Charlo, Montana Weather
Summer heat breaks with monsoon. Day 43 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Charlo weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayAug 2Clear——74°59°—
- MondayAug 3Overcast——74°53°0°
- TuesdayAug 4Overcast——81°50°+7°
- WednesdayAug 5Overcast——89°53°+8°
- ThursdayAug 6Clear——98°58°+9°
- FridayAug 7Overcast——100°63°+2°
- SaturdayAug 8Clear——93°61°-7°
AQI 55 (Moderate), driven by Ozone. AQI down 5 over the last 6 hours (gradual decline). Ozone at AQI 36 now. With UV 4.7 peaking around 1 PM under clear skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 22.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 36 now. With UV 4.7 peaking around 1 PM under clear skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 22.
- Present
- AQI 36
- UV peak
- 4.7 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- clear
- Projected peak
- AQI 22
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).








































Red sky at night, sailor's delight.
- Moonrise
- 10:23 PM
- Moonset
- 10:48 AM
- In sign
- ♓︎ Pisces
Summer heat breaks with monsoon
Charlo at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 10°F above the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: May 31 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Aug 1–5
- Planting window: Sow fall peas. Start kale and collard seedlings for fall.
ZIP code: 59824
16-Day Forecast — Charlo
- Sun74°59°1%
- Mon74°53°6%
- Tue81°50°0%
- Wed89°53°0%
- Thu98°58°0%
- Fri100°63°0%
- Sat93°61°0%
- Sun93°58°2%
- Mon92°57°5%
- Tue88°51°8%
- Wed88°53°8%
- Thu81°55°3%
- Fri86°53°13%
- Sat92°58°13%
- Sun94°60°12%
- Mon90°60°14%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of August 2, the growing season is at its peak — frost is months away. Continue succession-planting beans and summer squash. Start fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) from seed indoors for transplanting in late summer.
Sun & seasons in Charlo
Charlo sits in Lake County, where the year’s longest day runs 15h 58m of daylight and its shortest just 8h 27m — a swing of +7h 31m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Billings, the state’s largest city, lies about 290 miles to the ESE. The nearest town Charlo tracks is Bull Lake, roughly 95 miles to the NW.
Air quality in Charlo’s county has trended dirtier since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2020 (median AQI 7). See the full air-quality history for Charlo.
Microseason · August 1–5
Summer heat breaks with monsoon
Late summer monsoon surge; southern reaches drench under Gulf moisture; northern peaks cool rapidly as monsoon remnants push north.
Day 214 of 365 · Wedge 43 of 72
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | — | — |
| April | — | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | — | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | — | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
Charlo peaks at about 69°F in July and bottoms near 30°F in December; June brings the heaviest rain (2.6 inches) and December the least (0.9 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 0.9″ | 3 |
| February | 31° | 1.1″ | 3 |
| March | 39° | 0.9″ | 3 |
| April | 47° | 1.8″ | 4 |
| May | 55° | 2.3″ | 7 |
| June | 61° | 2.6″ | 7 |
| July | 69° | 1.0″ | 3 |
| August | 68° | 1.2″ | 3 |
| September | 59° | 1.5″ | 3 |
| October | 47° | 1.3″ | 4 |
| November | 36° | 1.1″ | 3 |
| December | 30° | 0.9″ | 3 |
Regional context
By the nearest station's NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals, Charlo sees 30°F Januarys and 69°F Julys, a 39°F range, plus around 16.7 inches of precipitation across 46 days.
Summer convection drives Charlo's precipitation: June logs 2.6 inches on 6.8 rainy days, against December's 0.9 inches on 2.6 — warm-season storms carry Charlo's moisture. That puts Charlo in a summer-convective cohort with places like Kicking Horse, MT, Ronan, MT and St. Ignatius, MT.
Charlo's growing window opens around late-May, once Charlo's overnight lows stop freezing — sow kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips. In Charlo, warm-season transplants — tomatoes, peppers, basil — wait two weeks past Charlo's frost date. Charlo's window closes around early-October as overnight lows return below freezing. In Charlo, low spots run 4-7°F colder than nearby slopes, nudging Charlo's frost dates a week.
Similar climates: Kicking Horse, MT, Ronan, MT, St. Ignatius, MT, Old Agency, MT, Ravalli, MT.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Charlo?
- Frost typically leaves Charlo by mid-May and returns to Charlo near mid-October.
- What is the rainy season in Charlo?
- Rainfall in Charlo peaks in June near 2.6 inches, out of about 17 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in Charlo?
- The warmest stretch in Charlo comes in July, around 69°F on average.
- What is the coldest month in Charlo?
- On average December is the chilliest month in Charlo, about 30°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Charlo?
- Frost-hardy sowings begin at mid-May in Charlo; warm-season starts follow two weeks on.
- How many rainy days does Charlo get?
- Charlo averages about 46 days with measurable rain or snow each year.
- What hardiness zone is Charlo?
- Charlo's hardiness zone tracks its winter low; with December near 30°F, check the USDA ZIP map for the exact zone.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Charlo?
- Charlo's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Charlo?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Charlo in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Charlo?
- Current conditions for Charlo and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Charlo forecast updated?
- The Charlo forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Charlo?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Charlo are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Charlo?
- The next few days in Charlo's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Climate
Charlo's cold semi-arid climate in Montana pairs 30°F Januarys with 69°F Julys, 39°F apart across the seasons.
Charlo sees close to 17 inches of precipitation annually, falling across some 46 wet days.
The 39°F gap between Charlo's summer and winter, at 47.4°N, shapes Charlo's frost calendar.
ZIP codes in Charlo
- 59824