Fairview Lift Bridge · Photo: Ksteblet · CC BY-SA 3.0Yellowstone Township has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 86°. Temperatures cover 83° across the year, low to high. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 94% of U.S. towns. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly May 11 to September 27.
A year in Yellowstone Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Yellowstone Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Yellowstone Township’s place in North Dakota beside it.
What a year in Yellowstone Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 137 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 11 and the first by September 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sidney, MT, 13 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Yellowstone Township’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −28°. 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 30 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Sidney, MT, falls mostly in December. 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 85 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Yellowstone Township
93% 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 Sidney, MT.
Living with Yellowstone Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
137 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 11 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 27.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 139 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Yellowstone Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (36%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 37%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Yellowstone Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Yellowstone Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Yellowstone Township’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellowstone Township, ND | 3° | 86° | 14" | 30" |
| Havre, MT | 6° | 85° | 13" | 41" |
| Gypsum, CO | 11° | 86° | 14" | 39" |
| Rock Springs, WY | 9° | 87° | 9" | 31" |
| Aberdeen, SD | 3° | 84° | 22" | 43" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Yellowstone Township averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.6°).
A bigger shift than in 70% 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 Yellowstone Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Yellowstone Township’s place among North Dakota’s.
Yellowstone Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Yellowstone Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Sidney, MT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 3° | 0.4" | 7.0" | 7 | 26 | 3° – 29° |
| February | 29° | 7° | 0.3" | 5.6" | 5 | 18 | −4° – 32° |
| March | 43° | 19° | 0.5" | 3.0" | 6 | 11 | 16° – 44° |
| April | 58° | 30° | 1.0" | 1.7" | 6 | 1 | 36° – 50° |
| May | 69° | 41° | 2.3" | 0.7" | 10 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| June | 78° | 51° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| July | 86° | 56° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 63° – 77° |
| August | 86° | 54° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| September | 74° | 44° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| October | 58° | 31° | 1.0" | 1.5" | 7 | 2 | 35° – 50° |
| November | 40° | 18° | 0.5" | 3.0" | 5 | 7 | 16° – 40° |
| December | 28° | 8° | 0.4" | 7.9" | 6 | 18 | 6° – 28° |
| Year | 56° | 30° | 14.2" | 30.4" | 85 | 83 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -4° to 32°. May is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Yellowstone Township’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 Yellowstone Township’s center.
- Snow: Sidney, MT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sidney, MT, 13 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 Yellowstone Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Yellowstone Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 3°, and about 30 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 113 U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Yellowstone Township in winter?
January nights average 3°. About 178 nights a year reach 32° or below and 31 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 3°.
How much snow does Yellowstone Township get?
About 30 inches in a normal winter at Sidney, MT, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 83 days a year.
How hot does it get in Yellowstone Township?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 56°. About 30 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Sidney, MT).
When is the first and last frost in Yellowstone Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 11 and the first fall frost by September 27, about 137 frost-free days, at Sidney, MT.
What growing zone is Yellowstone Township in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −28°.
What is the best time of year to visit Yellowstone Township?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Yellowstone Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 70% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Yellowstone Township.
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.