Montana is a big state with considerable variation in geography, and so the climate is equally diverged. The state spans from ‘below’ the forty-fifth parallel (i.e. the halfway line between the equator and the north pole) to the forty-ninth parallel, and elevations range from under 2,000 feet to almost 13,000 feet above sea level. The western half is mountainous, interrupted by numerous large valleys.
Eastern Montana comprises plains and badlands, broken by hills and isolated mountain ranges, and has a semi-arid continental climate. The Continental Divide runs north-south through the western mountainous half, and has a large effect on the climate. It restricts the flow of warmer air from the Pacific from moving east, and cooler, drier continental moving west.
West of the divide the climate is described as modified northern Pacific coast climate, with milder winters, cooler summers, less wind, and a longer growing season. In the winter Valley fog and low clouds often form in the valleys west of the divide, but this is rarely seen in the east.
The state is marched by South Dakota to the N; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the south-east, across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwest; and Wyoming to the west. The state has 87 counties; it occupies the central portion of the Frontier Strip. Nebraska is split into 2 time zones.
The Central Time zone comprises the eastern half of the state, while the western half observes Mountain Time. Three rivers cross the state from west to east. The Platte River runs through the heart, the Niobrara River flows through the northern part of the state’s region, and the Republican River traverses through the southern part of the state.
The coldest temperature on record for Montana is the coldest temperature for the entire continental United States. On January 20, 1954 -70 °F was recorded at a gold mining camp near Rogers Pass. Temperatures vary greatly on such cold nights, and Helena, forty miles (64 km) to the SE had a low of only −36 °F (−37.8 °C). wintertime cold spells last a week or so. They are the result of cold continental air coming south from Canada.
The front is often distinct, doing a large temperature drop in a twenty-four hour period. Conversely, air flow from the southwest results in “Chinooks”. These steady 25-50mph (or more) winds can abruptly warm parts of Montana, particularly areas just to the east of the mountains, where temperatures sometimes come up to 50 – 60°F.
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