Bozeman winters- is it REALLY that cold? (Missoula, Livingston: living in, cost of)

[mjdboulder]

Hello! For anyone who has lived in Bozeman for a good amount of time, how do winters compare to other towns you may have lived in? I have lived in Ontario Canada, towns in Colorado and elsewhere, and I am wondering why I keep finding comments on Bozeman that it's BRUTAL in the winter. Is that true? I am ok with winters, but if it's really that bad, why are so many people moving there? Are winters REALLY that bad in comparison to Denver, or places like that? I am used to cold winters living in Canada, but I'm wondering if Bozeman is a pocket of extreme that I'm really not ready for. What are your experiences?
I'd prefer a "normal" winter without massive extremes.

[SkyLark2019]

Bozeman gets cold during winter but isn't the absolute worst. Be advised Livingston MT does get gusty during storms, to where the Interstate will post warnings about wind speed.

[NW Crow]

It depends on what you are used to and year.

Typically about 20 mornings below zero. Some might say "not too bad", some will freak out, out of state. Wind can make it much worse. -20 to -40 happens ocassionally thru the decades anytime from November to March (that's real, plus whatever wind chill effect). This winter it appears to have gotten below zero in town only once and just -1.

About a 100 inches of snow reported this past 2 winters. 140 in 2017-18. Go 5-20 miles from the mountain crest it could be less than half that. Go into / up the mountains, it might be 50 - 100% more.

Climate data on main page and lots of supplemental pages crom left menu https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?mt1044

Missoula is a tiny bit warmer on average but might occasionally be notably warmer depending on how the storms are tracking. Much less snow in town but plenty in surrounding mountains.

A five degree difference and / or sunshine will decide whether the snow generally stays or goes fast.

[mjdboulder]

When you say below zero, you're talking Fahrenheit, correct? LOL. In Colorado, if it's 17 degrees F, that's a cold snap and it's FREEZING. That's technically below zero, but not in Fahrenheit, so I assume it you're talking F, that means super insane cold. However, if it's drier in Bozeman, that minus whatever doesn't feel as cold as it would in the NE US in the winter....

[NW Crow]

Yes I am talking Fahrenheit.

Bozeman will get below 32F at night for fully half the year. Usually warms up some on winter days but about 50 days per year it never gets above 32F.

[Jayne Cobb]

Originally Posted by mjdboulder

Hello! For anyone who has lived in Bozeman for a good amount of time, how do winters compare to other towns you may have lived in? I have lived in Ontario Canada, towns in Colorado and elsewhere, and I am wondering why I keep finding comments on Bozeman that it's BRUTAL in the winter. Is that true? I am ok with winters, but if it's really that bad, why are so many people moving there? Are winters REALLY that bad in comparison to Denver, or places like that? I am used to cold winters living in Canada, but I'm wondering if Bozeman is a pocket of extreme that I'm really not ready for. What are your experiences?
I'd prefer a "normal" winter without massive extremes.

Bozeman compared to Denver? Yes. Much more extreme. More gray and cloudy. Definitely colder. I've lived in both MT and CO. CO has WAAAAY better winters even though it can still get cold there and dump snow.


Bozeman compared to Ontario? Can't say firsthand. Educated guess is that Bozeman would be way easier of a winter.

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by mjdboulder

Hello! For anyone who has lived in Bozeman for a good amount of time, how do winters compare to other towns you may have lived in? I have lived in Ontario Canada, towns in Colorado and elsewhere, and I am wondering why I keep finding comments on Bozeman that it's BRUTAL in the winter. Is that true? I am ok with winters, but if it's really that bad, why are so many people moving there? Are winters REALLY that bad in comparison to Denver, or places like that? I am used to cold winters living in Canada, but I'm wondering if Bozeman is a pocket of extreme that I'm really not ready for. What are your experiences?
I'd prefer a "normal" winter without massive extremes.

Bozeman winters have plenty of snow but are usually not terribly windy with below zero weather. There are also lots of "bluebird" days with no clouds and blue skies in the winter. The real concern in Bozeman is cost of living.

[brb going fishing]

Compared to Denver, Bozeman is much colder and somewhat snowier. Bozeman typically maintains a snowpack throughout winter, unlike Denver.

Compared to Ontario, Bozeman has slightly colder winters than Toronto, with about twice as much snow. Compared to Ottawa on the other hand, it's somewhat warmer with about an equal amount of snow. I guess the elevation and drier air help alleviate the cold feel, at least.

Having spent plenty of winters in Montana, the winters are typically quite harsh. You do adapt, however. I think you need to enjoy winter sports to appreciate living in a place like Bozeman -- just my opinion.

[Reziac]

To add to the confusion, Bozeman has numerous microclimates that can be quite different. Snow can be completely gone in the northwest corner, while the east side still has snowbanks piled along every street. Belgrade can easily be 20 degrees colder than Bozeman, but with a fraction as much snow (if any). There's a stretch south of Gallatin Gateway where it's nearly always overcast, no matter how sunny it is half a mile north. And so on.

We've had a few decades of relatively mild winters... what y'all really need is a return to the long hard winters of the 1960s and '70s. (And it's coming. We've had a few hints these past few years.)

[MikeyMike11]

Originally Posted by mjdboulder

I keep finding comments on Bozeman that it's BRUTAL in the winter. Is that true?

Yes they are brutal. I've lived here for almost 20 years, and in 2018 it was below 0 degrees for 4-6 weeks. Many roofs collapsed, including MSU's north and south gyms. I spent a lot of time and money clearing snow. The winters here are rough. People are moving here because they just don't know any better. Many are moving here to escape the liberal politics of the coasts, not knowing we have as many liberals as conservatives here. The rich folk tend to just stay inside all winter, occasionally venturing out the to go skiing or snow mobiling. People are also moving out pretty fast too. They usually last 1-2 winters before calling it quits.