Olney, Montana climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Olney's normal year runs from 12°F January nights to 80°F July afternoons, with 20.3 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.2°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 27°C, 516 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationOlney
- Station IDUSC00246218
- Location48.55°N 114.57°W
- Elevation3,165 ft (965 m)
- Population (census place)124
On October 23, the normal high in Olney is 47°F and the normal low 24°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 31%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Olney.
- Jan 28° 12°
- Feb 34° 12°
- Mar 43° 19°
- Apr 53° 26°
- May 63° 34°
- Jun 69° 41°
- Jul 80° 43°
- Aug 80° 41°
- Sep 69° 33°
- Oct 52° 25°
- Nov 36° 19°
- Dec 27° 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 Olney each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 80°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.03 in), the least in August (1.08 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28°F | 12°F | 20.0°F | 1.98 | 10 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 40 min |
| February | 34°F | 12°F | 22.9°F | 1.33 | 7 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 10 min |
| March | 43°F | 19°F | 30.9°F | 1.33 | 8 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 53°F | 26°F | 39.4°F | 1.19 | 7 | <1 | 26 | 13 h 40 min |
| May | 63°F | 34°F | 48.7°F | 2.12 | 11 | <1 | 14 | 15 h 10 min |
| June | 69°F | 41°F | 55.0°F | 3.03 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 16 h 10 min |
| July | 80°F | 43°F | 61.5°F | 1.33 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 15 h 50 min |
| August | 80°F | 41°F | 60.2°F | 1.08 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 14 h 30 min |
| September | 69°F | 33°F | 50.9°F | 1.23 | 7 | <1 | 15 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 52°F | 25°F | 38.6°F | 1.75 | 9 | <1 | 24 | 11 h |
| November | 36°F | 19°F | 27.7°F | 1.91 | 10 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 27°F | 13°F | 20.0°F | 2.02 | 10 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 53°F | 27°F | 39.6°F | 20.30 | 106 | 9 | 234 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2°C | −11°C | −6.7°C | 50 mm |
| February | 1°C | −11°C | −5.1°C | 34 mm |
| March | 6°C | −7°C | −0.6°C | 34 mm |
| April | 12°C | −3°C | 4.1°C | 30 mm |
| May | 17°C | 1°C | 9.3°C | 54 mm |
| June | 21°C | 5°C | 12.8°C | 77 mm |
| July | 27°C | 6°C | 16.4°C | 34 mm |
| August | 26°C | 5°C | 15.7°C | 27 mm |
| September | 20°C | 1°C | 10.5°C | 31 mm |
| October | 11°C | −4°C | 3.7°C | 44 mm |
| November | 2°C | −7°C | −2.4°C | 49 mm |
| December | −3°C | −10°C | −6.7°C | 51 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Whitefish (14 miles away), gets 63 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00246218; 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 Olney?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, August has the fewest days with rain (5).
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 USC00246218.
How hot and how cold does it get in Olney?
In a normal year in Olney, 9 days a year reach 90°F, 234 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 106 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 9a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 234a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 59high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 106a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1962) is 101°F, on July 9, 1985; the lowest is −44°F, on December 29, 1990.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1989, with 30.26 in; the snowiest season is 1988–89, with 238.3 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00246218; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00246218. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Olney?
Over a year 70% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Olney, 3.6 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (85%) and December the cloudiest (50%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 54% | 1.1 |
| February | 62% | 2.0 |
| March | 62% | 3.1 |
| April | 65% | 4.4 |
| May | 68% | 5.5 |
| June | 69% | 6.0 |
| July | 85% | 7.1 |
| August | 83% | 5.8 |
| September | 75% | 4.0 |
| October | 65% | 2.4 |
| November | 53% | 1.2 |
| December | 50% | 0.8 |
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 Olney need?
A normal year in Olney brings 9,273 heating degree days, 73% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 54 cooling degree days, 94% 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 1,026 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,395 | 0 |
| February | 1,177 | 0 |
| March | 1,057 | 0 |
| April | 770 | 0 |
| May | 507 | 0 |
| June | 304 | 5 |
| July | 140 | 30 |
| August | 169 | 18 |
| September | 422 | 0 |
| October | 818 | 0 |
| November | 1,121 | 0 |
| December | 1,393 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,273 | 54 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00246218. 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 Olney's climate compare?
Olney is warmer than 12 of the other 140 places with their own NOAA record in Montana, and wetter than 117. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 39.6°F is warmer than 5%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Olney 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 Olney's climate
What is the coldest month in Olney?
January, with a normal high of 28°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (80°F by day, 43°F at night).
Does it snow in Olney?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Olney's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Whitefish (14 miles away), records 63 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Olney?
June, with 3.03 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is August with 1.08 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Olney in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Olney in zone 5a in ZIP code 59927, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Olney's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −23°F (23 years, 1991-2020): zone 4b.
Nearby and next
- Montana climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Whitefish, MT14 miles from this station, 42.5°F a year
- Polebridge, MT20 miles from this station, 39.6°F a year
- Fortine, MT22 miles from this station, 43.9°F a year
- Kalispell, MT22 miles from this station, 43.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made