30-year climate normals

Dawson County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

87.7°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of 9.2°F.

Dawson County gets 14.89" of precipitation a year and 22.6" of snow, and 48% of it falls in May, Jun, Jul.

Temperature through the year

Each bar spans the average daily low to the average daily high for that month.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Precip	Snow
January	29.0°	9.2°	0.42"	4.0"
February	33.8°	12.5°	0.36"	5.3"
March	46.2°	23.0°	0.52"	3.1"
April	58.9°	34.2°	1.50"	2.0"
May	69.1°	44.7°	2.57"	0.5"
June	78.5°	54.3°	2.40"	0.0"
July	87.7°	60.3°	2.20"	0.0"
August	87.2°	57.8°	1.53"	0.0"
September	76.3°	47.9°	1.43"	0.0"
October	59.5°	35.9°	1.09"	1.4"
November	43.5°	23.7°	0.46"	2.0"
December	32.0°	13.3°	0.41"	4.3"

Rainfall by month

Dawson County has a distinct wet season. 48% of the year's precipitation arrives in May, Jun, Jul.

January 0.42"

February 0.36"

March 0.52"

April 1.50"

May 2.57"

June 2.40"

July 2.20"

August 1.53"

September 1.43"

October 1.09"

November 0.46"

December 0.41"

Annual total 14.89"

What this climate costs you

Degree days measure how hard a building has to work to stay comfortable. They are the reason two identical houses have very different power bills, and they are the link between the weather here and what you pay every month.

Cooling degree days How much air conditioning the climate demands 751

Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 7,417

Approximate annual cooling cost At 14.67¢/kWh, Montana average $110

Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $381

These are rough planning figures from degree days and the state electricity price, not a bill estimate. House size, insulation and fuel type move them a lot. See the full cost of owning a home in Dawson County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Dawson County?

Dawson County averages a high of 87.7°F in July and a low of 9.2°F in January. Annual precipitation is 14.89 inches, including 22.6 inches of snow.

When is the rainy season in Dawson County?

The wettest stretch is May, Jun, Jul, which accounts for 48% of the year's precipitation. That is a pronounced wet season rather than rain spread evenly through the year.

How hot does it get in Dawson County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 87.7°F. That drives 751 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Dawson County?

Yes. Dawson County averages 22.6 inches of snow a year.

Sources

Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station GLENDIVE, MT US (USC00243581), 14 miles from the county centroid.
Heating and cooling degree days — NOAA, same station and period.
Electricity price — US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, Montana residential average.
Wet-season share is the wettest three consecutive months as a percentage of annual precipitation, calculated from the monthly normals.