Elliston, Montana climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Elliston's normal year runs from 10°F December nights to 81°F July afternoons, with 19.1 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 27°C, 485 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationElliston
- Station IDUSC00242738
- Location46.56°N 112.43°W
- Elevation5,080 ft (1,548 m)
- Population (census place)208
On October 23, the normal high in Elliston is 50°F and the normal low 25°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Elliston.
- Jan 33° 11°
- Feb 33° 12°
- Mar 43° 19°
- Apr 51° 26°
- May 60° 35°
- Jun 69° 41°
- Jul 81° 46°
- Aug 80° 44°
- Sep 69° 36°
- Oct 53° 27°
- Nov 39° 17°
- Dec 31° 10°
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 Elliston each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 10°F. The most precipitation falls in June (2.79 in), the least in February (1.04 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°F | 11°F | 21.7°F | 1.12 | – | <1 | 30 | 9 h |
| February | 33°F | 12°F | 22.5°F | 1.04 | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 43°F | 19°F | 31.2°F | 1.37 | – | <1 | 30 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 51°F | 26°F | 38.3°F | 1.77 | – | <1 | 26 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 60°F | 35°F | 47.7°F | 2.49 | – | <1 | 12 | 15 h |
| June | 69°F | 41°F | 54.8°F | 2.79 | – | 1 | 2 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 81°F | 46°F | 63.5°F | 1.45 | – | 6 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 80°F | 44°F | 62.3°F | 1.39 | – | 4 | 1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 69°F | 36°F | 52.7°F | 1.40 | – | <1 | 8 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 53°F | 27°F | 40.1°F | 1.76 | – | <1 | 24 | 11 h |
| November | 39°F | 17°F | 28.3°F | 1.48 | – | <1 | 29 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 31°F | 10°F | 20.8°F | 1.05 | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 54°F | 27°F | 40.3°F | 19.11 | – | 11 | 219 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0°C | −12°C | −5.7°C | 28 mm |
| February | 1°C | −11°C | −5.3°C | 26 mm |
| March | 6°C | −7°C | −0.4°C | 35 mm |
| April | 10°C | −3°C | 3.5°C | 45 mm |
| May | 16°C | 2°C | 8.7°C | 63 mm |
| June | 20°C | 5°C | 12.7°C | 71 mm |
| July | 27°C | 8°C | 17.5°C | 37 mm |
| August | 27°C | 7°C | 16.8°C | 35 mm |
| September | 21°C | 2°C | 11.5°C | 36 mm |
| October | 12°C | −3°C | 4.5°C | 45 mm |
| November | 4°C | −8°C | −2.1°C | 38 mm |
| December | 0°C | −12°C | −6.2°C | 27 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Helena (23 miles away), gets 37 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00242738; 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 Elliston?
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 USC00242738.
When is the last frost in Elliston?
In Elliston, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after June 9 in half of years and after June 26 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 8 in half of years and before August 26 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 91 year in 10 after June 26; 9 in 10 after May 23
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 81 year in 10 before August 26; 9 in 10 before September 21
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 91 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 125 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 16 in half of springs and before September 20 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Elliston in zone 4b in ZIP code 59728, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Montana · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00242738; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. 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 in Elliston?
In a normal year in Elliston, 11 days a year reach 90°F and 219 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 11a 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
- 55high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1920) is 100°F, on August 5, 1961; the lowest is −43°F, on December 17, 1964.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1975, with 27.04 in; the snowiest season is 1916–17, with 233.4 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00242738; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00242738. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Elliston?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Elliston, 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 Elliston need?
A normal year in Elliston brings 9,075 heating degree days, 69% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 105 cooling degree days, 88% 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 1,225 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,344 | 0 |
| February | 1,190 | 0 |
| March | 1,048 | 0 |
| April | 801 | 0 |
| May | 537 | 1 |
| June | 312 | 6 |
| July | 104 | 56 |
| August | 125 | 39 |
| September | 374 | 3 |
| October | 770 | 0 |
| November | 1,101 | 0 |
| December | 1,370 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,075 | 105 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00242738. 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 Elliston's climate compare?
Elliston is warmer than 17 of the other 140 places with their own NOAA record in Montana, and wetter than 113. 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, Elliston 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 Elliston 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.
- Avon, MT145 people · 8 mi NW
- Rimini, MT93 people · 10 mi SE
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 Elliston's climate
What is the coldest month in Elliston?
December, with a normal high of 31°F and a normal low of 10°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 46°F at night).
Does it snow in Elliston?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Elliston's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Helena (23 miles away), records 37 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Elliston?
June, with 2.79 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.04 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Elliston in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Elliston in zone 4b in ZIP code 59728, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Elliston?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after June 9; in one year in ten it comes after June 26. Waiting until June 26 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Montana climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Austin (1 mi W), MT10 miles from this station, 40.3°F a year
- Deer Lodge, MT21 miles from this station, 40.3°F a year
- Helena, MT22 miles from this station, 45.5°F a year
- Tizer Gardens, MT24 miles from this station, 41.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made