Ryegate, Montana climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Ryegate's normal year runs from 14°F December nights to 86°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.9°C, December lows of −10°C, July highs of 30°C.
- NOAA stationRyegate
- Station IDUSC00247261
- Location46.30°N 109.26°W
- Elevation3,650 ft (1,113 m)
- Population233
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Ryegate.
- Jan 38° 15°
- Feb 41° 16°
- Mar 51° 24°
- Apr 58° 31°
- May 67° 40°
- Jun 76° 48°
- Jul 86° 53°
- Aug 85° 51°
- Sep 76° 42°
- Oct 61° 32°
- Nov 46° 22°
- Dec 38° 14°
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 Ryegate each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 14°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38°F | 15°F | 26.2°F | – | <1 | 29 | 9 h |
| February | 41°F | 16°F | 28.4°F | – | <1 | 26 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 51°F | 24°F | 37.1°F | – | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 58°F | 31°F | 44.7°F | – | <1 | 17 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 67°F | 40°F | 53.3°F | – | <1 | 6 | 15 h |
| June | 76°F | 48°F | 62.0°F | – | 3 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 86°F | 53°F | 69.6°F | – | 15 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 85°F | 51°F | 68.3°F | – | 12 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 76°F | 42°F | 58.9°F | – | 3 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 61°F | 32°F | 46.5°F | – | <1 | 16 | 11 h |
| November | 46°F | 22°F | 34.1°F | – | <1 | 24 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 38°F | 14°F | 25.9°F | – | <1 | 29 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 60°F | 32°F | 46.2°F | – | 34 | 175 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°C | −10°C | −3.2°C |
| February | 5°C | −9°C | −2.0°C |
| March | 10°C | −5°C | 2.8°C |
| April | 15°C | −1°C | 7.1°C |
| May | 19°C | 4°C | 11.8°C |
| June | 24°C | 9°C | 16.7°C |
| July | 30°C | 12°C | 20.9°C |
| August | 30°C | 11°C | 20.2°C |
| September | 24°C | 6°C | 14.9°C |
| October | 16°C | 0°C | 8.1°C |
| November | 8°C | −5°C | 1.2°C |
| December | 3°C | −10°C | −3.4°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. Ryegate's own co-op station Ryegate (18 mi NNW) does: 53 inches of snow in a normal year (see the other stations below).
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00247261; 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 Ryegate?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June and September.
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 USC00247261.
When is the last frost in Ryegate?
In Ryegate, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 17 in half of years and after May 30 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 23 in half of years and before September 10 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 171 year in 10 after May 30; 9 in 10 after May 3
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 231 year in 10 before September 10; 9 in 10 before October 6
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 127 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 149 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 5 in half of springs and before October 3 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Ryegate in zone 4b in ZIP code 59074, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Montana · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00247261; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. 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 Ryegate?
In a normal year in Ryegate, 34 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more) and 175 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 34a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 175a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 32high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1909) is 110°F, on July 13, 2026; the lowest is −41°F, on January 31, 1917.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1967, with 16.30 in; the snowiest season is 2017–18, with 79.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00247261; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00247261. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Ryegate?
Over a year 76% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Ryegate, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (87%) and December the cloudiest (66%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 72% | 1.7 |
| February | 74% | 2.6 |
| March | 71% | 3.7 |
| April | 68% | 4.8 |
| May | 71% | 5.8 |
| June | 77% | 6.7 |
| July | 87% | 7.1 |
| August | 85% | 5.9 |
| September | 79% | 4.4 |
| October | 73% | 2.8 |
| November | 71% | 1.8 |
| December | 66% | 1.3 |
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 Ryegate need?
A normal year in Ryegate brings 7,174 heating degree days, 34% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 369 cooling degree days, 59% 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 2,102 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,201 | 0 |
| February | 1,023 | 0 |
| March | 865 | 0 |
| April | 609 | 0 |
| May | 367 | 6 |
| June | 128 | 40 |
| July | 18 | 160 |
| August | 37 | 138 |
| September | 209 | 24 |
| October | 577 | 2 |
| November | 929 | 0 |
| December | 1,212 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,174 | 369 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00247261. 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 Ryegate been warmer than normal lately?
2021 averaged 47.5°F, 1.3°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 46.2°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 47.5°F | +1.3°F |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00247261. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Ryegate's climate compare?
Ryegate is warmer than 117 of the other 140 places with their own NOAA record in Montana. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 46.2°F is warmer than 24%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Ryegate share this climate record?
3 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their 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.
- Lavina, MT143 people · 15 mi E
- Shawmut, MT37 people · 13 mi W
- Golden Valley Colony, MT22 people · 3 mi S
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Ryegate's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Ryegate. This page uses Ryegate; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryegate (18 mi NNW) USC00247263 | 17 mi N | 4,440 ft | 43.5°F | 12°F | 82°F | 14.3 | 53 | May 26 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Ryegate's climate
What is the coldest month in Ryegate?
December, with a normal high of 38°F and a normal low of 14°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 53°F at night).
Does it snow in Ryegate?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Ryegate's NOAA station; Ryegate's own co-op station Ryegate (18 mi NNW) records 53 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Ryegate in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Ryegate in zone 4b in ZIP code 59074, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Ryegate?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 17; in one year in ten it comes after May 30. Waiting until May 30 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Montana climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Gibson (2 mi NE), MT21 miles from this station, 43.8°F a year
- Rapelje, MT22 miles from this station, 44.7°F a year
- Harlowton, MT30 miles from this station, 43.8°F a year
- Judith Gap, MT35 miles from this station, 41.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made