Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse, 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 Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse's primary NOAA station, SIMPSON 6 N - WILDHORSE.
The climate verdict for Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse
Dryness leads the climate profile for Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse, Montana, with 11.2 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 41°F. At 39/100 (below average) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 4% of scores.
- 41°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 39/100
- comfort score, above 4% of station-mapped location scores
- 11.2"
- annual precipitation · 31" snow
- 112 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00247620 · Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse, MT 41°F mean · 11.2" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-ARID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 41°F
- RANK-COOL #412
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Drummond
- PRCP-ARID 11.2"
- SWING-WIDE 54°F
- COMF-LOW 39/100
- LOAD-HEAT 9,101 HDD
- STN-1 USC00247620
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Drummond, WI (+ 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.
- Simpson 6 N - W… (this station) 41°F
- Hot Prentice, WI 41°F
- Near Drummond, WI 41°F
- Near Duluth, MN 41°F
- Near Rudyard, MT 41°F
Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse 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 · Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse
Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse: 12/100 · grade F
Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 39/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Snowfall burden | 31.2 inches/year | 37/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 11.2 in · 23.9 from 35 in | 16/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 209 calendar days | 9/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 40.6°F · 26.9° from 67.5°F | 6/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 112 days/year | 3/100 · F |
Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse's normals sit in a dry climate class: BSk
Precipitation is low relative to temperature but above true desert thresholds: cold semi-arid steppe (BSk). Class BSk is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically cold semi-arid steppe.
- Köppen code
- BSk
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 67.2°F
- Coldest month
- 13.3°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 Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 94%
- Among 6,861 stations, Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 92%
- Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 90%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
39 4th percentile score exceeds 4% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Above this entry.
- 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
Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 56 complete annual observations from 1932 to 2025, SIMPSON 6 N - WILDHORSE warmed at a fitted rate of 0.22°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse primary station fitted change +0.22 °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 | 24°F (-4°C) | 2°F (-16°C) | 13°F (-10°C) | 0.3" | 7.1" | 30.1 | 0.0 |
| February | 30°F (-1°C) | 7°F (-14°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 0.3" | 3.8" | 27.1 | 0.0 |
| March | 41°F (5°C) | 17°F (-8°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 0.5" | 5.9" | 29.0 | 0.0 |
| April | 56°F (13°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 0.8" | 2.7" | 19.9 | 0.0 |
| May | 66°F (19°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 1.9" | 0.7" | 8.3 | 0.5 |
| June | 74°F (23°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 2.5" | 0.0" | 0.5 | 1.9 |
| July | 84°F (29°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 67°F (20°C) | 1.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 11.3 |
| August | 83°F (28°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 1.2" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 11.2 |
| September | 72°F (22°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 1.1" | 0.0" | 4.4 | 3.0 |
| October | 56°F (13°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 0.6" | 0.9" | 21.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 39°F (4°C) | 16°F (-9°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 0.4" | 4.5" | 27.7 | 0.0 |
| December | 27°F (-3°C) | 5°F (-15°C) | 16°F (-9°C) | 0.3" | 5.6" | 30.5 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 87°F around July 29, short of 90°F on every date, while 209 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 1°F near January 4.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into May 1, then returns to freezing around October 6, covering 209 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 7, when 30% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 28 at 10%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 61 wet dates a year.
The widest day
July 29 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 35°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse.
Where Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse Stands Nationally
Winters bite deep and often: the normal nightly low dips to freezing or below on around 209 nights a year, placing this among the most frost-prone tenth of ranked stations.
Aridity defines the water calendar: about 11 inches in a normal year lands this among the driest tenth of ranked stations.
Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse 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: 7.1"
3.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.8"
3.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.9"
4.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.7"
5.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.7"
7.4 days with precipitation
9.1 days with precipitation
5.4 days with precipitation
5.7 days with precipitation
4.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.9"
4.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.5"
4.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.6"
3.8 days with precipitation
Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse runs a summer-peaked wet season
43% of Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is June at 2.5", on a wide 53.9°F gap between its warmest and coldest month. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: June, May, August, taking 50% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: December at 0.3".
- Winter share: 9% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 61 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 17% of the calendar, and they carry 11.2" between them. At roughly 0.18 inches on an average wet day, this is not the damp drizzle of a marine climate; it is an arid record in which precipitation is both uncommon and light when it appears.
The wettest month by count is June at about 9 wet days; the driest is January at about 4.
A low per-event average in a dry record is a statement about typical days only. Arid regions can still take a large share of a year's total from a single convective storm, which a normal cannot show.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, not the extremes within it.
Winter brings real snow to Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse
Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse averages 31.2 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 18 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: 31.2 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 18 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 28% 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 15
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 26
50% probability date
Growing Season
112 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
9,101
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
256
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside MT closest to Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse 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 (41°F here).
- Aitkin, MN 41°F · 0.0°F off
- Aspen, CO 41°F · 0.0°F off
- Centennial, WY 41°F · 0.0°F off
- Chatham, MI 41°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (11.2" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Dinosaur, CO 11.2" · 0.0" off
- Klamath Falls, OR 11.1" · 0.0" off
- Baggs, WY 11.2" · 0.0" off
- Madras, OR 11.2" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse
heating led · dry · mid swing
Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 9,101 annual heating degree days against 256 for cooling. Its 53.9°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 112 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. Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse coldest normal
January
Averaging 13°F (-10°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse snow peak
January
Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse averages 31.2 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse's climate
How much snow does Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse get? ▼
How cold does Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse's primary station: SIMPSON 6 N - WILDHORSE (USC00247620). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Simpson 6 N - Wildhorse 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.