Helena in Spring

In spring (March, April and May), Helena sees average daytime highs around 49°F and overnight lows near 28°F, with 7.0 in of precipitation over about 35 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the wettest season of the year.

Over the season highs climb from about 34°F in early March to 63°F by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

Spring is Helena's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Helena's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
49°F
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
28°F
Precipitation
7.0 in
35 wet days
Avg wind
5 mph
Travel score
1.9
3rd-best season
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in Helena in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 34°F in early March to 63°F by late May.

A typical spring day in Helena reaches about 49°F and drops to 28°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.

20°40°60°80°MarAprMay

How spring really feels in Helena

Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 75 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
75
17 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in spring is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Helena weather by month

How the three spring months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 12°0.977.68.80.0
Feb31° / 13°0.977.6100.0
Mar39° / 20°1.49.77.711.60.1
Apr48° / 28°2.411.97.213.31.7
May59° / 37°3.213.82.714.84.0
Jun67° / 44°3.813.50.615.65.7
Jul78° / 50°1.78.8015.27.2
Aug78° / 49°1.57.50.1147.4
Sep67° / 42°1.66.80.912.46.7
Oct52° / 32°1.58.33.810.72.9
Nov37° / 21°1.27.76.29.20.1
Dec27° / 12°1.17.37.88.40.0

Cloud cover in Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time across spring.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitationSnow

Helena gets around 7.0 in of rain and snow over 35 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%MarAprMay

Humidity in Spring

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Wind in Spring

Winds average 5 mph across spring.

0246810MarAprMay

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min in early March to 15 h 18 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMMarAprMay

Solar energy in Spring

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 5.5 kWh/m².

0246MarAprMay
Planning a trip in spring

Hazard calendar for Helena

In seasonPeak

In spring, Helena overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Helena's rainy season runs April–June, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is spring a good time to visit Helena?

Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

1.9
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

spring is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Helena.

What to pack for Helena in Spring

From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In spring, Helena sees daytime highs around 49°F and nights near 28°F. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat, rain gear and sun protection. About 35 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gearsun protection

UV index in Helena in Spring

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Helena peaks around July 15 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 15UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar5Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Helena in Spring

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where spring falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Helena is worst in August — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.1× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1225 µg/m³Dec 178 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun9Good
Jul23Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Helena?

Helena sits at 46.6°N, 112.0°W, 4,058 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Butte, 47 mi away.

Topography around Helena

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Helena.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Helena has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,588 ft around an average of 4,219 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,481 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,729 ft.

The land around Helena is covered by artificial surfaces (45%), trees (28%) and grassland (25%) within 2 miles, grassland (53%) and trees (31%) within 10 miles, and grassland (53%) and trees (42%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,588 ft
10 miles
3,481 ft
50 miles
6,729 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Spring weather nearby: Butte 47 mi · Great Falls 71 mi · Bozeman 79 mi · Missoula 94 mi · Kalispell 153 mi · Whitefish 165 mi · Billings 178 mi · Rexburg 191 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Helena (46.5927°, -112.0361°, elevation 4,058 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.