Gildford, 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 Gildford's primary NOAA station, GILDFORD.
The climate verdict for Gildford
Dryness leads the climate profile for Gildford, Montana, with 11.1 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 42°F. At 40/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 6% of scores.
- 42°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 40/100
- comfort score, above 6% of station-mapped location scores
- 11.1"
- yearly precipitation total
- 114 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Gildford: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00243530 · Gildford, MT 42°F mean · 11.1" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-ARID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 42°F
- RANK-COOL #617
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Vanderbilt
- PRCP-ARID 11.1"
- SWING-WIDE 50°F
- COMF-LOW 40/100
- LOAD-HEAT 8,720 HDD
- STN-1 USC00243530
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Vanderbilt, MI (+ 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.
- Gildford (this station) 42°F
- Cold Tupper Lake Sun…, NY 42°F
- Hot Newport, VT 42°F
- Near Vanderbilt, MI 42°F
- Near N Stratford, NH 42°F
Gildford 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 · Gildford
Gildford: 10/100 · grade F
Gildford publishes 4 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 2 missing weights rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Gildford, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 40/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 11.1 in · 23.9 from 35 in | 16/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 207 calendar days | 10/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 41.7°F · 25.8° from 67.5°F | 9/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 114 days/year | 4/100 · F |
Gildford · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Gildford's normals sit in a dry climate class: BSk
Precipitation is low relative to temperature but above true desert thresholds: cold semi-arid steppe (BSk). Class BSk is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically cold semi-arid steppe.
- Köppen code
- BSk
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 67.1°F
- Coldest month
- 17.1°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 Gildford sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Gildford's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 91%
- Among 6,861 stations, Gildford sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 92%
- Gildford's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 81%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Gildford is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Gildford compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Gildford's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
40 6th percentile score exceeds 6% 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
Gildford's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 50 complete annual observations from 1962 to 2025, GILDFORD warmed at a fitted rate of 0.11°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Gildford primary station fitted change +0.11 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29°F (-2°C) | 6°F (-15°C) | 17°F (-8°C) | 0.3" | 29.7 | 0.0 |
| February | 32°F (0°C) | 8°F (-13°C) | 20°F (-6°C) | 0.3" | 26.9 | 0.0 |
| March | 43°F (6°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 0.3" | 28.0 | 0.0 |
| April | 56°F (13°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 1.0" | 19.3 | 0.0 |
| May | 66°F (19°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 1.8" | 6.8 | 0.4 |
| June | 74°F (23°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 2.6" | 0.3 | 1.6 |
| July | 84°F (29°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 67°F (19°C) | 1.1" | 0.0 | 9.0 |
| August | 82°F (28°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 1.1" | 0.1 | 8.8 |
| September | 71°F (22°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 1.1" | 3.3 | 1.5 |
| October | 56°F (13°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 0.8" | 18.5 | 0.0 |
| November | 41°F (5°C) | 17°F (-8°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 0.5" | 26.7 | 0.0 |
| December | 31°F (0°C) | 8°F (-13°C) | 20°F (-7°C) | 0.3" | 30.4 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 87°F around July 27, short of 90°F on every date, while 207 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 5°F near January 2.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into May 1, then returns to freezing around October 8, covering 207 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 June 7, when 30% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is February 17 at 9%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 58 wet dates a year.
The widest day
July 26 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 35°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Gildford.
Where Gildford Stands Nationally
Winters bite deep and often: the normal nightly low dips to freezing or below on around 207 nights a year, placing this among the most frost-prone tenth of ranked stations.
Aridity defines the water calendar: about 11 inches in a normal year lands this among the driest tenth of ranked stations.
Gildford earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall
3.6 days with precipitation
2.6 days with precipitation
3.2 days with precipitation
5.2 days with precipitation
7.7 days with precipitation
9.3 days with precipitation
4.9 days with precipitation
5.2 days with precipitation
5.0 days with precipitation
4.7 days with precipitation
3.5 days with precipitation
3.0 days with precipitation
Gildford runs a summer-peaked wet season
43% of Gildford'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 June at 2.6", on a wide 50°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: June, May, July, taking 49% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: February at 0.3".
- Winter share: 9% 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.
Gildford is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 58 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 16% of the calendar, and they carry 11.1" between them. At roughly 0.19 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 June at about 9 wet days; the driest is February at about 3.
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.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
September 15
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 24
50% probability date
Growing Season
114 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
8,720
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
247
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside MT closest to Gildford 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 (42°F here).
- Bayfield, WI 42°F · 0.0°F off
- Castlewood, SD 42°F · 0.0°F off
- Chemult, OR 42°F · 0.0°F off
- Eagle Nest, NM 42°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (11.1" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Alcalde, NM 11.1" · 0.0" off
- Odessa, WA 11.1" · 0.0" off
- Klamath Falls, OR 11.1" · 0.0" off
- American Falls, ID 11.1" · 0.0" off
Scarce-water calendar
Where Gildford's limited precipitation lands
heating led · dry · mid swing
Gildford's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 8,720 annual heating degree days against 247 for cooling. Its 50.0°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 114 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.
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Gildford's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 50.0°F. The annual average is 42°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Gildford's cold-season load does not imply a wet climate. Annual precipitation is 11.1 inches, which places the station in PlainClimate's dry range. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. The snowfall and rainfall fields should be read separately rather than inferred from temperature.
Gildford wettest normal
June
June concentrates the scarce annual total (11.1 inches).
Gildford driest normal
February
February is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about Gildford's climate
How dry is Gildford? ▼
How cold does Gildford get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Gildford? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Gildford's primary station: GILDFORD (USC00243530). 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 a census-designated place (GEOID 3030700), not an incorporated municipality. Match rule for Gildford: 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 Gildford 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.