Geography and Climate
Bozeman is located at an altitude of 4,820 feet (1,468m). The Bridger Mountains are to the north-northeast, the Tobacco Root Mountains to the west-south-west, the Big Belt Mountains and Horseshoe Hills to the northwest, the Hyalite Peaks of the northern Gallatin Range to the south and the Spanish Peaks of the northern Madison Range to the south-southwest. Bozeman is east of the continental divide, and Interstate 90 passes through the city. It is 84 miles (135 km) east of Butte, 125 miles (201 km) west of Billings, and 93 miles (150 km) north of Yellowstone National Park.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.6 square miles (32.6 km²), all of it land.
Bozeman experiences a dry continental climate (Köppen Dfb). The climate in Bozeman and the surrounding area receives significantly higher rainfall than much of the central and eastern parts of the state, up to 24 inches (610 mm) of precipitation annually vs. the 8-12" (20–30 cm) common throughout much of Montana east of the Continental Divide. Combined with fertile soils, plant growth is relatively lush. This undoubtedly contributed to the early nickname "Valley of the Flowers" and the establishment of MSU as the state's agricultural college. Bozeman has cold, snowy winters and relatively warm summers, though due to elevation, temperature changes from day to night can be significant. The highest temperature ever recorded in Bozeman was 105 °F (41 °C) on July 31, 1892. The lowest recorded temperature, −43 °F (−42 °C), occurred on February 8, 1936.
| Climate data for Bozeman Montana State University (Western Regional Climate Center station) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 65 (18) |
64 (18) |
75 (24) |
83 (28) |
91 (33) |
96 (36) |
105 (41) |
99 (37) |
95 (35) |
88 (31) |
73 (23) |
63 (17) |
105 (41) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 31.7 (−0.2) |
35.5 (1.9) |
42.7 (5.9) |
53.9 (12.2) |
63 (17) |
71.6 (22.0) |
81.3 (27.4) |
80.3 (26.8) |
69.3 (20.7) |
57.6 (14.2) |
42.2 (5.7) |
33.6 (0.9) |
55.23 (12.90) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 21.9 (−5.6) |
25.4 (−3.7) |
32.1 (0.1) |
42.2 (5.7) |
50.7 (10.4) |
58.4 (14.7) |
66.2 (19.0) |
66.2 (19.0) |
55.3 (12.9) |
45.3 (7.4) |
32.2 (0.1) |
24.1 (−4.4) |
43.33 (6.30) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 12.0 (−11.1) |
15.3 (−9.3) |
21.4 (−5.9) |
30.4 (−0.9) |
38.4 (3.6) |
45.2 (7.3) |
51.1 (10.6) |
49.5 (9.7) |
41.2 (5.1) |
32.9 (0.5) |
22.2 (−5.4) |
14.5 (−9.7) |
31.18 (−0.46) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −36 (−38) |
−43 (−42) |
−27 (−33) |
−10 (−23) |
16 (−9) |
26 (−3) |
32 (0) |
26 (−3) |
12 (−11) |
−10 (−23) |
−26 (−32) |
−36 (−38) |
−43 (−42) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 0.87 (22.1) |
0.73 (18.5) |
1.34 (34) |
1.89 (48) |
2.89 (73.4) |
2.91 (73.9) |
1.35 (34.3) |
1.25 (31.8) |
1.71 (43.4) |
1.54 (39.1) |
1.12 (28.4) |
0.88 (22.4) |
18.48 (469.4) |
| Source #1: NOAA (normals, 1971-2000) | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: The Weather Channel (Records) | |||||||||||||
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