" | 0.3" | 6 | 0 | 60° – 70° |
| September | 71° | 43° | 1.2" | 0.2" | 6 | 0 | 53° – 62° |
| October | 56° | 33° | 1.0" | 2.8" | 7 | 2 | 37° – 51° |
| November | 42° | 24° | 0.6" | 5.4" | 7 | 6 | 24° – 41° |
| December | 33° | 17° | 0.5" | 7.7" | 7 | 14 | 15° – 31° |
| Year | 56° | 33° | 13.2" | 37.2" | 91 | 57 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 11° to 36°. September is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Spokane Creek’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 Spokane Creek’s center.
- Snow: Helena Rgnl Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Tizer Gardens, MT, 18 miles from the town’s center, 310 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 Spokane Creek’s climate
What is the weather like in Spokane Creek?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 79% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 79% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Spokane Creek in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 223 nights a year reach 32° or below and 27 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Spokane Creek get?
About 37 inches in a normal winter at Helena Rgnl Airport, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 57 days a year.
How hot does it get in Spokane Creek?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 52°. About 11 days a year reach 90° (Tizer Gardens, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Spokane Creek?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 18 and the first fall frost by September 5, about 81 frost-free days, at Tizer Gardens, MT.
What growing zone is Spokane Creek 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 Spokane Creek?
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 Spokane Creek getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 55% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Spokane Creek.
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.