Sula, Montana climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Sula's normal year runs from 12°F December nights to 82°F July afternoons, with 16.2 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 5.6°C, December lows of −11°C, July highs of 28°C, 412 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationSula (3 mi ENE)
- Station IDUSC00247964
- Location45.85°N 113.93°W
- Elevation4,475 ft (1,364 m)
- Population (census place)32
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Sula.
- Jan 34° 13°
- Feb 39° 14°
- Mar 48° 22°
- Apr 55° 27°
- May 64° 33°
- Jun 72° 40°
- Jul 82° 43°
- Aug 81° 40°
- Sep 73° 34°
- Oct 58° 27°
- Nov 43° 20°
- Dec 33° 12°
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 Sula each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F. The most precipitation falls in June (2.73 in), the least in January (0.72 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34°F | 13°F | 23.6°F | 0.72 | 9 | <1 | 30 | 9 h |
| February | 39°F | 14°F | 26.8°F | 0.83 | 7 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 48°F | 22°F | 35.0°F | 1.04 | 9 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 55°F | 27°F | 41.0°F | 1.76 | 12 | <1 | 24 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 64°F | 33°F | 48.6°F | 2.06 | 13 | <1 | 14 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 72°F | 40°F | 55.7°F | 2.73 | 13 | <1 | 4 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 82°F | 43°F | 62.5°F | 1.19 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 81°F | 40°F | 60.8°F | 1.07 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 73°F | 34°F | 53.5°F | 1.25 | 6 | <1 | 15 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 58°F | 27°F | 42.5°F | 1.30 | 9 | <1 | 23 | 11 h |
| November | 43°F | 20°F | 31.4°F | 1.28 | 10 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 33°F | 12°F | 22.2°F | 0.99 | 10 | <1 | 30 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 57°F | 27°F | 42.0°F | 16.22 | 112 | 10 | 230 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1°C | −11°C | −4.7°C | 18 mm |
| February | 4°C | −10°C | −2.9°C | 21 mm |
| March | 9°C | −6°C | 1.7°C | 26 mm |
| April | 13°C | −3°C | 5.0°C | 45 mm |
| May | 18°C | 1°C | 9.2°C | 52 mm |
| June | 22°C | 4°C | 13.2°C | 69 mm |
| July | 28°C | 6°C | 16.9°C | 30 mm |
| August | 27°C | 5°C | 16.0°C | 27 mm |
| September | 23°C | 1°C | 11.9°C | 32 mm |
| October | 15°C | −3°C | 5.8°C | 33 mm |
| November | 6°C | −7°C | −0.3°C | 33 mm |
| December | 0°C | −11°C | −5.4°C | 25 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. Sula's own co-op station Sula (14 mi NE) does: 88 inches of snow in a normal year (see the other stations below).
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00247964; 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 Sula?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in 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 USC00247964.
How hot and how cold does it get in Sula?
In a normal year in Sula, 10 days a year reach 90°F, 230 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 112 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 10a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 230a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 36high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 112a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1955) is 100°F, on August 5, 1961; the lowest is −46°F, on February 4, 1989.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1964, with 22.56 in; the snowiest season is 1963–64, with 111.1 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00247964; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00247964. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Sula?
Over a year 76% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Sula, 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (85%) and December the cloudiest (65%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 70% | 1.7 |
| February | 73% | 2.8 |
| March | 73% | 4.0 |
| April | 70% | 5.1 |
| May | 70% | 5.9 |
| June | 76% | 6.8 |
| July | 85% | 7.3 |
| August | 84% | 6.2 |
| September | 80% | 4.7 |
| October | 73% | 3.0 |
| November | 68% | 1.9 |
| December | 65% | 1.4 |
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 Sula need?
A normal year in Sula brings 8,423 heating degree days, 57% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 51 cooling degree days, 94% fewer than the median (908). Nine months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,144 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,283 | 0 |
| February | 1,071 | 0 |
| March | 929 | 0 |
| April | 719 | 0 |
| May | 508 | 0 |
| June | 281 | 3 |
| July | 112 | 33 |
| August | 145 | 14 |
| September | 346 | 1 |
| October | 698 | 0 |
| November | 1,008 | 0 |
| December | 1,325 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,423 | 51 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00247964. 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 Sula's climate compare?
Sula is warmer than 30 of the other 140 places with their own NOAA record in Montana, and wetter than 94. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 42.0°F is warmer than 9%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Sula 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.
What do Sula's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Sula. This page uses Sula (3 mi ENE); the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sula (14 mi NE) USC00247967 | 10 mi NE | 5,155 ft | 39.3°F | 10°F | 81°F | 20.8 | 88 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Sula's climate
What is the coldest month in Sula?
December, with a normal high of 33°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 43°F at night).
Does it snow in Sula?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Sula's NOAA station; Sula's own co-op station Sula (14 mi NE) records 88 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Sula?
June, with 2.73 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.72 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Sula in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Sula in zone 5b in ZIP code 59827, the nearest ZIP area.
Nearby and next
- Montana climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Darby, MT17 miles from this station, 44.6°F a year
- Gibbonsville #2, ID21 miles from this station, 42.2°F a year
- Wisdom, MT28 miles from this station, 35.2°F a year
- Hamilton, MT30 miles from this station, 44.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made