Where Are The Coldest Places In Montana?

If you've been thinking this 2024-2025 winter has been brutal, you're not imagining things. We've been hit with 10 polar vortexes this season—when we typically only get two or three. Mother Nature really cranked the A/C up to the max this year.

READ MORE: Montana Slammed With 10th Polar Vortex

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On top of that chilling fact, this winter feels even harsher because last year was the warmest winter ever recorded in the continental U.S. We're talking 130 years of weather data, and last winter was 5.4 degrees above the average. It's ok, you're allowed to say — whoa.

Of course, Montana is no stranger to cold, but not all parts of the state freeze equally. Some areas get hit harder than others, and the data proves it. You might notice a trend with the counties locations as well. Most of these counties are in the Northern regions and the Eastern areas. 

The further west you go in Montana, in the Bitterroot Valley, the milder it gets. This area has even been coined " The Banana Belt." Though it's not as tropical as the name implies, it certainly is not as bitter cold as the Eastern part of the state.

Thanks to Stacker and the National Centers for Environmental Information, we've got a breakdown of how Montana's winter temps stacked up— the long-term average from 1901 to 2000. Spoiler alert: It's been frigid.

#10 Deer Lodge County

• Historic Average 19.7 F

#9 McCone County

• Historic Average 14.8 F

#8 Richland County

• Historic Average 13.7 F

#6 Beaverhead County (TIE)

• Historic Average 18.8 F

#6 Liberty County (TIE)

• Historic Average 17.0 F

#5 Roosevelt County

• Historic Average 11.7 F

#4 Sheridan County

• Historic Average 10.0 F

#3 Valley County

• Historic Average 12.7 F

#2 Hill County

• Historic Average: 15.3 F

#1. Daniels County

• Historic Average: 10.2 F