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United States › Montana › Richland County › Climate Station SIDNEY, MT US Distance 19.7 mi Normals 1991–2020

30-year climate normals

Richland County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

86.6°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of 6.5°F.

Richland County gets 15.5" of precipitation a year and 30.4" of snow, and 51% 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.

20° 40° 60° 80° JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
MonthAvg highAvg low PrecipSnow
January 27.2° 6.5° 0.45" 7.0"
February 32.0° 10.6° 0.37" 5.6"
March 45.8° 21.0° 0.58" 3.0"
April 60.5° 31.8° 1.17" 1.7"
May 71.3° 42.7° 2.40" 0.7"
June 79.1° 52.3° 2.78" 0.0"
July 86.6° 57.3° 2.65" 0.0"
August 86.4° 55.1° 1.30" 0.0"
September 75.8° 45.5° 1.62" 0.0"
October 59.4° 33.6° 1.08" 1.5"
November 41.9° 21.2° 0.59" 3.0"
December 30.6° 10.7° 0.51" 7.9"

Rainfall by month

Richland County has a distinct wet season. 51% of the year's precipitation arrives in May, Jun, Jul.

January 0.45"
February 0.37"
March 0.58"
April 1.17"
May 2.40"
June 2.78"
July 2.65"
August 1.30"
September 1.62"
October 1.08"
November 0.59"
December 0.51"
Annual total 15.5"

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 593
Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 7,770
Approximate annual cooling cost At 14.67¢/kWh, Montana average $87
Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $399

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 Richland County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Richland County?

Richland County averages a high of 86.6°F in July and a low of 6.5°F in January. Annual precipitation is 15.5 inches, including 30.4 inches of snow.

When is the rainy season in Richland County?

The wettest stretch is May, Jun, Jul, which accounts for 51% 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 Richland County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 86.6°F. That drives 593 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Richland County?

Yes. Richland County averages 30.4 inches of snow a year.

Sources

  • Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station SIDNEY, MT US (USC00247560), 19.7 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.