Thompson Falls Powerhouse, MT Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Thompson Falls Powerhouse's primary NOAA station, THOMPSON FALLS PH.
The climate verdict for Thompson Falls Powerhouse
Thompson Falls Powerhouse, Montana has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 48°F. Its climate comfort score of 64/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 49% of station-mapped location scores.
- 48°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 64/100
- comfort score, above 49% of station-mapped location scores
- 22.1"
- annual precipitation · 15" snow
- 150 days
- frost-free growing season
Thompson Falls Powerhouse: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00248211 · Thompson Falls Powerhouse, MT 48°F mean · 22.1" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 48°F
- RANK-COOL #2,058
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Ellensburg
- PRCP-DRY 22.1"
- SWING-MID 41°F
- COMF-MID 64/100
- LOAD-HEAT 6,671 HDD
- STN-1 USC00248211
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Ellensburg, WA (+ 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.
- Thompson Falls… (this station) 48°F
- Cold Mcdermitt, NV 48°F
- Hot Superior, MT 48°F
- Near Ellensburg, WA 48°F
- Near Dubois Jefferso…, PA 48°F
Thompson Falls Powerhouse 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 · Thompson Falls Powerhouse
Thompson Falls Powerhouse: 41/100 · grade D
Thompson Falls Powerhouse publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Thompson Falls Powerhouse, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 64/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 22.1 in · 12.9 from 35 in | 55/100 · C |
| Snowfall burden | 15.3 inches/year | 55/100 · C |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 150 calendar days | 46/100 · D |
| Annual temperature balance | 47.7°F · 19.8° from 67.5°F | 30/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 150 days/year | 25/100 · F |
Thompson Falls Powerhouse · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Thompson Falls Powerhouse is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 28.7°F and warmest-month mean 69.5°F place this station in continental, no dry season, warm summer climates (Dfb). Class Dfb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfb
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 69.5°F
- Coldest month
- 28.7°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 Thompson Falls Powerhouse sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Thompson Falls Powerhouse's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 70%
- Among 6,861 stations, Thompson Falls Powerhouse sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- 31st percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 39th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Thompson Falls Powerhouse compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Thompson Falls Powerhouse's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
64 49th percentile score exceeds 49% 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%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). This entry sits in this band.
- 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
Thompson Falls Powerhouse's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 48 complete annual observations from 1957 to 2025, THOMPSON FALLS PH warmed at a fitted rate of 0.23°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Thompson Falls Powerhouse primary station fitted change +0.24 °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 | 34°F (1°C) | 24°F (-4°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 2.3" | 2.5" | 27.8 | 0.0 |
| February | 40°F (4°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 1.9" | 0.6" | 24.9 | 0.0 |
| March | 49°F (10°C) | 29°F (-1°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 2.0" | 1.2" | 21.6 | 0.0 |
| April | 58°F (15°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 1.6" | 0.3" | 11.6 | 0.0 |
| May | 68°F (20°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 2.1" | 0.0" | 2.8 | 1.1 |
| June | 75°F (24°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 2.2" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 3.2 |
| July | 86°F (30°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 0.9" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 15.4 |
| August | 86°F (30°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 69°F (20°C) | 0.9" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 15.2 |
| September | 75°F (24°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 1.0" | 0.0" | 0.9 | 3.7 |
| October | 58°F (14°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 2.2" | 0.7" | 10.1 | 0.0 |
| November | 41°F (5°C) | 29°F (-1°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 2.6" | 2.5" | 19.9 | 0.0 |
| December | 33°F (0°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 2.3" | 7.5" | 27.9 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 90°F around July 28, short of 90°F on every date, while 150 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 24°F near December 28.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 30, then returns to freezing around November 2, covering 150 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 January 7, when 57% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is August 5 at 16%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 159 wet dates a year.
The widest day
August 1 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 36°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Thompson Falls Powerhouse.
Where Thompson Falls Powerhouse Stands Nationally
Daily temperature swings run wider than most of the country, peaking near 36°F between the normal high and low.
Thompson Falls Powerhouse earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 2.5"
17.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.6"
14.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.2"
16.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.3"
15.4 days with precipitation
13.9 days with precipitation
13.0 days with precipitation
6.7 days with precipitation
5.3 days with precipitation
7.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.7"
13.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.5"
16.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 7.5"
17.1 days with precipitation
Thompson Falls Powerhouse spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 18% of the annual total and December through February 30%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Thompson Falls Powerhouse has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 40.8°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: November averages 2.6" and July 0.9". The three wettest months together take 33% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
Rain reaches Thompson Falls Powerhouse in small, frequent amounts
Thompson Falls Powerhouse records about 158 days with measurable precipitation a year and 22.1" in total, which works out to roughly 0.14 inches on an average wet day. Precipitation on 43% of all days, arriving that lightly, is the damp many-grey-days pattern rather than the storm-driven one.
Places in this band read as wetter than their annual totals suggest, because what people notice is the number of overcast days, not the depth in the gauge.
- Most wet days: January, about 18 of them.
- Fewest: August, about 5.
- Average depth per wet day: 0.14 inches.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Thompson Falls Powerhouse
Thompson Falls Powerhouse averages 15.3 inches of snowfall a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 11 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: 15.3 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 11 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 7% 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
October 4
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 7
50% probability date
Growing Season
150 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
6,671
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
391
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside MT closest to Thompson Falls Powerhouse 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 (48°F here).
- Batavia, NY 48°F · 0.0°F off
- Belchertown, MA 48°F · 0.0°F off
- Briggsdale, CO 48°F · 0.0°F off
- Canby, CA 48°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (22.1" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Atwood, KS 22.1" · 0.0" off
- Wellington, TX 22.1" · 0.0" off
- Red River, NM 22.0" · 0.0" off
- Hoxie, KS 22.0" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Thompson Falls Powerhouse
heating led · moderate · mid swing
Thompson Falls Powerhouse's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 6,671 annual heating degree days against 391 for cooling. Its 40.8°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Thompson Falls Powerhouse's frost-free season lasts about 150 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Thompson Falls Powerhouse coldest normal
December
The monthly mean of 29°F (-2°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Thompson Falls Powerhouse typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Thompson Falls Powerhouse snow peak
December
Thompson Falls Powerhouse averages 15.3 inches of snow a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Thompson Falls Powerhouse's climate
How much snow does Thompson Falls Powerhouse get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Thompson Falls Powerhouse get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Thompson Falls Powerhouse? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Thompson Falls Powerhouse's primary station: THOMPSON FALLS PH (USC00248211). 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 Thompson Falls Powerhouse; 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 Thompson Falls Powerhouse 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.