Montana ยท season guide
Sledding season in Missoula
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Missoula Intl. Airport weather station, about 8 miles from the middle of our Missoula hill list show November as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (5.4 inches). The normals are monthly averages, so they can't give a first-snow date. Some years come early, some late.
October snow is part of the record here: the normal for that month is 0.9 inches.
December is the snowiest month on average, at 11.6 inches.
Across a normal year the station records about 43 inches of snow. That puts Missoula at 56 of 98 metros on this site, ranked from snowiest down.
Once it arrives, it tends to stay: about 61 days a year have at least an inch of snow on the ground.
For comparison, Helena, the nearest metro on our list, averages 37.2 inches, less than here.
All 5 hills we list here come from local sources rather than the park or city.
Month by month
| Month | Average snowfall | Days with 1 inch or more of new snow | Days with 1 inch or more on the ground |
|---|---|---|---|
| October | 0.9 inches | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| November | 5.4 inches | 1.9 | 4.7 |
| December | 11.6 inches | 3.3 | 16.2 |
| January | 9.9 inches | 3.3 | 19.9 |
| February | 8.5 inches | 2.8 | 14.1 |
| March | 5 inches | 1.7 | 4.8 |
| April | 1.3 inches | 0.5 | 0.4 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00024153. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
None of the sources we used for Missoula mention lights on a sledding hill. Plan on daylight, and see our national lit hills list if you're travelling.
Local rules
We didn't find a city-wide sledding rule for Missoula in the sources we checked. Individual parks may post their own signs, and those win.
Short answers
When does it usually start snowing in Missoula?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Missoula Intl. Airport station, November is the first month averaging an inch of snow or more. The normals are monthly averages, not a date.
How much snow does Missoula get in a year?
About 43 inches a year at the Missoula Intl. Airport station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in Missoula?
None of the sources we used mention lights. Plan on daylight.
Updated