Montana Weather 101: Essential Terms You Need to Know

Weather conditions in Montana can change rapidly. It can be sunny one minute and stormy the next. Before you can officially call yourself a resident, you need to brush up on your weather vocabulary.

For newcomers to the state, hearing some of the words used to describe weather conditions can be a bit confusing. Take "snow squall" for example. Just hearing the word sounds intimidating, but what does it actually mean?

Essential Weather Terms You Need to Know in Montana

Many people who move to Montana are caught off guard. Sure, it looks beautiful in travel magazines, but the reality of living in Big Sky Country is much different than what's portrayed in magazines, on TV, and in movies.

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Montana weather is wild and unpredictable. It can snow during the summer, and winters can be downright miserable.

Over the last several years, Montana has welcomed a surge of new residents, many of whom moved here from states where winter means a few inches of snow or a couple of chilly evenings. Those folks often find themselves stunned by just how intense and unpredictable Montana’s climate can be.

The state still holds the record for the coldest temperature ever logged in the continental U.S., A brutal –70°F at Rogers Pass in 1954. Severe storms have left their mark as well. Destructive tornadoes, legendary hailstorms, and powerful wind events that can topple trees or send trash cans flying into the next ZIP code.

Whether you’ve just arrived or just want to figure out what your local forecast is really trying to tell you, here are 10 Montana weather terms every resident should know.