Alder (19 mi S), Montana climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Alder (19 mi S)'s normal year runs from 11°F December nights to 81°F July afternoons, with 13.8 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.9°C, December lows of −12°C, July highs of 27°C, 351 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationAlder (19 mi S)
- Station IDUSC00240111
- Location45.10°N 112.09°W
- Elevation5,749 ft (1,752 m)
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Alder (19 mi S).
- Jan 33° 11°
- Feb 36° 14°
- Mar 45° 21°
- Apr 53° 26°
- May 63° 33°
- Jun 70° 39°
- Jul 81° 44°
- Aug 79° 44°
- Sep 70° 37°
- Oct 56° 27°
- Nov 41° 19°
- Dec 31° 11°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Alder (19 mi S) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 11°F. The most precipitation falls in June (2.46 in), the least in February (0.38 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°F | 11°F | 22.2°F | 0.45 | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 36°F | 14°F | 24.9°F | 0.38 | – | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 45°F | 21°F | 32.6°F | 0.82 | – | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 53°F | 26°F | 39.1°F | 1.54 | – | <1 | 25 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 63°F | 33°F | 47.8°F | 2.18 | – | <1 | 14 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 70°F | 39°F | 54.5°F | 2.46 | – | <1 | 4 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 81°F | 44°F | 62.4°F | 1.27 | – | <1 | 1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 79°F | 44°F | 61.2°F | 1.21 | – | 1 | 1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 70°F | 37°F | 53.1°F | 1.27 | – | <1 | 8 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 56°F | 27°F | 41.5°F | 0.98 | – | <1 | 23 | 11 h |
| November | 41°F | 19°F | 29.9°F | 0.68 | – | <1 | 28 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 31°F | 11°F | 20.8°F | 0.58 | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 55°F | 27°F | 40.8°F | 13.82 | – | 2 | 219 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1°C | −11°C | −5.4°C | 11 mm |
| February | 2°C | −10°C | −3.9°C | 10 mm |
| March | 7°C | −6°C | 0.3°C | 21 mm |
| April | 12°C | −4°C | 3.9°C | 39 mm |
| May | 17°C | 1°C | 8.8°C | 55 mm |
| June | 21°C | 4°C | 12.5°C | 62 mm |
| July | 27°C | 7°C | 16.9°C | 32 mm |
| August | 26°C | 6°C | 16.2°C | 31 mm |
| September | 21°C | 3°C | 11.7°C | 32 mm |
| October | 13°C | −3°C | 5.3°C | 25 mm |
| November | 5°C | −7°C | −1.2°C | 17 mm |
| December | 0°C | −12°C | −6.2°C | 15 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Alder (17 mi S) (2 miles away), gets 57 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00240111; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
Which months are mildest at Alder (19 mi S)?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September.
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00240111.
How hot and how cold does it get at Alder (19 mi S)?
In a normal year in Alder (19 mi S), 2 days a year reach 90°F and 219 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 2a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 219a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 48high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00240111.
How sunny is it at Alder (19 mi S)?
Over a year 76% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Alder (19 mi S), 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (85%) and December the cloudiest (65%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 70% | 1.7 |
| February | 73% | 2.8 |
| March | 73% | 4.0 |
| April | 70% | 5.1 |
| May | 70% | 5.9 |
| June | 76% | 6.8 |
| July | 85% | 7.3 |
| August | 84% | 6.2 |
| September | 80% | 4.7 |
| October | 73% | 3.0 |
| November | 68% | 1.9 |
| December | 65% | 1.4 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How many heating and cooling degree days does Alder (19 mi S) record?
A normal year at Alder (19 mi S) brings 8,825 heating degree days, 64% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 44 cooling degree days, 95% fewer than the median (908). Ten months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,131 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,325 | 0 |
| February | 1,124 | 0 |
| March | 1,003 | 0 |
| April | 776 | 0 |
| May | 533 | 0 |
| June | 316 | 2 |
| July | 106 | 24 |
| August | 134 | 16 |
| September | 359 | 2 |
| October | 727 | 0 |
| November | 1,055 | 0 |
| December | 1,368 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,825 | 44 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00240111. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Have recent years at Alder (19 mi S) been warmer than normal?
2024 averaged 41.9°F, 1.1°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 40.8°F. 2 of the 2 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 41.4°F | +0.6°F | 14.69 |
| 2024 | 41.9°F | +1.1°F | 15.13 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00240111. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Alder (19 mi S)'s climate compare?
Alder (19 mi S) is warmer than 19 of the 141 places with their own NOAA record in Montana, and wetter than 48. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 40.8°F is warmer than 7%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Alder (19 mi S) is BSk: cold semi-arid steppe. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Questions about Alder (19 mi S)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Alder (19 mi S)?
December, with a normal high of 31°F and a normal low of 11°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 44°F at night).
Does it snow at Alder (19 mi S)?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Alder (17 mi S) (2 miles away), records 57 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Alder (19 mi S)?
June, with 2.46 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.38 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Alder (19 mi S) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Alder (19 mi S) in zone 5a in ZIP code 59710, the nearest ZIP area.
Nearby and next
- Montana climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Alder (17 mi S), MT2 miles from this station, 42.5°F a year
- Virginia City, MT15 miles from this station, 43.9°F a year
- Laurin (2 mi NE), MT19 miles from this station, 43.0°F a year
- Ennis, MT25 miles from this station, 42.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made