Easiest winter overall in MT (Great Falls, Bozeman: buy, to live in, vs.)

[waymire01]

My husband has been offered a relocation.. they were hoping for WY, but I think the winters would be too hard there.. especially with the wind. I have horses so would need to be out in the weather on a daily basis. The general trend was north= less wind.. so now I am looking for possible locations in MT. Husband used to live in Troy, and loved it.. but that is way on the top side of the state. Can anyone give me an idea of locations that would be a good place to look? I noticed Butte has a lot less wind... and milder temperatures on average.

Thanks.

[magoomafoo]

You pretty much have a choice between the Western part of the state...large accumulations of snow that can last clear until June or the Eastern part of the state....less snow, more wind which brings below zero temps quite a lot. Both sides have extreme cold. I've lived in both and prefer the snow over the sub-zero temps although we do get our share of minus zero temps on the divide. If you're looking for milder temps, the Flathead Valley comes to mind but again, there is a lot of snow, just not as long.

[waymire01]

Thank you... I think that if we decide to go I'm aiming for Helena. It seems to be a nice town, lots of horse community (I will be bringing mine with me), enough amenities so I can stay close if the weather is bad.. and "less" wind. Ever spent time there?

[Reziac]

Butte is one of the coldest spots in winter... Helena is milder tho gets perhaps more than its share when storms come through, tho otherwise I don't recall much wind close to town. Chances of finding horsey property is probably better near Helena.

[Threerun]

You can find small tracts in the valley in Helena for your horses, the winters aren't that bad and there is ample stuff 'to do' in town.

[oldtrader]

As January is the coldest month, here is a chart for average temperatures by cities.

Average January Temperatures for Montana - Current Results

[waymire01]

Oldtrader: thanks for that.. but I have found by talking to a lot of other people in the area that the actual temperature doesn't mean much, the wind is a huge issue.. and some areas get a lot more snow than others, some may get more snow but it doesn't last as long, and of course snow vs. ice is an issue. For example on the chart Bozeman appears slightly warmer than Helena.. but several people have told me Bozeman is much windier.. so it would make the actual temperature with windchill significantly colder.

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by waymire01

Oldtrader: thanks for that.. but I have found by talking to a lot of other people in the area that the actual temperature doesn't mean much, the wind is a huge issue.. and some areas get a lot more snow than others, some may get more snow but it doesn't last as long, and of course snow vs. ice is an issue. For example on the chart Bozeman appears slightly warmer than Helena.. but several people have told me Bozeman is much windier.. so it would make the actual temperature with windchill significantly colder.

Just don't be running around outside, naked. That is why you'll see thread after thread after thread talking about layers and layers. Windchill is a computation designed to computer hypothermia on bare skin. It's got nothing to do with pipes, cars, or even stock tanks, just you and, of course, your horses. If you can keep the horses out of the wind with a wind break, or even a stable, they are fine. For you, don't have exposed skin. We put on layers because as the day goes on,, you can shed a skin here or there, or add them back as the temp fluctuates. Most folks have one good coat, like Carhart because they will stop the wind.

I feed horses and when it gets to about 20 below zero, I have long johns or a Union Suit, blue jeans, 2 or 3 hoodies, and a carhart jacket. If the wind comes up, I'll add carhart insulated bibs. Of course, gloves, boots, scarf, and specially a hat, make a big difference. You loose the majority of your body heat, right out of your head, so keep it particulary covered so you can retain your body heat. Some folks blanket their horses, we don't. When it hits 30 below, we will start feeding 3 times a day, an alfalfa/hay mix, and we'll grain them twice a day. I also move them to the pen that has a lean to. Once they are in the lean to, out of the wind, they're fine.

[jasper12]

Helena is/seems warmer than Bozeman or Butte or Great Falls. I have been to each place in either the same day or within a day...in the winter. Butte is always colder. Great Falls has more wind. Last winter was an anomaly, as Helena had more snow than Bozeman. Helena is in a valley, which cuts the wind. Always wear gloves and a hat.

[waymire01]

elkhunter: very good advice... thank you. I adore carharts.. they just laugh at wind. Only problem is at 5ft tall, and a moderately curvy 120lbs.. I have a hell of a time finding ones that fit, especially bibs or coveralls. Hopefully that will not be such a problem in an area where they are more necessary. I have resorted to boys sizes, but little boys are not shaped like women obviously... so I run into problems. Another frustrating one is good gloves.. drives me nuts. I have tiny hands, ring size 4, really short fingers.. and you would not believe how hard it is to find good gloves that fit. In fact my last pair of leather ones I brought with me from OK are about to give up the fight.. got a big hole on the back from a run in with a rasp.. and I've looked everywhere here and cannot find a replacement. Really hilarious but Tractor Supply (which apparently is not in WY, it's like a walmart for farm/ranch) used to sell some called "just like dad's" LOL.. that I loved, made for kids. But they do not sell them anymore. Oh, and when I can find womens sizes.. they are completely inferior to the men's version. What is up with that? Flannel half as thick, crappy leather, inferior buckles or snaps. My carhart jacket is cut so short in the torso that it pulls up over my waist every time I bend over or raise my arms.. his has extra material to make sure that does not happen, same jacket. Something else funny.. the husband who has been on location outside of Gillette for the last three weeks and thinks I'm overreacting about how cold it gets there was whining last night about needing to go buy some thermals.. already. Hahaha.

jasper12: I keep trying to talk the husband into Helena.. but all the guys he is on location with live in WY so he's been pushing for Cody. He was supposed to get the final relocation offer today, so we can decide if we are going to go through with it and when.. but haven't heard from him yet.