Weather Data - Yellowtail Dam Area

The area beyond Yellowtail Dam gets enough precipitation for mixed grasslands to thrive.

NPS

The Yellowtail Dam sits at the mouth of Bighorn Canyon, approximately a mile from Fort Smith, Montana. The precipitation around this area is 15 – 18 inches a year.

Rain here is more likely to be significant in May and June. Just downriver from the dam begin the rolling grasslands which stretch across the horizon for miles on end. This landscape is more tolerant of summer grazing and growing wheat because of the rainfall pattern.

Average Temperatures at the Yellowtail Dam, Montana

	JAN	FEB	MAR	APR	MAY	JUN	JUL	AUG	SEP	OCT	NOV	DEC
High (F)	40.2	46.1	54.0	63.4	72.7	82.7	91.0	91.0	79.2	66.1	49.0	41.7
Low (F)	17.7	21.9	28.0	36.2	44.5	52.4	57.2	56.1	47.2	38.5	27.7	20.5

Average Precipitation in inches at Yellowtail Dam

JAN	FEB	MAR	APR	MAY	JUN	JUL	AUG	SEP	OCT	NOV	DEC
0.9	0.7	1.4	2.1	3.1	2.2	1.5	1.0	1.8	1.9	1.0	0.9