Climate · Circle

Circle, MT climate

Circle has cold winters and warm summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 4°.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
86°
92nd hottest of 497 Montana towns
January low
4°
42nd coldest of 497 Montana towns
Rain + melted snow
14 in
185th driest of 497 Montana towns
A normal year

What a year in Circle feels like

Winter

29° / 7°
Typical high / low · Snow is rare

Spring

56° / 29°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 17

Summer

83° / 52°
Typical high / low · 32 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

57° / 30°
Typical high / low · First frost around Sep 22
Best months to be outsideJunSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Circle weather by month

Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.

MonthHighLowRain + melt30-yr range
January26°4°0.3" 2° – 30°
February31°8°0.3" -3° – 32°
March45°19°0.4" 15° – 43°
April57°29°1.2" 38° – 48°
May68°39°2.6" 49° – 60°
June77°49°2.6" 58° – 68°
July86°54°2.1" 61° – 77°
August85°53°1.3" 63° – 75°
September73°43°1.3" 52° – 65°
October58°30°1.0" 36° – 50°
November41°18°0.4" 18° – 40°
December30°8°0.4" 6° – 28°
Year56°30°13.8"

“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.

Rain & snow

Rain and snow in Circle

Circle gets 14 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and January the driest.

14 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 95% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
2.6"

Snowfall by month

No snow records from a nearby station.
Frost & the growing season

About 126 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 17 and the first one by September 22. That leaves about 126 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 96% of U.S. towns.

183
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
30
nights below 0° in a normal year
32
days that reach 90° in a normal year

Freezing nights by month

Average nights at or below 32°

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Circle

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Circle, 93% of that work is heating and 7% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

93%heating
7,832 heating degree daysMore heating than 84% of U.S. towns
601 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 69% of U.S. towns

Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.

Compared with other towns

How Circle compares

Summer heat86° July high
Hotter than 57% of U.S. towns92nd hottest of 497 Montana towns
Winter cold4° January low
Colder than 91% of U.S. towns42nd coldest of 497 Montana towns
Precipitation14" a year
Drier than 95% of U.S. towns185th driest of 497 Montana towns
Growing season126 frost-free days
Shorter than 96% of U.S. towns186th longest of 490 Montana towns

Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

+1.3°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Circle averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.7°). The shift is larger than in 54% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+2.6° now 18°, was 15°
🌷 Spring+1.2° now 43°, was 42°
☀️ Summer+0.7° now 67°, was 67°
🍂 Fall+0.6° now 44°, was 43°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Circle’s spot on NOAA’s grid

Year to year

How much a month can swing

A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. February swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from -3° to 32°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Circle’s climate

What is the coldest month in Circle?

January, with a typical high of 26° and a low of 4°.

What is the hottest month in Circle?

July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 54°. About 32 days a year reach 90°.

When is the first frost in Circle?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 22, and the last spring frost by May 17.

What is the rainiest month in Circle?

June, with 2.6 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 14 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Circle itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Circle, MT (1 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.

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