Missoula, MT Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Explore NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 climate normals → and a clearly labeled PlainClimate comfort calculation
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Missoula's primary NOAA station, MISSOULA INTL AP - 3 stations mapped to the area.
The climate verdict for Missoula
Dryness leads the climate profile for Missoula, Montana, with 14.1 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 45°F. At 49/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 18% of scores.
- 45°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 49/100
- comfort score, above 18% of station-mapped location scores
- 14.1"
- annual precipitation · 43" snow
- 133 days
- frost-free growing season
Missoula: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00024153 · Missoula, MT 45°F mean · 14.1" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-MULTI · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 45°F
- RANK-COOL #1,372
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Montrose
- PRCP-DRY 14.1"
- SWING-MID 44°F
- COMF-LOW 49/100
- LOAD-HEAT 7,514 HDD
- STN-MULTI USW00024153
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Montrose, PA (+ 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.
- Missoula (this station) 45°F
- Cold Hornell Almond…, NY 45°F
- Hot Montrose, PA 45°F
- Near Alfred, NY 45°F
- Near Johnson Siding, SD 45°F
Missoula 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 · Missoula
Missoula: 26/100 · grade F
Missoula publishes all six Living Index dimensions from NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals · NOAA hourly normals.
PlainClimate-derived for Missoula, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 49/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Summer moisture balance | 43.5°F mean dew point | 52/100 · D |
| Precipitation balance | 14.1 in · 20.9 from 35 in | 25/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 43.0 inches/year | 25/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 182 calendar days | 24/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 45.2°F · 22.3° from 67.5°F | 20/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 133 days/year | 14/100 · F |
Missoula · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Missoula is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 24.4°F and warmest-month mean 68.4°F place this station in continental, no dry season, warm summer climates (Dfb). Class Dfb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfb
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 68.4°F
- Coldest month
- 24.4°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 Missoula sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Missoula's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 80%
- Among 6,861 stations, Missoula sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 85%
- Missoula's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 54th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Missoula compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Missoula's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
49 18th percentile score exceeds 18% 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
Missoula's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 120 complete annual observations from 1886 to 2025, MISSOULA INTL AP warmed at a fitted rate of 0.09°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Missoula primary station fitted change +0.09 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32°F (0°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 1.0" | 9.9" | 29.8 | 0.0 |
| February | 37°F (3°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 0.9" | 8.5" | 26.1 | 0.0 |
| March | 48°F (9°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 0.9" | 5.0" | 25.0 | 0.0 |
| April | 56°F (13°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 1.4" | 1.3" | 15.2 | 0.0 |
| May | 66°F (19°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 1.8" | 0.3" | 4.4 | 0.2 |
| June | 73°F (23°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 2.1" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 2.1 |
| July | 85°F (30°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 0.8" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 12.2 |
| August | 84°F (29°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 67°F (20°C) | 0.8" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 10.7 |
| September | 73°F (23°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 1.0" | 0.1" | 1.7 | 1.4 |
| October | 56°F (13°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 1.2" | 0.9" | 14.9 | 0.0 |
| November | 40°F (4°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 1.2" | 5.4" | 25.5 | 0.0 |
| December | 31°F (-1°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 24°F (-4°C) | 1.1" | 11.6" | 29.7 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 89°F around July 27, short of 90°F on every date, while 182 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 16°F near December 25.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 15, then returns to freezing around October 17, covering 182 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 1, when 44% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is July 27 at 19%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 124 wet dates a year.
The widest day
July 30 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 36°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Missoula.
Where Missoula Stands Nationally
Freezing is routine here by normals standards — the normal low reaches 32°F or colder on about 182 nights a year, more than most ranked stations.
A drier-than-most normal water year — around 14 inches, below what four out of five ranked stations collect.
Missoula earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 9.9"
12.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 8.5"
10.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.0"
11.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.3"
11.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.3"
12.1 days with precipitation
12.5 days with precipitation
6.0 days with precipitation
6.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
7.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.9"
9.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.4"
11.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 11.6"
12.6 days with precipitation
Missoula spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 27% of the annual total and December through February 21%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Missoula has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 44°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: June averages 2.1" and August 0.8". The three wettest months together take 37% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
Rain reaches Missoula in small, frequent amounts
Missoula records about 124 days with measurable precipitation a year and 14.1" in total, which works out to roughly 0.11 inches on an average wet day. Precipitation on 34% of all days, arriving that lightly, is the damp many-grey-days pattern rather than the storm-driven one.
Places in this band read as wetter than their annual totals suggest, because what people notice is the number of overcast days, not the depth in the gauge.
- Most wet days: December, about 13 of them.
- Fewest: July, about 6.
- Average depth per wet day: 0.11 inches.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Missoula
Missoula averages 43.0 inches of snowfall a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 40 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 43.0 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 40 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 30% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
September 26
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 16
50% probability date
Growing Season
133 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
7,514
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
306
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Humidity & Wind
Monthly averages from hourly observations
| Month | Humidity | Wind (mph) | Clear Sky % | Overcast % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 79% | 3.8 | 29% | 52% |
| February | 70% | 5.3 | 31% | 45% |
| March | 62% | 5.9 | 31% | 41% |
| April | 56% | 6.6 | 40% | 32% |
| May | 59% | 6.2 | 43% | 29% |
| June | 51% | 6.0 | 64% | 13% |
| July | 42% | 5.9 | 77% | 6% |
| August | 48% | 5.2 | 67% | 12% |
| September | 58% | 4.7 | 60% | 21% |
| October | 73% | 4.0 | 41% | 40% |
| November | 79% | 3.9 | 28% | 55% |
| December | 81% | 3.7 | 21% | 60% |
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside MT closest to Missoula 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 (45°F here).
- Albert Lea, MN 45°F · 0.0°F off
- Brillion, WI 45°F · 0.0°F off
- Easton, WA 45°F · 0.0°F off
- Freeville, NY 45°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (14.1" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Brighton, CO 14.1" · 0.0" off
- Pine Bluffs, WY 14.1" · 0.0" off
- Levan, UT 14.1" · 0.0" off
- Wheatland, WY 14.1" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Missoula
heating led · dry · mid swing
Missoula's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 7,514 annual heating degree days against 306 for cooling. Its 44.0°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 133 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.
-
1. Missoula coldest normal
December
Averaging 24°F (-4°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Missoula typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Missoula snow peak
December
Missoula averages 43.0 inches of snow a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Missoula's climate
How much snow does Missoula get? ▼
How cold does Missoula get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Missoula? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Missoula's primary station: MISSOULA INTL AP (USW00024153). 3 NOAA stations are mapped to the Missoula area; the primary station's record is used for consistency. 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 an incorporated place (GEOID 3050200). Match rule for Missoula: 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 Missoula 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.