Shonkin (7 mi S), Montana climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Shonkin (7 mi S)'s normal year runs from 18°F January nights to 79°F July afternoons, with 22.8 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.7°C, January lows of −8°C, July highs of 26°C, 580 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationShonkin (7 mi S)
- Station IDUSC00247540
- Location47.53°N 110.58°W
- Elevation4,300 ft (1,311 m)
On October 22, the normal high in Shonkin (7 mi S) is 52°F and the normal low 33°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Shonkin (7 mi S).
- Jan 36° 18°
- Feb 36° 19°
- Mar 44° 24°
- Apr 51° 31°
- May 60° 39°
- Jun 68° 46°
- Jul 79° 52°
- Aug 79° 51°
- Sep 68° 44°
- Oct 54° 35°
- Nov 43° 26°
- Dec 36° 20°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Shonkin (7 mi S) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 79°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 18°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.79 in), the least in February (0.82 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36°F | 18°F | 26.7°F | 0.93 | – | <1 | 25 | 8 h 50 min |
| February | 36°F | 19°F | 27.5°F | 0.82 | – | <1 | 23 | 10 h 10 min |
| March | 44°F | 24°F | 34.0°F | 1.22 | – | <1 | 22 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 51°F | 31°F | 41.0°F | 2.96 | – | <1 | 15 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 60°F | 39°F | 49.6°F | 3.75 | – | <1 | 5 | 15 h |
| June | 68°F | 46°F | 57.1°F | 3.79 | – | <1 | <1 | 16 h |
| July | 79°F | 52°F | 65.3°F | 1.72 | – | 4 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| August | 79°F | 51°F | 65.0°F | 1.69 | – | 4 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 68°F | 44°F | 56.0°F | 2.29 | – | 1 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 54°F | 35°F | 44.5°F | 1.59 | – | <1 | 12 | 11 h |
| November | 43°F | 26°F | 34.8°F | 1.22 | – | <1 | 19 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 36°F | 20°F | 28.0°F | 0.84 | – | <1 | 24 | 8 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 55°F | 34°F | 44.1°F | 22.82 | – | 8 | 147 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2°C | −8°C | −2.9°C | 24 mm |
| February | 2°C | −7°C | −2.5°C | 21 mm |
| March | 7°C | −4°C | 1.1°C | 31 mm |
| April | 11°C | −1°C | 5.0°C | 75 mm |
| May | 16°C | 4°C | 9.8°C | 95 mm |
| June | 20°C | 8°C | 13.9°C | 96 mm |
| July | 26°C | 11°C | 18.5°C | 44 mm |
| August | 26°C | 11°C | 18.3°C | 43 mm |
| September | 20°C | 7°C | 13.3°C | 58 mm |
| October | 12°C | 2°C | 6.9°C | 40 mm |
| November | 6°C | −3°C | 1.6°C | 31 mm |
| December | 2°C | −7°C | −2.2°C | 21 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Fort Benton (21 miles away), gets 38 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00247540; 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.
Which months are mildest at Shonkin (7 mi S)?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August 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 USC00247540.
When is the last frost at Shonkin (7 mi S)?
In Shonkin (7 mi S), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 24 in half of years and after June 10 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 21 in half of years and before August 31 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 241 year in 10 after June 10; 9 in 10 after May 6
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 211 year in 10 before August 31; 9 in 10 before October 5
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 119 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 147 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 7 in half of springs and before October 1 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Shonkin (7 mi S) in zone 4b in ZIP code 59450, 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 USC00247540; 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 at Shonkin (7 mi S)?
In a normal year in Shonkin (7 mi S), 8 days a year reach 90°F and 147 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 8a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 147a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 43high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1953) is 104°F, on August 5, 1961; the lowest is −42°F, on December 29, 1968.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1975, with 44.60 in; the snowiest season is 2009–10, with 284.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00247540; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00247540. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Shonkin (7 mi S)?
Over a year 76% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Shonkin (7 mi S), 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 | 71% | 1.5 |
| February | 73% | 2.5 |
| March | 71% | 3.6 |
| April | 69% | 4.8 |
| May | 71% | 5.8 |
| June | 76% | 6.6 |
| July | 87% | 7.2 |
| August | 85% | 5.9 |
| September | 78% | 4.3 |
| October | 72% | 2.7 |
| November | 68% | 1.6 |
| December | 66% | 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Shonkin (7 mi S) record?
A normal year at Shonkin (7 mi S) brings 7,807 heating degree days, 45% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 228 cooling degree days, 75% 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 1,622 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,187 | 0 |
| February | 1,050 | 0 |
| March | 961 | 0 |
| April | 719 | 0 |
| May | 479 | 2 |
| June | 250 | 13 |
| July | 82 | 91 |
| August | 94 | 96 |
| September | 294 | 24 |
| October | 637 | 2 |
| November | 906 | 0 |
| December | 1,147 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,807 | 228 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00247540. 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.
Have recent years at Shonkin (7 mi S) been warmer than normal?
Over 30 complete years from 1956 to 2019, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 0.8°F per century (+0.05°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Shonkin (7 mi S)'s climate compare?
Shonkin (7 mi S) is warmer than 76 of the 141 places with their own NOAA record in Montana, and wetter than 123. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 44.1°F is warmer than 16%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Shonkin (7 mi S) 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 Shonkin (7 mi S)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Shonkin (7 mi S)?
January, with a normal high of 36°F and a normal low of 18°F. The warmest is July (79°F by day, 52°F at night).
Does it snow at Shonkin (7 mi S)?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Fort Benton (21 miles away), records 38 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Shonkin (7 mi S)?
June, with 3.79 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.82 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Shonkin (7 mi S) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Shonkin (7 mi S) in zone 4b in ZIP code 59450, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Shonkin (7 mi S)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 24; in one year in ten it comes after June 10. Waiting until June 10 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Montana climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Highwood, MT9 miles from this station, 46.7°F a year
- Geraldine, MT15 miles from this station, 46.8°F a year
- Raynesford, MT18 miles from this station, 44.9°F a year
- Fort Benton, MT21 miles from this station, 45.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made