Big Timber, MT Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Big Timber's primary NOAA station, BIG TIMBER.
The climate verdict for Big Timber
Dryness leads the climate profile for Big Timber, Montana, with 16.9 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 47°F. At 44/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 10% of scores.
- 47°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 44/100
- comfort score, above 10% of station-mapped location scores
- 16.9"
- annual precipitation · 55" snow
- 135 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Big Timber: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00240780 · Big Timber, MT 47°F mean · 16.9" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 47°F
- RANK-COOL #1,852
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ North Adams Har…
- PRCP-DRY 16.9"
- SWING-MID 41°F
- COMF-LOW 44/100
- LOAD-HEAT 6,910 HDD
- STN-1 USC00240780
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: North Adams Harriman, MA (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every MT station list.
- Big Timber (this station) 47°F
- Hot Durham, NH 47°F
- Near North Adams Har…, MA 47°F
- Near Grampian, PA 47°F
- Near Fremont Indian…, UT 47°F
Big Timber sits in Montana, the #6 coldest U.S. state at 43.4°F statewide annual average - see all 50 coldest states ranked by NOAA normals
Climate Living Index · Big Timber
Big Timber: 27/100 · grade F
Big Timber publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Big Timber, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 44/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 16.9 in · 18.1 from 35 in | 36/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 174 calendar days | 29/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 47.0°F · 20.5° from 67.5°F | 27/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 54.6 inches/year | 18/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 135 days/year | 15/100 · F |
Big Timber · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Big Timber is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 28.4°F and warmest-month mean 69.8°F place this station in continental, no dry season, warm summer climates (Dfb). Class Dfb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfb
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 69.8°F
- Coldest month
- 28.4°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Big Timber sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Big Timber's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 73%
- Among 6,861 stations, Big Timber sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 78%
- Big Timber's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 42nd percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Big Timber compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Big Timber's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
44 10th percentile score exceeds 10% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Big Timber's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 95 complete annual observations from 1896 to 2025, BIG TIMBER warmed at a fitted rate of 0.10°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Big Timber primary station fitted change +0.10 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38°F (3°C) | 20°F (-7°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 0.7" | 7.1" | 24.8 | 0.0 |
| February | 40°F (4°C) | 20°F (-7°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 0.7" | 10.8" | 23.3 | 0.0 |
| March | 49°F (10°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 1.0" | 9.1" | 22.8 | 0.0 |
| April | 57°F (14°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 2.2" | 3.6" | 15.7 | 0.0 |
| May | 67°F (19°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 3.1" | 0.6" | 4.2 | 0.2 |
| June | 76°F (24°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 2.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 2.4 |
| July | 86°F (30°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 1.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 12.1 |
| August | 85°F (29°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 1.0" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 9.9 |
| September | 74°F (23°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 1.3" | 0.5" | 2.1 | 2.0 |
| October | 59°F (15°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 1.5" | 4.8" | 12.8 | 0.0 |
| November | 46°F (8°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 0.8" | 7.9" | 21.1 | 0.0 |
| December | 37°F (3°C) | 20°F (-7°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 0.7" | 10.2" | 25.9 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 89°F around July 25, short of 90°F on every date, while 174 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 18°F near December 25.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 14, then returns to freezing around October 24, covering 174 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is May 24, when 38% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 28 at 14%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 81 wet dates a year.
The widest day
July 30 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 34°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Big Timber.
Where Big Timber Stands Nationally
Daily temperature swings run wider than most of the country, peaking near 34°F between the normal high and low.
Big Timber earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 7.1"
4.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 10.8"
4.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 9.1"
6.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.6"
8.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.6"
11.4 days with precipitation
10.6 days with precipitation
7.5 days with precipitation
5.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.5"
6.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.8"
7.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 7.9"
4.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 10.2"
4.4 days with precipitation
Big Timber spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 30% of the annual total and December through February 12%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Big Timber has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 41.4°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: May averages 3.1" and February 0.7". The three wettest months together take 46% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
How Big Timber's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 82 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 16.9" between them, or roughly 0.21 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Big Timber
Big Timber averages 54.6 inches of snowfall a year, with February the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 15 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 54.6 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 15 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 32% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
September 26
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 14
50% probability date
Growing Season
135 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
6,910
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
374
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside MT closest to Big Timber on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (47°F here).
- Alma, MI 47°F · 0.0°F off
- Anamosa, IA 47°F · 0.0°F off
- Audubon, IA 47°F · 0.0°F off
- Bly, OR 47°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (16.9" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Joseph, OR 16.9" · 0.0" off
- Yampa, CO 16.9" · 0.0" off
- Crook, CO 16.9" · 0.0" off
- San Jon, NM 17.0" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Big Timber
heating led · dry · mid swing
Big Timber's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 6,910 annual heating degree days against 374 for cooling. Its 41.4°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 135 days are frost-free in a normal year. That short interval is consistent with the cold-season signal, but the measure does not predict the exact first or last freeze in any one year.
-
1. Big Timber coldest normal
December
The monthly mean of 28°F (-2°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Big Timber typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Big Timber snow peak
February
Big Timber averages 54.6 inches of snow a year, with February the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Big Timber's climate
How much snow does Big Timber get? ▼
How cold does Big Timber get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Big Timber? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Big Timber's primary station: BIG TIMBER (USC00240780). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 3006475). Match rule for Big Timber: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Big Timber comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.