Deer Lodge, Montana climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Deer Lodge's normal year runs from 11°F December nights to 79°F July afternoons, with 14.6 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.6°C, December lows of −12°C, July highs of 26°C, 370 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationDeer Lodge (3 mi W)
- Station IDUSC00242275
- Location46.39°N 112.80°W
- Elevation4,850 ft (1,478 m)
- Population3,006
On October 23, the normal high in Deer Lodge is 52°F and the normal low 23°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Deer Lodge.
- Jan 33° 11°
- Feb 36° 13°
- Mar 44° 19°
- Apr 53° 26°
- May 62° 34°
- Jun 69° 40°
- Jul 79° 44°
- Aug 79° 42°
- Sep 70° 35°
- Oct 55° 26°
- Nov 40° 16°
- 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 in Deer Lodge each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 79°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 11°F. The most precipitation falls in June (2.66 in), the least in January (0.48 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°F | 11°F | 22.0°F | 0.48 | – | <1 | 30 | 9 h |
| February | 36°F | 13°F | 24.5°F | 0.68 | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 44°F | 19°F | 31.8°F | 1.28 | – | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 53°F | 26°F | 39.4°F | 1.08 | – | <1 | 25 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 62°F | 34°F | 47.9°F | 2.19 | – | <1 | 14 | 15 h |
| June | 69°F | 40°F | 54.1°F | 2.66 | – | 1 | 5 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 79°F | 44°F | 61.6°F | 1.51 | – | 4 | 1 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 79°F | 42°F | 60.8°F | 1.32 | – | 3 | 2 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 70°F | 35°F | 52.1°F | 1.35 | – | 1 | 13 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 55°F | 26°F | 40.6°F | 1.00 | – | <1 | 25 | 11 h |
| November | 40°F | 16°F | 28.3°F | 0.51 | – | <1 | 28 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 31°F | 11°F | 20.9°F | 0.50 | – | <1 | 30 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 54°F | 26°F | 40.3°F | 14.56 | – | 9 | 231 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1°C | −12°C | −5.6°C | 12 mm |
| February | 2°C | −10°C | −4.2°C | 17 mm |
| March | 7°C | −7°C | −0.1°C | 33 mm |
| April | 12°C | −3°C | 4.1°C | 27 mm |
| May | 17°C | 1°C | 8.8°C | 56 mm |
| June | 20°C | 4°C | 12.3°C | 68 mm |
| July | 26°C | 7°C | 16.4°C | 38 mm |
| August | 26°C | 6°C | 16.0°C | 34 mm |
| September | 21°C | 1°C | 11.2°C | 34 mm |
| October | 13°C | −3°C | 4.8°C | 25 mm |
| November | 5°C | −9°C | −2.1°C | 13 mm |
| December | 0°C | −12°C | −6.2°C | 13 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Anaconda (19 miles away), gets 75 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00242275; 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.
When is the best weather to visit Deer Lodge?
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 USC00242275.
How hot and how cold does it get in Deer Lodge?
In a normal year in Deer Lodge, 9 days a year reach 90°F and 231 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 9a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 231a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 41high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in Deer Lodge's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1893) is 103°F, on August 3, 1919; the lowest is −42°F, on December 14, 1919.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1980, with 19.04 in; the snowiest season is 1981–82, with 89.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00242275; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record DERM8thr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Deer Lodge?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Deer Lodge, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (86%) and December the cloudiest (61%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 66% | 1.5 |
| February | 70% | 2.5 |
| March | 69% | 3.7 |
| April | 68% | 4.8 |
| May | 69% | 5.7 |
| June | 74% | 6.5 |
| July | 86% | 7.3 |
| August | 84% | 6.0 |
| September | 79% | 4.5 |
| October | 70% | 2.8 |
| November | 64% | 1.6 |
| December | 61% | 1.2 |
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 much heating and cooling does Deer Lodge need?
A normal year in Deer Lodge brings 9,032 heating degree days, 68% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 65 cooling degree days, 93% 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 1,082 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,335 | 0 |
| February | 1,133 | 0 |
| March | 1,029 | 0 |
| April | 769 | 0 |
| May | 529 | 1 |
| June | 330 | 4 |
| July | 138 | 34 |
| August | 155 | 25 |
| September | 389 | 2 |
| October | 756 | 0 |
| November | 1,103 | 0 |
| December | 1,367 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,032 | 65 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00242275. 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.
Has Deer Lodge been warmer than normal lately?
2022 averaged 39.4°F, 0.9°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 40.3°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 39.4°F | −0.9°F | 9.00 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00242275. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Deer Lodge's climate compare?
Deer Lodge is warmer than 17 of the other 140 places with their own NOAA record in Montana, and wetter than 60. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 40.3°F is warmer than 6%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Deer Lodge is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm summer. 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.
Which places near Deer Lodge share this climate record?
2 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Garrison, MT138 people · 10 mi N
- Racetrack, MT6 people · 8 mi S
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Deer Lodge's climate
What is the coldest month in Deer Lodge?
December, with a normal high of 31°F and a normal low of 11°F. The warmest is July (79°F by day, 44°F at night).
Does it snow in Deer Lodge?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Deer Lodge's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Anaconda (19 miles away), records 75 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Deer Lodge?
June, with 2.66 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.48 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Deer Lodge in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Deer Lodge in zone 4b in ZIP code 59722, the nearest ZIP area.
Nearby and next
- Montana climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Anaconda, MT19 miles from this station, 43.8°F a year
- Elliston, MT21 miles from this station, 40.3°F a year
- Phillipsburg Ranger Station, MT24 miles from this station, 42.0°F a year
- Drummond, MT25 miles from this station, 43.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made