Climateby Month

West Yellowstone, MT climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 6,667 ft elevation

Summers in West Yellowstone are mild; winters are very cold and snowy. Highs peak at 79°F in July and fall to 23°F in December. The wettest month is December (about 15 wet days) and the driest is July (about 5). Normal snowfall is about 177 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is June, July and August.

Warmest month
79°F
July normal high
Coldest month
4°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
135
32.9 in of precipitation
Snow a year
177.2 in
normal snowfall

How warm is West Yellowstone?

Normal highs range from 23°F in December to 79°F in July.

0°20°40°60°80° January: normal high 23°F (-5°C), low 4°F (-16°C) 23° 4° February: normal high 28°F (-2°C), low 5°F (-15°C) March: normal high 38°F (3°C), low 14°F (-10°C) April: normal high 47°F (8°C), low 23°F (-5°C) May: normal high 58°F (14°C), low 32°F (0°C) June: normal high 68°F (20°C), low 39°F (4°C) July: normal high 79°F (26°C), low 45°F (7°C) 79° 45° August: normal high 78°F (26°C), low 43°F (6°C) September: normal high 68°F (20°C), low 37°F (3°C) October: normal high 51°F (11°C), low 28°F (-2°C) November: normal high 34°F (1°C), low 18°F (-8°C) December: normal high 23°F (-5°C), low 6°F (-14°C) JFMAMJJASOND

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

How rainy is West Yellowstone?

December has the most wet days (about 15); the year brings about 33 in of precipitation.

January: 15 wet days February: 13 wet days March: 14 wet days April: 13 wet days May: 13 wet days June: 11 wet days July: 5 wet days 5 August: 6 wet days September: 7 wet days October: 10 wet days November: 14 wet days December: 15 wet days 15 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 177.2 in a year, most of it in December.

January: 43.8 in of snow February: 33.7 in of snow March: 20.6 in of snow April: 7.7 in of snow May: 1.2 in of snow June: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.0 in of snow October: 4.1 in of snow November: 20.9 in of snow December: 45.2 in of snow 45.2 JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is West Yellowstone?

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 Yellowstone, 35 mi ESE of the city center (the nearest airport with complete hourly records).

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 8.9 hours in December to 15.5 hours in June.

January: 9.3 hours of daylight February: 10.4 hours of daylight March: 11.9 hours of daylight April: 13.5 hours of daylight May: 14.8 hours of daylight June: 15.5 hours of daylight 15.5 July: 15.2 hours of daylight August: 14.0 hours of daylight September: 12.5 hours of daylight October: 11.0 hours of daylight November: 9.6 hours of daylight December: 8.9 hours of daylight 8.9 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for West Yellowstone, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 23°F4°F 3.5 in15 43.8 in 0 9.3 h
February 28°F5°F 3.1 in13 33.7 in 0 10.4 h
March 38°F14°F 3.2 in14 20.6 in 0 11.9 h
April 47°F23°F 3.2 in13 7.7 in 0 13.5 h
May 58°F32°F 3.5 in13 1.2 in 0 14.8 h
June 68°F39°F 2.8 in11 0.0 in 0 15.5 h
July 79°F45°F 1.1 in5 0.0 in 0 15.2 h
August 78°F43°F 1.2 in6 0.0 in 0 14.0 h
September 68°F37°F 1.7 in7 0.0 in 0 12.5 h
October 51°F28°F 2.4 in10 4.1 in 0 11.0 h
November 34°F18°F 3.2 in14 20.9 in 0 9.6 h
December 23°F6°F 4.0 in15 45.2 in 0 8.9 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 West Yellowstone

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

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 1301531
Feb 1801327
Mar 2901419
Apr 411138
May 609131
Jun 7619110
Jul 771751
Aug 751861
Sep 721870
Oct 434106
Nov 2001423
Dec 1301531

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 West Yellowstone

The last spring frost typically comes around Jun 15, and the first fall frost around Sep 10, leaving 87 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for West Yellowstone
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Jun 15after Jul 7
First fall frost (32°F)Sep 10before Aug 25
Last hard freeze (28°F)May 24after Jun 16
First hard freeze (28°F)Sep 26before Sep 10
Frost-free season87 daysunder 59 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: Hebgen Dam (USC00244038), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Montana.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 96°F (July 13, 2002); the lowest was -42°F (February 2, 1996).

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

Near West Yellowstone

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, snowfall, snow depth and frost dates: Hebgen Dam (USC00244038), 18 mi NW of the city center, 6,489 ft (178 ft lower than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Rain: Whiskey Creek (USS0011E30S), 4.2 mi SSW of the city center, 6,800 ft (133 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Yellowstone (726664-94173), 35 mi ESE of the city center, 7,782 ft (1,115 ft higher than the city). Hourly observations, 1991-2020.
  • Not available for this location: humidity and wind by hour and cloud cover (no station close enough or similar enough in elevation).

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