Virginia City, MT Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Average temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, with a derived climate comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Virginia City's primary NOAA station, VIRGINIA CITY.
The climate verdict for Virginia City
Dryness leads the climate profile for Virginia City, Montana, with 15.7 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 44°F. At 34/100 (below average) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 2% of scores.
- 44°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 34/100
- comfort score, above 2% of station-mapped location scores
- 15.7"
- annual precipitation · 65" snow
- 106 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Virginia City: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00248597 · Virginia City, MT 44°F mean · 15.7" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 44°F
- RANK-COOL #1,029
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Fortine
- PRCP-DRY 15.7"
- SWING-MID 42°F
- COMF-LOW 34/100
- LOAD-HEAT 7,856 HDD
- STN-1 USC00248597
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Fortine, MT (+ 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.
- Virginia City (this station) 44°F
- Cold Republic, WA 44°F
- Hot Yellowpine, ID 44°F
- Near Fortine, MT 44°F
- Near Anaconda, MT 44°F
Virginia City 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 · Virginia City
Virginia City: 16/100 · grade F
Virginia City publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Virginia City, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 34/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 15.7 in · 19.4 from 35 in | 31/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 43.9°F · 23.6° from 67.5°F | 16/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 201 calendar days | 13/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 64.7 inches/year | 13/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 106 days/year | 1/100 · F |
Virginia City · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Virginia City is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 24.6°F and warmest-month mean 66.2°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
- 66.2°F
- Coldest month
- 24.6°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 Virginia City sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Virginia City's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 85%
- Among 6,861 stations, Virginia City sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 81%
- Virginia City's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 43rd percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Virginia City compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Virginia City's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
34 2nd percentile score exceeds 2% 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
Virginia City's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 85 complete annual observations from 1878 to 2025, VIRGINIA CITY warmed at a fitted rate of 0.04°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Virginia City primary station fitted change +0.04 °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 | 37°F (3°C) | 15°F (-9°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 0.7" | 11.2" | 30.3 | 0.0 |
| February | 39°F (4°C) | 15°F (-9°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 0.6" | 8.0" | 27.2 | 0.0 |
| March | 47°F (8°C) | 22°F (-5°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 0.9" | 6.6" | 28.4 | 0.0 |
| April | 54°F (12°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 1.8" | 10.7" | 22.6 | 0.0 |
| May | 64°F (18°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 2.4" | 4.3" | 10.0 | 0.0 |
| June | 73°F (23°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 2.7" | 0.2" | 1.6 | 0.6 |
| July | 83°F (28°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 1.3" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 3.7 |
| August | 81°F (27°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 1.1" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 1.8 |
| September | 71°F (22°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 1.2" | 0.2" | 3.4 | 0.1 |
| October | 58°F (14°C) | 31°F (0°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 1.4" | 3.6" | 16.8 | 0.0 |
| November | 44°F (7°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 0.8" | 7.7" | 27.3 | 0.0 |
| December | 35°F (2°C) | 14°F (-10°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 0.8" | 12.2" | 30.3 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 85°F around July 26, short of 90°F on every date, while 201 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 13°F near December 19.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into May 1, then returns to freezing around October 14, covering 201 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 1, when 41% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 22 at 18%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 93 wet dates a year.
The widest day
July 26 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 33°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Virginia City.
Where Virginia City Stands Nationally
Winters bite deep and often: the normal nightly low dips to freezing or below on around 201 nights a year, placing this among the most frost-prone tenth of ranked stations.
A drier-than-most normal water year — around 16 inches, below what four out of five ranked stations collect.
Virginia City 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: 11.2"
5.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 8.0"
5.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 6.6"
6.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 10.7"
9.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.3"
11.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.2"
11.7 days with precipitation
7.6 days with precipitation
8.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.2"
6.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.6"
6.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 7.7"
6.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 12.2"
6.8 days with precipitation
Virginia City spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 33% of the annual total and December through February 13%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Virginia City has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 41.6°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: June averages 2.7" and February 0.6". The three wettest months together take 44% 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.
Virginia City is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 93 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 25% of the calendar, and they carry 15.7" between them. At roughly 0.17 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 12 wet days; the driest is February at about 6.
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 Virginia City
Virginia City averages 64.7 inches of snowfall a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 33 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: 64.7 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 33 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 41% 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 18
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
June 4
50% probability date
Growing Season
106 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
7,856
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
183
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside MT closest to Virginia City 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 (44°F here).
- Bethel, ME 44°F · 0.0°F off
- Colton, NY 44°F · 0.0°F off
- Dayton, WY 44°F · 0.0°F off
- Del Norte, CO 44°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (15.7" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Watford City, ND 15.7" · 0.0" off
- Downey, ID 15.6" · 0.0" off
- Fox, AK 15.6" · 0.0" off
- Mancos, CO 15.7" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Virginia City
heating led · dry · mid swing
Virginia City's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 7,856 annual heating degree days against 183 for cooling. Its 41.6°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 106 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. Virginia City coldest normal
December
Averaging 25°F (-4°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Virginia City typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Virginia City snow peak
December
Virginia City averages 64.7 inches of snow a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Virginia City's climate
How much snow does Virginia City get? ▼
How cold does Virginia City get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Virginia City? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Virginia City's primary station: VIRGINIA CITY (USC00248597). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 3077125). Match rule for Virginia City: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Virginia City 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.