Climate · Saco

Saco, MT climate

Saco has cold winters and warm summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 4°.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
85°
134th hottest of 497 Montana towns
January low
4°
37th coldest of 497 Montana towns
Rain + melted snow
13 in
151st driest of 497 Montana towns
A normal year

What a year in Saco feels like

Winter

28° / 6°
Typical high / low · Snow is rare

Spring

56° / 30°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 15

Summer

82° / 53°
Typical high / low · 19 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

57° / 31°
Typical high / low · First frost around Sep 23
Best months to be outsideMayJunSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Saco weather by month

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

MonthHighLowRain + melt30-yr range
January25°4°0.4" 1° – 29°
February30°8°0.3" -5° – 33°
March43°19°0.5" 12° – 40°
April58°31°1.1" 38° – 50°
May68°40°2.1" 49° – 61°
June76°50°3.1" 58° – 66°
July85°55°1.7" 62° – 77°
August84°54°1.2" 63° – 75°
September73°44°1.3" 53° – 65°
October57°31°1.0" 36° – 51°
November40°18°0.5" 17° – 40°
December28°8°0.4" 3° – 29°
Year56°30°13.4"

“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 Saco

Saco gets 13 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and February the driest.

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

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
3.1"

Snowfall by month

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

About 130 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 15 and the first one by September 23. That leaves about 130 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 95% of U.S. towns.

197
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
41
nights below 0° in a normal year
19
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 Saco

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Saco, 96% of that work is heating and 4% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

96%heating
8,701 heating degree daysMore heating than 92% of U.S. towns
349 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 88% 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 Saco compares

Summer heat85° July high
Hotter than 53% of U.S. towns134th hottest of 497 Montana towns
Winter cold4° January low
Colder than 92% of U.S. towns37th coldest of 497 Montana towns
Precipitation13" a year
Drier than 95% of U.S. towns151st driest of 497 Montana towns
Growing season130 frost-free days
Shorter than 95% of U.S. towns132nd 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

+1.5°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Saco averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.6°). The shift is larger than in 72% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+3.5° now 17°, was 14°
🌷 Spring+1.1° now 43°, was 42°
☀️ Summer+0.7° now 67°, was 67°
🍂 Fall+0.8° now 44°, was 43°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Saco’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 -5° to 33°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Saco’s climate

What is the coldest month in Saco?

January, with a typical high of 25° and a low of 4°.

What is the hottest month in Saco?

July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 55°. About 19 days a year reach 90°.

When is the first frost in Saco?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 23, and the last spring frost by May 15.

What is the rainiest month in Saco?

June, with 3.1 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 13 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Saco itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Saco 1 Nnw, 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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