Climate & Weather in Missoula
Missoula has a real, genuine humid continental climate with large seasonal temperature contrasts -- short, warm, dry summers (July daytime highs around 83.6°F) and cold winters (January overnight lows around 16.2°F, roughly 40 inches of annual snowfall) -- shielded somewhat from the severe arctic cold that reaches eastern Montana, but genuinely subject to wildfire-smoke episodes during fire season.
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Learn moreShort, Warm, Dry Summers
July, Missoula's warmest month, is cited with an average daytime high around 83.6°F, described across sources reviewed this pass as short, warm, dry, and mostly clear -- though this record's disclosed wildfire-smoke findings (see the flood-hurricane-risk topic page) mean 'mostly clear' does not hold consistently during active fire-season smoke episodes, which this record confirms as CURRENT and ACTIVE through August 2026.
Cold Winters, Genuinely Moderated by the Continental Divide
January, the coldest month, is cited with an average overnight low around 16.2°F, with approximately 40 inches of annual snowfall. Real, genuine winter conditions, though sources reviewed this pass specifically noted that the Continental Divide shields the Missoula area from much of the severely cold arctic air that moves down from Canada -- many cold waves that slam into eastern Montana miss Missoula entirely.
A Wide Annual Temperature Range
Missoula's temperature typically varies from approximately 18°F to 87°F over the course of a year, and is rarely below 2°F or above 96°F -- a real, genuine humid-continental-climate range with four distinct seasons.
Wildfire Smoke Is a Real, Recurring Warm-Season Climate Factor
As detailed fully on the flood-hurricane-risk topic page, Missoula's valley setting traps wildfire smoke during fire season (typically summer into early fall) in a documented inversion pattern, producing real, cited air-quality episodes that can reach 'Unhealthy for Everyone' levels in a given year -- this record confirms this as an active, current condition as of August 2026 specifically, not merely a historical pattern.
Key takeaways
- Missoula's July average daytime high runs around 83.6°F, in a short, warm, dry summer season.
- Missoula's January average overnight low runs around 16.2°F, with approximately 40 inches of annual snowfall -- winters genuinely moderated by the Continental Divide's shielding effect.
- Annual temperatures typically range from approximately 18°F to 87°F, with four genuinely distinct seasons.
- Wildfire smoke is a real, recurring warm-season factor this record confirms as currently active through August 2026 -- see the flood-hurricane-risk topic page for full detail.
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