Climateby Month

Missoula, MT climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 3,208 ft elevation

Summers in Missoula are warm; winters are cold and snowy. Highs peak at 85°F in July and fall to 31°F in December. The wettest month is December (about 13 wet days) and the driest is July (about 6). Normal snowfall is about 43 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is May and June.

Warmest month
85°F
July normal high
Coldest month
18°F
December normal low
Wet days a year
124
14.1 in of precipitation
Snow a year
43.0 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Missoula?

Normal highs range from 31°F in December to 85°F in July.

0°20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 32°F (0°C), low 18°F (-8°C) February: normal high 37°F (3°C), low 21°F (-6°C) March: normal high 48°F (9°C), low 27°F (-3°C) April: normal high 56°F (13°C), low 32°F (0°C) May: normal high 66°F (19°C), low 40°F (4°C) June: normal high 73°F (23°C), low 46°F (8°C) July: normal high 85°F (29°C), low 52°F (11°C) 85° 52° August: normal high 84°F (29°C), low 50°F (10°C) September: normal high 73°F (23°C), low 42°F (6°C) October: normal high 56°F (13°C), low 32°F (0°C) November: normal high 40°F (4°C), low 25°F (-4°C) December: normal high 31°F (-1°C), low 18°F (-8°C) 31° 18° JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is Missoula?

December has the most wet days (about 13); the year brings about 14 in of precipitation.

January: 13 wet days February: 11 wet days March: 11 wet days April: 11 wet days May: 12 wet days June: 13 wet days July: 6 wet days 6 August: 6 wet days September: 7 wet days October: 10 wet days November: 11 wet days December: 13 wet days 13 JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How much does it snow?

Normal snowfall is 43.0 in a year, most of it in December.

January: 9.9 in of snow February: 8.5 in of snow March: 5.0 in of snow April: 1.3 in of snow May: 0.3 in of snow June: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.1 in of snow October: 0.9 in of snow November: 5.4 in of snow December: 11.6 in of snow 11.6 JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Missoula?

Muggy days (dew point 65°F or higher) are rare in any month.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 0 muggy days June: 0 muggy days July: 0 muggy days August: 0 muggy days September: 0 muggy days October: 0 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Missoula International Airport, 5.8 mi NW of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 8.6 hours in December to 15.8 hours in June.

January: 9.0 hours of daylight February: 10.3 hours of daylight March: 11.9 hours of daylight April: 13.6 hours of daylight May: 15.1 hours of daylight June: 15.8 hours of daylight 15.8 July: 15.4 hours of daylight August: 14.2 hours of daylight September: 12.6 hours of daylight October: 10.9 hours of daylight November: 9.4 hours of daylight December: 8.6 hours of daylight 8.6 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Missoula, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 32°F18°F 1.0 in13 9.9 in 0 9.0 h
February 37°F21°F 0.9 in11 8.5 in 0 10.3 h
March 48°F27°F 0.9 in11 5.0 in 0 11.9 h
April 56°F32°F 1.4 in11 1.3 in 0 13.6 h
May 66°F40°F 1.8 in12 0.3 in 0 15.1 h
June 73°F46°F 2.1 in13 0.0 in 0 15.8 h
July 85°F52°F 0.8 in6 0.0 in 0 15.4 h
August 84°F50°F 0.8 in6 0.0 in 0 14.2 h
September 73°F42°F 1.0 in7 0.1 in 0 12.6 h
October 56°F32°F 1.2 in10 0.9 in 0 10.9 h
November 40°F25°F 1.2 in11 5.4 in 0 9.4 h
December 31°F18°F 1.1 in13 11.6 in 0 8.6 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit Missoula

By our comfort score, the best months are May and June.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 260325
Feb 330318
Mar 48136
Apr 61641
May 741450
Jun 741562
Jul 597312
Aug 587311
Sep 701431
Oct 53642
Nov 340414
Dec 250426

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in Missoula

The last spring frost typically comes around May 10, and the first fall frost around Oct 1, leaving 143 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Missoula
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)May 10after May 28
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 1before Sep 16
Last hard freeze (28°F)Apr 28after May 11
First hard freeze (28°F)Oct 12before Sep 28
Frost-free season143 daysunder 120 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Missoula 2 Ne (USC00245735), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Montana.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 107°F (July 6, 2007); the lowest was -27°F (February 2, 1996).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near Missoula

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall, snow depth and humidity and wind by hour: Missoula Intl Airport (USW00024153), 5.7 mi NW of the city center, 3,192 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Frost dates: Missoula 2 Ne (USC00245735), 2.2 mi NE of the city center, 3,420 ft (212 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Missoula International Airport (727730-24153), 5.8 mi NW of the city center, 3,195 ft . Hourly observations, 1991-2020.
  • Not available for this location: cloud cover (no station close enough or similar enough in elevation).

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error