How bad are the winters really? (Great Falls, Bozeman: homes, high school, living)

[laidback24/7]

I am concidering taking a job in Helena. I have never been to Montana, but have always dreamed of living there.

I have been trying to convince my wife how great it would be to raise our kids in Montana but she doesn't think she could servive the winters. How bad are the winters really? I have heard that because of the dry climate in Helena, it doesn't feel as the temp makes it sound.

Any info on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

[TypicalCalifornian]

Laid-

Most of the internet weather sites will have a "feels like" temperature indicated as well as the actual temp. So for example this moment Helena is 38 but "feels like" 29 due to a 16 MPH wind. I believe they also figure in humidity which is germane to your point.

As Mark Twain, a midwesterner once commented "I've never felt a winter as cold as a San Francisco summer...", that can creates discomfort. The other variable is just being in the sun as opposed to shade or cloud cover. I think most will opine Helena has more sunny days than some other places.

Then again my first and lasting impression of Helena was my first visit where there was a landmark stating...coldest lower 48 states temp ever recorded , -54 in 19XX. That's cold no matter any other factor.

[flyfishmt]

I live in Helena. It is typically a little bit warmer than Bozeman. In winter, the daytime highs are typically in the high 20's to low 30's. About 3 or 4 times a year we get a cold spurt where highs are in the single digits. In the summer, it can be quite toasty, with temps in the high 90's. This past summer was particularly hot. Most homes do not have air conditioners. Feel free to email me for more info.

~Ryan

[laidback24/7]

Thanks for the input!
What can you tell me about Helena? Do you like it there and have you lived there all your life? How about the schools? I looked it up on the Great Schools website and saw that Capital High School rated 8 out of 10. The other high school did not rate nearly as well.

I was suprised to see in a different post that a couple of people said that people in Helena are a bit rude. Would you agree with that and why?

[coldinsheboygan]

You must consider the wind also. The wind is relentless in Montana due to open plains. This will make it feel colder. Even on a nice warm day if the wind is plowing it wears you down.

[AndersonRM]

Originally Posted by TypicalCalifornian

...coldest lower 48 states temp ever recorded , -54 in 19XX. That's cold no matter any other factor.

You are close but no cigar. The coldest temp ever recorded in the lower 48 was at Rogers Pass on Hwy 200 between Great Falls and Lincoln...-70F on January 20, 1954.

[Rickers]

Nobody lives up on Rogers pass but however people do live in Butte.
In 1916 Butte recorded a low temp of -52 deg F. That is freaking A cold !

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by rickers

Nobody lives up on Rogers pass but however people do live in Butte.
In 1916 Butte recorded a low temp of -52 deg F. That is freaking A cold !

Butte must hold the heat. Go up the hill to Elk Park, where it can freeze in July!

Where I lived on the flats near the Belgrade airport, January was typically 20 degrees colder than in Bozeman, which is saying plenty. Our daily HIGH was often -45F, and the nightly low was -65F or so. That's before wind chill!!

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by AndersonRM

You are close but no cigar. The coldest temp ever recorded in the lower 48 was at Rogers Pass on Hwy 200 between Great Falls and Lincoln...-70F on January 20, 1954.

The official low, anyway During the Great Winter of '68-69, one of the radio stations in Great Falls recorded a low of -72F. And here I was walking a mile to school at 5am every morning (I had morning shift at East Jr. High, the year they did double shifts) and thought nothing of it! Man, was I ever acclimated back then...!!

("We wanna chinook! We wanna chinook!! We wanna chinook!!!" Anyone else remember that?)

[Rickers]

Here in Hot Springs it rained all last night and it was about 40 deg. F. Now it's freezing the rain on the streets and starting to snow. Great, snow over ice, just what we needed !