Warm-summer humid continental
Columbia Falls, Montana
Flathead County, Montana · Population 5.5k · 3,077 ft elevation
Living in Columbia Falls
Columbia Falls has a warm-summer humid continental climate: hot summers (July highs around 82°F) and cold winters (January lows around 16°F).
Precipitation is dry at about 17″ a year, and it gets a fair bit of snow (54″ a season).
Skies are partly sunny (51% of possible sunshine). It never gets truly muggy.
Air quality is moderate: a median AQI of 41, with about 1 unhealthy-air day in the latest year.
Columbia Falls is an outdoor hub: about 69% of the land within 30 miles is public (parks, national forest and the like), and the terrain rises and falls about 3,600 ft around town.
Columbia Falls at a glance
- Population
- 5.5k
- Elevation
- 3,077 ft
- Average daily high
- 55°F3th percentile
- Average daily low
- 31°F1th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 17″11th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 54″90th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 2,402 hrs10th percentile
- Median AQI
- 4144th percentile
- Median home value
- $347k65th percentile
- Median rent
- $1,003/mo34th percentile
- Median household income
- $65k38th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 0.75%31th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 5.7%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 0.0%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.8%
- Homes with broadband
- 92%55th percentile
- Walkability index
- 9.965th percentile
- Average commute
- 20 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 47%52th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 62%
- Violent crime rate
- 138 per 100k41th percentile
- Property crime rate
- 1,052 per 100k
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 8641th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 9796th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 36%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 69%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 3,642 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°F | 16°F | 1.4″ | 13.9″ | 95 hrs |
| Feb | 35°F | 18°F | 1.0″ | 8.4″ | 131 hrs |
| Mar | 45°F | 24°F | 1.1″ | 5.4″ | 167 hrs |
| Apr | 55°F | 30°F | 1.3″ | 1.2″ | 203 hrs |
| May | 65°F | 38°F | 1.8″ | 0.2″ | 256 hrs |
| Jun | 71°F | 44°F | 2.8″ | 0.3″ | 268 hrs |
| Jul | 82°F | 47°F | 1.1″ | — | 381 hrs |
| Aug | 81°F | 45°F | 0.8″ | — | 332 hrs |
| Sep | 70°F | 38°F | 1.2″ | — | 242 hrs |
| Oct | 54°F | 29°F | 1.4″ | 1.1″ | 165 hrs |
| Nov | 39°F | 23°F | 1.4″ | 8.0″ | 88 hrs |
| Dec | 31°F | 17°F | 1.5″ | 15.9″ | 75 hrs |
Near Columbia Falls
- Whitefish, MT · 8.4k
- Evergreen, MT · 8.9k
- Kalispell, MT · 27k
- Bigfork, MT · 5.2k
- Lakeside, MT · 2.7k
- Polson, MT · 5.3k
- North Browning, MT · 2.9k
- Libby, MT · 2.9k
Largest places in Montana
- Billings, MT · 118k
- Missoula, MT · 76k
- Great Falls, MT · 60k
- Bozeman, MT · 55k
- Butte-Silver Bow, MT · 35k
- Helena, MT · 33k
- Belgrade, MT · 11k
- Helena Valley Southeast, MT · 9.5k
Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology