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Shaded-relief map of Lame Deer, Montana: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
MONTANA · ROSEBUD COUNTY

Lame Deer

1,897 people, 3,340 ft above sea level in Rosebud County.

3,340 ftElevation, city center
1,897People, 2024 estimate
56 sq miLand area
Sunny 62°
Sunny now Dew point 36° · E 3 mph · high 58°
City of Lame Deer River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Lame Deer plate. Relief from Copernicus GLO-30; rivers and lakes from USGS NHD; watersheds from the USGS Watershed Boundary Dataset; roads and city limits from Census TIGER 2024.

MILE1
TODAY

Today in Lame Deer

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 1:00 PM MST
RIGHT NOW Colstrip (KM46) · 1:55 PM
Sunny
62° Sunny Feels like 62° · high of 58° near 2 PM
WindE 3 mphno gusts
Humidity38%falling to 45% this afternoon
Pressure29.70 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 36° · Dryabout the same for three days
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Tuesday40% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 30.12 in · 11 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Rosebud County
NWS Billings and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 2:16 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:04 AM4:37 PM ↓
9 h 33 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 25% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
11
GOODAir quality index · fine particles
No pollen source yet.

The next three days, hour by hour

Sky: clear, cloudy, night Rain likely National Blend of Models
SATURDAY, NOV. 14
SUNDAY, NOV. 15
MONDAY, NOV. 16
TUESDAY, NOV. 17
2p
5p
8p
11p
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5a
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11a
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2a
5a
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11a
2p
5p
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11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
mostly sunny
partly cloudy night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
clear night
clear night
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
TEMPERATURE °F
58°
35°
57°
37°
58°
38°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
2
1
2
5
7
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HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 32 to 37°

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 46° / 20°
SAT Nov. 14 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
58° 35°
0% rain — N 2 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
58° 36°
0% rain — W 3 B
MON Nov. 16 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
58° 37°
0% rain — SSW 2 B
TUE Nov. 17 Chance of showers; cooler Chance of showers; cooler
50° 32°
40% rain up to 0.08″ N 2 C
WED Nov. 18 Chance of showers; cooler Chance of showers; cooler
41° 26°
50% rain up to 0.2″ NW 3 B
THU Nov. 19 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
43° 29°
20% rain — ENE 2 C
FRI Nov. 20 Chance of showers Chance of showers
40° 28°
50% rain up to 0.4″ NW 5 C
How sure are we? AModels agree: highs within 4° BSome spread: within 8° CWide spread: check back
Range from the National Blend of Models percentiles · graded on Forecast Scores
AIR MAIL

Where today’s air came from

The air arriving over Lame Deer about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the Pacific off the Northwest three days ago, and over the northern Rockies a day ago, about 1,120 miles back along its path. Most of the nine paths traced from around the city agree. It came down from about 12,600 feet up, warming and drying as it sank. Near the ground the air came from British Columbia; at 10,000 feet, from the Pacific off the Northwest. It feels dry all the same. Traced back 72 hours through NOAA’s hourly RAP analyses and the GFS beyond them, nine paths at each of three heights.

THIS WEEK IN 1999 Nov. 12, 1999

The hottest this week has been

82° on Nov. 12, 1999, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1907. Next is 75° in 1934.

75°
82°
19341999
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Busby record since 1907.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Lame Deer stands on

Lame Deer’s center stands about 3,340 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 3,200 ft to 4,010 ft, a difference of 810 ft: hilly country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Busby Butte, about 4,520 ft, 13 miles southwest.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Alluvium (gravel, sand, silt), from the Pleistocene to Holocene, less than 1.8 million years old.

The section below crosses 2 rock units mapped at the surface.

Lame Deer, cut in half from southwest to northeast

A section southwest to northeast, 24 miles through the town center
3,000 ft3,500 ft4,000 ft LAME DEER3,340 ftHigh point of the line4,370 ftRosebud Creekabout 3,010 ft ← SWNE →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 14×. The colored band under the surface is the rock the state geologic map shows at the surface, not a picture of what lies beneath.

Rock at the surface along the line

Tongue River Member of Fort Union Formation

Sandstone, shale. Age: Early Paleocene to Middle Paleocene, 59 to 66 million years old. About 22 mi of the line.

Alluvium

Gravel, sand, silt. Age: Pleistocene to Holocene, less than 1.8 million years old. About 2 mi of the line.

From the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation (Horton and others, 2017), the states’ geologic maps joined at a common scale.

Heights from Copernicus GLO-90 (a surface model: it includes buildings and tree canopy); summits from USGS GNIS; rivers from USGS NHDPlus HR; rock from the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation.

MILE3
THE WATER

Where Lame Deer’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Lame Deer reaches the Gulf of America by way of Alderson Creek, Lame Deer Creek, Rosebud Creek, the Yellowstone, the Missouri and the Mississippi: about 3,080 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Lame Deer≈ 3,080 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF LAME DEER ≈ 3,080 mi to the Gulf of America Alderson Creek → Lame Deer Creek → Rosebud Creek → Yellowstone → Missouri → Mississippi

Lakes on the way: Lake Oahe, Lake Sakakawea, Lake Sharpe and Lake Francis Case.

