Missoula in Spring
In spring (March, April and May), Missoula sees average daytime highs around 53°F and overnight lows near 32°F, with 6.0 in of precipitation over about 34 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 40°F in early March to 66°F by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.
Spring is Missoula's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Missoula's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 53°F
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 32°F
- Precipitation
- 6.0 in
- 34 wet days
- Avg wind
- 4 mph
- Travel score
- 2.9
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Missoula in Spring
Over the season highs climb from about 40°F in early March to 66°F by late May.
A typical spring day in Missoula reaches about 53°F and drops to 32°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.
How spring really feels in Missoula
Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 65 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in spring is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Missoula 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.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32° / 17° | 1.8 | 10.8 | 11.1 | 8.8 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 36° / 19° | 1.6 | 9.9 | 9.3 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 44° / 25° | 1.7 | 11 | 7.3 | 11.6 | 0.8 |
| Apr | 53° / 31° | 2.1 | 11.4 | 4.3 | 13.3 | 2.8 |
| May | 62° / 39° | 2.2 | 11.1 | 0.7 | 14.8 | 5.2 |
| Jun | 71° / 46° | 2.2 | 10 | 0.3 | 15.6 | 6.5 |
| Jul | 82° / 53° | 0.7 | 4.6 | 0 | 15.3 | 7.1 |
| Aug | 82° / 52° | 0.8 | 3.9 | 0 | 14 | 7.3 |
| Sep | 70° / 44° | 1.2 | 5.8 | 0.1 | 12.4 | 7.4 |
| Oct | 55° / 33° | 1.7 | 8.6 | 2.1 | 10.6 | 3.7 |
| Nov | 40° / 24° | 2.0 | 10 | 7.8 | 9.2 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 31° / 16° | 2.0 | 10.4 | 10.6 | 8.4 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Spring
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time across spring.
Chance of precipitation in Spring
Missoula gets around 6.0 in of rain and snow over 34 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Spring
Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Spring
Winds average 4 mph across spring.
Sunrise & sunset in Spring
Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min in early March to 15 h 24 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Spring
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 5.3 kWh/m².
Is spring a good time to visit Missoula?
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.
spring is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Missoula.
What to pack for Missoula in Spring
From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In spring, Missoula sees daytime highs around 53°F and nights near 32°F. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 34 days see rain.
UV index in Missoula in Spring
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 Missoula peaks around July 15 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 2 | Low |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 5 | Moderate |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 7 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 6 | High |
| Sep | 5 | Moderate |
| Oct | 4 | Moderate |
| Nov | 1 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Air quality in Missoula in Spring
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where spring falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Missoula is worst in September — around 54 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 10.7× the cleanest month (January, 5 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 5 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 35 | 51 | 54 | 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Poor | Poor | Poor | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | Good |
| Feb | 5 | Good |
| Mar | 8 | Good |
| Apr | 10 | Good |
| May | 10 | Good |
| Jun | 8 | Good |
| Jul | 35 | Poor |
| Aug | 51 | Poor |
| Sep | 54 | Poor |
| Oct | 10 | Good |
| Nov | 6 | Good |
| Dec | 5 | Good |
Where is Missoula?
Missoula sits at 46.9°N, 114.0°W, 3,209 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Butte, 92 mi away.
Topography around Missoula
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Missoula.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Missoula has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,952 ft around an average of 3,406 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,833 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,139 ft.
The land around Missoula is covered by artificial surfaces (36%), grassland (35%) and trees (25%) within 2 miles, trees (58%) and grassland (33%) within 10 miles, and trees (69%) and grassland (26%) within 50 miles.
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
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 Missoula (46.8721°, -113.994°, elevation 3,209 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.