Plentywood, Montana climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Plentywood's normal year runs from −2°F January nights to 82°F July afternoons, with 14.7 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.1°C, January lows of −19°C, July highs of 28°C, 373 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationPlentywood
- Station IDUSC00246586
- Location48.77°N 104.57°W
- Elevation2,048 ft (624 m)
- Population1,626
On October 22, the normal high in Plentywood is 51°F and the normal low 25°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 15%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Plentywood.
- Jan 21° -2°
- Feb 26° 3°
- Mar 39° 15°
- Apr 54° 27°
- May 67° 38°
- Jun 75° 48°
- Jul 82° 52°
- Aug 82° 51°
- Sep 72° 40°
- Oct 55° 27°
- Nov 37° 14°
- Dec 24° 3°
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 Plentywood each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −2°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.07 in), the least in February (0.35 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21°F | −2°F | 9.4°F | 0.39 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 40 min |
| February | 26°F | 3°F | 14.3°F | 0.35 | 4 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 10 min |
| March | 39°F | 15°F | 26.8°F | 0.60 | 4 | <1 | 30 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 54°F | 27°F | 40.4°F | 1.02 | 5 | <1 | 21 | 13 h 40 min |
| May | 67°F | 38°F | 52.0°F | 2.04 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 15 h 10 min |
| June | 75°F | 48°F | 61.3°F | 3.07 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 16 h 10 min |
| July | 82°F | 52°F | 67.2°F | 2.54 | 9 | 7 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| August | 82°F | 51°F | 66.4°F | 1.46 | 6 | 9 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| September | 72°F | 40°F | 55.7°F | 1.26 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 55°F | 27°F | 41.0°F | 0.88 | 5 | <1 | 21 | 10 h 50 min |
| November | 37°F | 14°F | 25.6°F | 0.61 | 5 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 10 min |
| December | 24°F | 3°F | 13.2°F | 0.47 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 53°F | 26°F | 39.4°F | 14.69 | 70 | 21 | 204 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −6°C | −19°C | −12.6°C | 10 mm |
| February | −3°C | −16°C | −9.8°C | 9 mm |
| March | 4°C | −10°C | −2.9°C | 15 mm |
| April | 12°C | −3°C | 4.7°C | 26 mm |
| May | 19°C | 3°C | 11.1°C | 52 mm |
| June | 24°C | 9°C | 16.3°C | 78 mm |
| July | 28°C | 11°C | 19.6°C | 65 mm |
| August | 28°C | 10°C | 19.1°C | 37 mm |
| September | 22°C | 4°C | 13.2°C | 32 mm |
| October | 13°C | −3°C | 5.0°C | 22 mm |
| November | 3°C | −10°C | −3.6°C | 15 mm |
| December | −5°C | −16°C | −10.4°C | 12 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Raymond Border Station (15 miles away), gets 31 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00246586; 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 Plentywood?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (6).
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 USC00246586.
When is the last frost in Plentywood?
In Plentywood, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 25 in half of years and after June 8 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 14 in half of years and before September 2 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
- May 251 year in 10 after June 8; 9 in 10 after May 13
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 141 year in 10 before September 2; 9 in 10 before September 25
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 111 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 129 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 15 in half of springs and before September 22 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Plentywood in zone 3b in ZIP code 59254, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Plentywood's NOAA station is in zone 3b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −32°F (21 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Montana · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00246586; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. 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 Plentywood?
In a normal year in Plentywood, 21 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 204 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 70 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 21a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 204a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 79high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 70a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00246586.
How sunny is Plentywood?
Over a year 78% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Plentywood, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (86%) and December the cloudiest (70%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 80% | 1.6 |
| February | 83% | 2.8 |
| March | 77% | 3.9 |
| April | 73% | 4.9 |
| May | 74% | 5.9 |
| June | 77% | 6.5 |
| July | 86% | 6.8 |
| August | 83% | 5.6 |
| September | 78% | 4.1 |
| October | 73% | 2.6 |
| November | 72% | 1.6 |
| December | 70% | 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 Plentywood need?
A normal year in Plentywood brings 9,573 heating degree days, 78% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 296 cooling degree days, 67% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,803 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,724 | 0 |
| February | 1,421 | 0 |
| March | 1,184 | 0 |
| April | 738 | 0 |
| May | 409 | 6 |
| June | 149 | 38 |
| July | 48 | 116 |
| August | 70 | 115 |
| September | 300 | 21 |
| October | 745 | 1 |
| November | 1,181 | 0 |
| December | 1,606 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,573 | 296 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00246586. 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.
Has Plentywood been warmer than normal lately?
2021 averaged 41.3°F, 1.9°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 39.4°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 41.3°F | +1.9°F | 10.34 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00246586. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Plentywood's climate compare?
Plentywood is warmer than 10 of the other 140 places with their own NOAA record in Montana, and wetter than 62. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 39.4°F is warmer than 5%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Plentywood 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 Plentywood share this climate record?
Antelope has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its 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.
- Antelope, MT0 people · 8 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 Plentywood's climate
What is the coldest month in Plentywood?
January, with a normal high of 21°F and a normal low of −2°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 52°F at night).
Does it snow in Plentywood?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Plentywood's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Raymond Border Station (15 miles away), records 31 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Plentywood?
June, with 3.07 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.35 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Plentywood in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Plentywood in zone 3b in ZIP code 59254, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Plentywood's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −32°F (21 years, 1991-2020): zone 3b.
How late can frost come in Plentywood?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 25; in one year in ten it comes after June 8. Waiting until June 8 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Montana climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Raymond Border Station, MT16 miles from this station, 40.6°F a year
- Redstone, MT17 miles from this station, 39.7°F a year
- Medicine Lake, MT21 miles from this station, 41.0°F a year
- Westby, MT24 miles from this station, 39.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made