Climatic Conditions 



The Heathful and Invigorating Climate of Montana, With 



Mild Winters, Cool Summers, Plenty of Sunshine, 



and Enough Heat Units for Plant 



Growth, is Almost Ideal 



[N CONSIDERING the climatic conditions of Montana, it is necessary 

 to remember that it is a state of enormous proportions; that 

 there is a great diversity of topography, varying from very 

 high altitudes to low valleys, from high mountain ranges and 

 table lands, to the lower prairies and plains of both the eastern 

 and western slopes of the mountains. There are high mountain 

 peaks which reach above the level of perpetual snow; there 

 are sheltered valleys in which the wind scarcely stirs a leaf; 

 there are great stretches of plains, level as the floor; and there are many foothills 

 and great areas of rolling land. All of these have their effect upon the climate of 

 the state, making for different temperatures and different weather conditions iD 

 different sections. In fact, climatic conditions vary to such a large extent, that 

 almost any kind of climate desired can be found at some place in Montana. 



Many people who bear in mind only the northern location of Montana, or who 

 hear only the reports of the extremely low temperature at some one point in the 

 winter, have a very erroneous idea of Montana's climate. They believe it to be a 

 land of cold winters, long drawn out, and short summers. They believe it to be a 

 land where only the brave of spirit and the hardy of constitution dare venture to 

 go. Nothing could be further from the truth. Montana has almost an ideal climate, 

 healthful, invigorating, mild and comfortable. The winters are not severe, while the 

 summers are long and cool, with plenty of sunshine and frost-free growing days 



"Cliinooks" Come Often. 

 The winter climate of Montana, as shown by the United States weather bureau 

 statistics, is milder than that of other states of the same latitude; in fact, a line 

 of equal temperature, drawn through Montana points, extends southward from 

 this state and swings eastward through Southern Minnesota, thus indicating that 

 the January climate of Montana is similar to that of the middle western states 

 It is true that the thermometer goes low at times in Montana. It is likewise true 

 that Montana has a dry, rarefied atmosphere, which makes the cold less penetrating 

 and therefore less severe than in the damper climates of the middle and eastern 

 states. Thirty degrees below zero will not affect a person as much in Montana as. 

 fifteen degrees below zero will in the Mississippi valley. 



Furthermore the winter season is not one of continued cold. Plenty of sun- 

 shine, even in December and January, is the rule rather than the exception. Ex- 

 treme cold spells are of short duration and are rapidly modified by the "chinook" 

 winds, a western breeze, warmed by the Japanese current, which stretches its 

 modifying influence as far east as the Dakotas. In most parts of the state the 

 snow stays but a few days, due to these "chinooks". Very often cattle graze out on 

 the range most of the winter, even in the northern part of the state. 



A State of Good Health. 

 Montana boasts good fellowship, and good fellowship generally goes hand in 

 hand with good health. Malarial conditions are entirely absent; fogs are unknown 



