Lincoln, Montana climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Lincoln's normal year runs from 13°F December nights to 81°F July afternoons, with 18.8 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 5.0°C, December lows of −11°C, July highs of 27°C, 477 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationLincoln Ranger Station
- Station IDUSC00245040
- Location46.96°N 112.65°W
- Elevation4,575 ft (1,395 m)
- Population (census place)868
On October 14, the normal high in Lincoln is 56°F and the normal low 29°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 26%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Lincoln.
- Jan 32° 12°
- Feb 35° 15°
- Mar 44° 22°
- Apr 53° 27°
- May 63° 33°
- Jun 71° 40°
- Jul 81° 44°
- Aug 81° 42°
- Sep 70° 35°
- Oct 54° 29°
- Nov 39° 20°
- Dec 31° 13°
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 Lincoln each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 13°F. The most precipitation falls in June (2.62 in), the least in July (0.82 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32°F | 12°F | 22.0°F | 1.49 | 9 | <1 | 29 | 8 h 50 min |
| February | 35°F | 15°F | 25.1°F | 2.30 | 8 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 44°F | 22°F | 32.8°F | 1.25 | 9 | <1 | 27 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 53°F | 27°F | 39.7°F | 1.46 | 9 | <1 | 23 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 63°F | 33°F | 47.9°F | 1.99 | 11 | <1 | 12 | 15 h |
| June | 71°F | 40°F | 55.6°F | 2.62 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 81°F | 44°F | 62.6°F | 0.82 | 7 | 6 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 81°F | 42°F | 61.4°F | 1.04 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 70°F | 35°F | 52.8°F | 1.33 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 54°F | 29°F | 41.5°F | 1.63 | 9 | <1 | 21 | 11 h |
| November | 39°F | 20°F | 29.5°F | 1.35 | 9 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 31°F | 13°F | 21.6°F | 1.49 | 8 | <1 | 30 | 8 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 54°F | 28°F | 41.0°F | 18.77 | 105 | 12 | 214 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0°C | −11°C | −5.6°C | 38 mm |
| February | 2°C | −9°C | −3.8°C | 58 mm |
| March | 7°C | −6°C | 0.4°C | 32 mm |
| April | 11°C | −3°C | 4.3°C | 37 mm |
| May | 17°C | 1°C | 8.8°C | 51 mm |
| June | 22°C | 5°C | 13.1°C | 67 mm |
| July | 27°C | 7°C | 17.0°C | 21 mm |
| August | 27°C | 5°C | 16.3°C | 26 mm |
| September | 21°C | 2°C | 11.6°C | 34 mm |
| October | 12°C | −2°C | 5.3°C | 41 mm |
| November | 4°C | −7°C | −1.4°C | 34 mm |
| December | −1°C | −11°C | −5.8°C | 38 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station, and no record within 25 miles keeps one, so snow is left out here rather than estimated.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00245040; 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 Lincoln?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, August has the fewest days with rain (7).
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 USC00245040.
How hot and how cold does it get in Lincoln?
In a normal year in Lincoln, 12 days a year reach 90°F, 214 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 105 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 12a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 214a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 44high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 105a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1948) is 102°F, on July 23, 2003; the lowest is −48°F, on January 3, 1950.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1975, with 36.02 in; the snowiest season is 1974–75, with 146.8 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00245040; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00245040. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Lincoln?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Lincoln, 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 Lincoln need?
A normal year in Lincoln brings 8,788 heating degree days, 64% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 70 cooling degree days, 92% 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 1,147 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,333 | 0 |
| February | 1,119 | 0 |
| March | 998 | 0 |
| April | 759 | 0 |
| May | 532 | 1 |
| June | 288 | 6 |
| July | 114 | 38 |
| August | 138 | 24 |
| September | 367 | 1 |
| October | 730 | 0 |
| November | 1,067 | 0 |
| December | 1,344 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,788 | 70 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00245040. 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 Lincoln's climate compare?
Lincoln is warmer than 19 of the other 140 places with their own NOAA record in Montana, and wetter than 112. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 41.0°F is warmer than 7%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Lincoln 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.
Questions about Lincoln's climate
What is the coldest month in Lincoln?
December, with a normal high of 31°F and a normal low of 13°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 44°F at night).
What is the rainiest month in Lincoln?
June, with 2.62 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 0.82 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Lincoln in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Lincoln in zone 4b in ZIP code 59639, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Lincoln's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −27°F (15 years, 1991-2020): zone 4a.
Nearby and next
- Montana climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Ovando, MT20 miles from this station, 38.9°F a year
- Rogers Pass (9 mi NNE), MT24 miles from this station, 43.9°F a year
- Austin (1 mi W), MT28 miles from this station, 40.3°F a year
- Elliston, MT29 miles from this station, 40.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made