Carlyle, MT Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Explore NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 climate normals → and a clearly labeled PlainClimate comfort calculation
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Carlyle's primary NOAA station, CARLYLE 13 NW.
The climate verdict for Carlyle
Dryness leads the climate profile for Carlyle, Montana, with 16.8 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 43°F. At 34/100 (below average) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 2% of scores.
- 43°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 34/100
- comfort score, above 2% of station-mapped location scores
- 16.8"
- annual precipitation · 55" snow
- 134 days
- frost-free growing season
Carlyle: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00241518 · Carlyle, MT 43°F mean · 16.8" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-WIDE · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 43°F
- RANK-COOL #823
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ New England
- PRCP-DRY 16.8"
- SWING-WIDE 51°F
- COMF-LOW 34/100
- LOAD-HEAT 8,320 HDD
- STN-1 USC00241518
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: New England, ND (+ 0.1 °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.
- Carlyle (this station) 43°F
- Hot Buffalo, SD 43°F
- Near New England, ND 43°F
- Near Medora, ND 43°F
- Near Byron 4north, MN 43°F
Carlyle 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 · Carlyle
Carlyle: 20/100 · grade F
Carlyle publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Carlyle, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 34/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 16.8 in · 18.3 from 35 in | 35/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 186 calendar days | 22/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 55.3 inches/year | 18/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 134 days/year | 15/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 43.2°F · 24.3° from 67.5°F | 13/100 · F |
Carlyle · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Carlyle is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 18.0°F and warmest-month mean 69.4°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
- 69.4°F
- Coldest month
- 18.0°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 Carlyle sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Carlyle's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 88%
- Among 6,861 stations, Carlyle sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 78%
- Carlyle's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 84%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Carlyle is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Carlyle compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Carlyle's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
34 2nd percentile score exceeds 2% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Above this entry.
- 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
Carlyle's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 47 complete annual observations from 1964 to 2025, CARLYLE 13 NW warmed at a fitted rate of 0.21°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Carlyle primary station fitted change +0.21 °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 | 27°F (-3°C) | 9°F (-13°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 0.5" | 9.2" | 30.0 | 0.0 |
| February | 30°F (-1°C) | 12°F (-11°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 0.6" | 9.6" | 26.7 | 0.0 |
| March | 42°F (5°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 31°F (0°C) | 0.8" | 9.3" | 25.8 | 0.0 |
| April | 53°F (12°C) | 31°F (-1°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 1.6" | 5.8" | 17.5 | 0.0 |
| May | 63°F (17°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 2.6" | 2.4" | 5.0 | 0.1 |
| June | 73°F (23°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 2.5" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 1.4 |
| July | 82°F (28°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 69°F (21°C) | 2.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 7.4 |
| August | 82°F (28°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 69°F (20°C) | 1.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 8.6 |
| September | 71°F (22°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 1.7" | 0.1" | 1.6 | 2.4 |
| October | 55°F (13°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 1.4" | 3.7" | 13.7 | 0.1 |
| November | 40°F (5°C) | 22°F (-6°C) | 31°F (0°C) | 0.7" | 6.9" | 25.4 | 0.0 |
| December | 30°F (-1°C) | 13°F (-11°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 0.6" | 8.3" | 29.9 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 85°F around July 30, short of 90°F on every date, while 186 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 9°F near January 13.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 21, then returns to freezing around October 19, covering 186 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 30, when 38% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is August 12 at 23%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 103 wet dates a year.
The widest day
August 11 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 27°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Carlyle.
Where Carlyle Stands Nationally
Freezing is routine here by normals standards — the normal low reaches 32°F or colder on about 186 nights a year, more than most ranked stations.
Carlyle 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: 9.2"
7.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 9.6"
8.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 9.3"
8.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.8"
8.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.4"
11.6 days with precipitation
11.1 days with precipitation
8.7 days with precipitation
7.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
6.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.7"
8.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 6.9"
7.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 8.3"
8.0 days with precipitation
Carlyle runs a summer-peaked wet season
37% of Carlyle's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is May at 2.6", on a wide 51.4°F gap between its warmest and coldest month. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: May, June, July, taking 44% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: January at 0.5".
- Winter share: 10% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
Carlyle is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 103 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 28% of the calendar, and they carry 16.8" between them. At roughly 0.16 inches on an average wet day, this is not the damp drizzle of a marine climate; it is an arid record in which precipitation is both uncommon and light when it appears.
The wettest month by count is May at about 12 wet days; the driest is September at about 7.
A low per-event average in a dry record is a statement about typical days only. Arid regions can still take a large share of a year's total from a single convective storm, which a normal cannot show.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, not the extremes within it.
Winter brings real snow to Carlyle
Carlyle averages 55.3 inches of snowfall a year, with February the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 37 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: 55.3 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 37 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 33% 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 29
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 18
50% probability date
Growing Season
134 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
8,320
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
428
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside MT closest to Carlyle 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 (43°F here).
- Beulah, ND 43°F · 0.0°F off
- Ellendale, ND 43°F · 0.0°F off
- Livermore Falls, ME 43°F · 0.0°F off
- McLaughlin, SD 43°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (16.8" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Chugwater, WY 16.8" · 0.0" off
- Minot, ND 16.7" · 0.0" off
- Bushnell, NE 16.7" · 0.1" off
- Cantwell, AK 16.8" · 0.1" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Carlyle
heating led · dry · mid swing
Carlyle's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 8,320 annual heating degree days against 428 for cooling. Its 51.4°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 134 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. Carlyle coldest normal
January
Averaging 18°F (-8°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Carlyle typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Carlyle snow peak
February
Carlyle averages 55.3 inches of snow a year, with February the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Carlyle's climate
How much snow does Carlyle get? ▼
How cold does Carlyle get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Carlyle? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Carlyle's primary station: CARLYLE 13 NW (USC00241518). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for Carlyle; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Carlyle 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.