Whitefish in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Whitefish sees average daytime highs around 28°F and overnight lows near 15°F, with 8.7 in of precipitation over about 41 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Whitefish's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Whitefish's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 28°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 15°F
- Precipitation
- 8.7 in
- 41 wet days
- Avg wind
- 3 mph
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Whitefish in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°F.
A typical winter day in Whitefish reaches about 28°F and drops to 15°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Whitefish
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 90 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Whitefish weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) 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 | 28° / 15° | 3.1 | 14.9 | 16.5 | 8.6 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 31° / 15° | 2.5 | 12.4 | 13.4 | 9.9 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 38° / 21° | 3.1 | 14.9 | 12.5 | 11.6 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 48° / 28° | 2.8 | 13.7 | 6.9 | 13.4 | 1.6 |
| May | 58° / 36° | 3.3 | 14 | 2.1 | 15 | 4.0 |
| Jun | 66° / 43° | 3.8 | 13 | 0.6 | 15.8 | 5.5 |
| Jul | 76° / 49° | 1.1 | 5.6 | 0 | 15.5 | 7.9 |
| Aug | 76° / 48° | 1.1 | 5.4 | 0 | 14.1 | 7.9 |
| Sep | 65° / 41° | 1.9 | 7.3 | 0.3 | 12.4 | 6.3 |
| Oct | 49° / 32° | 2.9 | 12.4 | 3.7 | 10.6 | 2.0 |
| Nov | 36° / 23° | 3.5 | 14.9 | 12.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 27° / 15° | 3.1 | 14 | 15.9 | 8.2 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Whitefish gets around 8.7 in of rain and snow over 41 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 3 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 8 h 24 min in early December to 10 h 36 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 1.5 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Whitefish?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Whitefish.
What to pack for Whitefish in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Whitefish sees daytime highs around 28°F and nights near 15°F. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 41 days see rain.
UV index in Whitefish in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Whitefish peaks around July 18 at about 8 (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 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Low | Moderate | High | High | High | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 2 | Low |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 5 | High |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 6 | High |
| Jul | 8 | Very high |
| Aug | 7 | High |
| Sep | 4 | Moderate |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 1 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Air quality in Whitefish in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Whitefish is worst in September — around 50 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 14.6× the cleanest month (December, 3 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) | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 45 | 50 | 8 | 6 | 3 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Good |
| Feb | 4 | Good |
| Mar | 6 | Good |
| Apr | 8 | Good |
| May | 10 | Good |
| Jun | 9 | Good |
| Jul | 13 | Moderate |
| Aug | 45 | Poor |
| Sep | 50 | Poor |
| Oct | 8 | Good |
| Nov | 6 | Good |
| Dec | 3 | Good |
Where is Whitefish?
Whitefish sits at 48.4°N, 114.3°W, 0 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Kalispell, 15 mi away.
Topography around Whitefish
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Whitefish.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Whitefish has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 472 ft around an average of 3,081 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,216 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,248 ft.
The land around Whitefish is covered by trees (39%) and grassland (34%) within 2 miles, trees (68%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (75%) 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 Whitefish (48.4111°, -114.3376°, elevation 0 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.