Climateby Month

Whitefish, MT climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 3,035 ft elevation

Summers in Whitefish are warm; winters are cold and snowy. Highs peak at 82°F in July and fall to 31°F in January. The wettest month is December (about 14 wet days) and the driest is August (about 6). Normal snowfall is about 63 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is May and June.

Warmest month
82°F
July normal high
Coldest month
16°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
132
16.8 in of precipitation
Snow a year
63.1 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Whitefish?

Normal highs range from 31°F in January to 82°F in July.

0°20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 31°F (-1°C), low 16°F (-9°C) 31° 16° February: normal high 36°F (2°C), low 18°F (-8°C) March: normal high 45°F (7°C), low 24°F (-4°C) April: normal high 55°F (13°C), low 31°F (-1°C) May: normal high 65°F (18°C), low 38°F (3°C) June: normal high 71°F (22°C), low 44°F (7°C) July: normal high 82°F (28°C), low 48°F (9°C) 82° 48° August: normal high 82°F (28°C), low 46°F (8°C) September: normal high 70°F (21°C), low 38°F (3°C) October: normal high 54°F (12°C), low 29°F (-2°C) November: normal high 39°F (4°C), low 24°F (-4°C) December: normal high 31°F (-1°C), low 17°F (-8°C) JFMAMJJASOND

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

How rainy is Whitefish?

December has the most wet days (about 14); the year brings about 17 in of precipitation.

January: 14 wet days February: 11 wet days March: 12 wet days April: 11 wet days May: 12 wet days June: 13 wet days July: 7 wet days August: 6 wet days 6 September: 8 wet days October: 11 wet days November: 12 wet days December: 14 wet days 14 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 63.1 in a year, most of it in December.

January: 16.5 in of snow February: 7.0 in of snow March: 8.0 in of snow April: 1.6 in of snow May: 0.1 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: 0.4 in of snow November: 8.3 in of snow December: 21.2 in of snow 21.2 JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Whitefish?

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 Glacier Park International Airport, 8.1 mi SSE of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 8.4 hours in December to 16.0 hours in June.

January: 8.8 hours of daylight February: 10.2 hours of daylight March: 11.9 hours of daylight April: 13.7 hours of daylight May: 15.2 hours of daylight June: 16.0 hours of daylight 16.0 July: 15.6 hours of daylight August: 14.3 hours of daylight September: 12.6 hours of daylight October: 10.8 hours of daylight November: 9.2 hours of daylight December: 8.4 hours of daylight 8.4 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Whitefish, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 31°F16°F 1.4 in14 16.5 in 0 8.8 h
February 36°F18°F 1.0 in11 7.0 in 0 10.2 h
March 45°F24°F 1.1 in12 8.0 in 0 11.9 h
April 55°F31°F 1.3 in11 1.6 in 0 13.7 h
May 65°F38°F 1.8 in12 0.1 in 0 15.2 h
June 71°F44°F 2.8 in13 0.0 in 0 16.0 h
July 82°F48°F 1.1 in7 0.0 in 0 15.6 h
August 82°F46°F 0.8 in6 0.0 in 0 14.3 h
September 70°F38°F 1.2 in8 0.0 in 0 12.6 h
October 54°F29°F 1.4 in11 0.4 in 0 10.8 h
November 39°F24°F 1.4 in12 8.3 in 0 9.2 h
December 31°F17°F 1.5 in14 21.2 in 0 8.4 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 Whitefish

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 240526
Feb 310419
Mar 45148
Apr 59551
May 731460
Jun 761771
Jul 671136
Aug 661126
Sep 721641
Oct 50552
Nov 320515
Dec 240527

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 Whitefish

The last spring frost typically comes around May 16, and the first fall frost around Sep 25, leaving 129 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Whitefish
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)May 16after Jun 6
First fall frost (32°F)Sep 25before Sep 8
Last hard freeze (28°F)May 1after May 14
First hard freeze (28°F)Oct 7before Sep 24
Frost-free season129 daysunder 101 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: Whitefish (USC00248902), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Montana.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 102°F (June 28, 2015); the lowest was -29°F (January 5, 2004).

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

Near Whitefish

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snow depth and humidity and wind by hour: Kalispell Glacier Airport (USC00244558), 8.1 mi SSE of the city center, 2,957 ft (78 ft lower than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Snowfall and frost dates: Whitefish (USC00248902), 1.0 mi WSW of the city center, 3,100 ft (65 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Glacier Park International Airport (727790-24146), 8.1 mi SSE of the city center, 2,963 ft (72 ft lower than the city). 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