Divide, Montana climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Divide's normal year runs from 9°F December nights to 82°F July afternoons, with 11.3 inches of precipitation and 15 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.9°C, December lows of −13°C, July highs of 28°C, 287 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationDivide
- Station IDUSC00242421
- Location45.75°N 112.75°W
- Elevation5,350 ft (1,631 m)
On October 22, the normal high in Divide is 54°F and the normal low 26°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 13%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Divide.
- Jan 33° 11°
- Feb 36° 12°
- Mar 45° 20°
- Apr 52° 26°
- May 62° 35°
- Jun 70° 41°
- Jul 82° 46°
- Aug 80° 44°
- Sep 70° 37°
- Oct 57° 28°
- Nov 42° 17°
- Dec 31° 9°
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 Divide each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 9°F. The most precipitation falls in June (2.10 in), the least in January (0.27 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°F | 11°F | 21.6°F | 0.27 | 2.4 | 3 | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 36°F | 12°F | 23.6°F | 0.55 | 2.0 | 3 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 45°F | 20°F | 32.2°F | 0.67 | 2.6 | 4 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 52°F | 26°F | 39.3°F | 0.89 | 0.8 | 5 | <1 | 25 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 62°F | 35°F | 48.3°F | 1.78 | 0.1 | 8 | <1 | 12 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 70°F | 41°F | 55.5°F | 2.10 | 0.0 | 10 | <1 | 3 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 82°F | 46°F | 63.9°F | 1.05 | 0.0 | 6 | 5 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 80°F | 44°F | 62.3°F | 1.02 | 0.0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 70°F | 37°F | 53.3°F | 1.13 | 0.1 | 4 | <1 | 10 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 57°F | 28°F | 42.0°F | 0.83 | 0.9 | 4 | <1 | 24 | 11 h |
| November | 42°F | 17°F | 29.4°F | 0.50 | 1.7 | 4 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 31°F | 9°F | 20.0°F | 0.51 | 4.6 | 3 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 55°F | 27°F | 40.9°F | 11.30 | 15.2 | 59 | 7 | 223 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0°C | −12°C | −5.8°C | 7 mm | 6 cm |
| February | 2°C | −11°C | −4.7°C | 14 mm | 5 cm |
| March | 7°C | −7°C | 0.1°C | 17 mm | 7 cm |
| April | 11°C | −3°C | 4.1°C | 23 mm | 2 cm |
| May | 17°C | 2°C | 9.1°C | 45 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 21°C | 5°C | 13.1°C | 53 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 28°C | 8°C | 17.7°C | 27 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 7°C | 16.8°C | 26 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 21°C | 3°C | 11.8°C | 29 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 14°C | −2°C | 5.6°C | 21 mm | 2 cm |
| November | 5°C | −8°C | −1.4°C | 13 mm | 4 cm |
| December | 0°C | −13°C | −6.7°C | 13 mm | 12 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00242421; 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 Divide?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (4).
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 USC00242421.
When is the last frost at Divide?
In Divide, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after June 10 in half of years and after July 2 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 7 in half of years and before August 24 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- June 101 year in 10 after July 2; 9 in 10 after May 23
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 71 year in 10 before August 24; 9 in 10 before September 20
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 85 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 119 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 21 in half of springs and before September 19 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Divide in zone 5a in ZIP code 59727, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −22°F (15 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Montana · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00242421; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at Divide?
In a normal year in Divide, 7 days a year reach 90°F, 223 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 59 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 7a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 223a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 47high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 59a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 6a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1915) is 98°F, on July 27, 1975; the lowest is −51°F, on January 14, 2024.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1975, with 19.55 in; the snowiest season is 1950–51, with 86.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00242421; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00242421. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Divide?
Over a year 76% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Divide, 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 Divide record?
A normal year at Divide brings 8,841 heating degree days, 65% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 102 cooling degree days, 89% fewer than the median (908). Nine months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,270 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,345 | 0 |
| February | 1,158 | 0 |
| March | 1,017 | 0 |
| April | 771 | 0 |
| May | 517 | 1 |
| June | 291 | 6 |
| July | 94 | 60 |
| August | 120 | 34 |
| September | 352 | 2 |
| October | 713 | 0 |
| November | 1,070 | 0 |
| December | 1,395 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,841 | 102 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00242421. 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.
How does Divide's climate compare?
Divide is warmer than 19 of the 141 places with their own NOAA record in Montana, and wetter than 9. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 40.9°F is warmer than 7%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Divide 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.
Which places near Divide share this climate record?
Dewey has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its 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.
- Dewey, MT27 people · 5 mi W
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 Divide's climate
What is the coldest month at Divide?
December, with a normal high of 31°F and a normal low of 9°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 46°F at night).
Does it snow at Divide?
Yes: 15 inches in a normal year, falling on 11 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (4.6 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Divide?
June, with 2.10 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.27 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Divide in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Divide in zone 5a in ZIP code 59727, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −22°F (15 years, 1991-2020): zone 4b.
How late can frost come at Divide?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after June 10; in one year in ten it comes after July 2. Waiting until July 2 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Montana climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Wise River (3 mi WNW), MT12 miles from this station, 37.7°F a year
- Glen, MT16 miles from this station, 42.5°F a year
- Butte, MT19 miles from this station, 40.1°F a year
- Twin Bridges, MT25 miles from this station, 43.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made