1,170 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.

Traced down the USGS NHDPlus V2.1 river network from the Census center point of Lame Deer; river miles along the main stem, rounded.

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Lame Deer’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1907 · Busby, 15 mi west-southwest

Lame Deer has a warm-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 88° in July; winter nights fall to about 8° in January. A normal year brings about 52 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 16 inches of water.

34°8°38°11°49°21°59°30°68°39°78°47°88°53°88°51°77°41°60°30°46°19°36°10° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY LAME DEER 15.7 in rain and snowmelt
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average88° / 53°high / low, the warmest month
January, average34° / 8°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow15.7 inwettest months: May and June
Snow a year52.3 insnowiest: January
Hottest on record109°FJuly 12, 2026
Coldest on record−53°FFebruary 15, 1936
Wettest day on record3.75 inJune 12, 1988
Snowiest day on record18.0 inMarch 28, 2007
90° days a year38about 3 of them 100° or more
Nights at or below 32°193and 40 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeWarm-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfb

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Sept. 12, to the last in spring, about May 24 (median dates)
2Highs of 90° and upJuly 18 to Aug. 9; normal highs reach 90°
3Lows below freezingOct. 11 to April 29; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchApril through June: 6.5 of the year’s 15.7 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Lame Deer normally reaches 47° and falls to 19°. The record high is 74°, in 1999; the record low −29°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 0.52 in, fell in 1991.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high34°38°49°59°68°78°88°88°77°60°46°36°
Normal low8°11°21°30°39°47°53°51°41°30°19°10°
Rain and melt, in0.690.710.951.662.712.111.381.011.581.500.780.64
Snow, inches9.99.77.35.70.90.00.00.00.23.86.28.6
Record high69° (2024)72° (2005)84° (2004)87° (2012)97° (1934)107° (1936)109° (2026)107° (1949)105° (1950)95° (2011)82° (1999)76° (1939)
Record low−52° (1916)−53° (1936)−36° (1920)−12° (2022)12° (2005)17° (2024)18° (2024)26° (1910)6° (1910)−21° (1991)−38° (1959)−52° (1989)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1907 at Busby, 15 miles west-southwest. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Lame Deer on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Billings MT · 94 MI 94 miles west Rapid City SD · 198 MI 198 miles southeast
FORECASTCITY
Map of Lame Deer, Montana. Explore the plate
MONTANA · ROSEBUD

Lame Deer

1,897 people, 3,340 ft above sea level in Rosebud County.

3,340 ftElevation
1,897People
56 sq miLand
Sunny 62°
SunnyDew point 36°
1

Today in Lame Deer

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly sunny 58° 0%
5p partly cloudy night 47° 0%
8p mostly clear night 41° 0%
11p mostly clear night 40° 0%
2a clear night 39° 0%
5a clear night 38° 1%
Rain
NEXT RAINTuesday · 40%
→
Sat0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
35
58
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
36
58
B
Mon0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
37
58
B
Tue40%
Chance of showers; cooler Chance of showers; cooler
32
50
C
Wed50%
Chance of showers; cooler Chance of showers; cooler
26
41
B
Thu20%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
29
43
C
Fri50%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
28
40
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK IN 1999 · NOV. 12, 1999

82°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1907.

2

What Lame Deer stands on

Lame Deer’s center stands about 3,340 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 3,200 ft to 4,010 ft, a difference of 810 ft: hilly country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Busby Butte, about 4,520 ft, 13 miles southwest.

Lame Deer, southwest to northeast Lame Deer3,340 ftRosebud Creekabout 3,010 ft ← SWNE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 27×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center3,340 ft
Within 3 miles3,200 to 4,010 ft
Lie of the landHilly (810 ft of relief)
High point nearbyBusby Butte, 4,520 ft, 13 mi southwest
Rock at the surfaceAlluvium
Its agePleistocene to Holocene, less than 1.8 million years old
5

Lame Deer’s year

Lame Deer has a warm-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 88° in July; winter nights fall to about 8° in January. A normal year brings about 52 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 16 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 15.7 in
July, average88° / 53° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average34° / 8° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow15.7 in · wettest months: May and June
Snow a year52.3 in · snowiest: January
Hottest on record109°F · July 12, 2026
Coldest on record−53°F · February 15, 1936
Wettest day on record3.75 in · June 12, 1988
Snowiest day on record18.0 in · March 28, 2007
90° days a year38 · about 3 of them 100° or more
Nights at or below 32°193 · and 40 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeWarm-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfb
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Sept. 12, to the last in spring, about May 24 (median dates)
2Highs of 90° and up · July 18 to Aug. 9; normal highs reach 90°
3Lows below freezing · Oct. 11 to April 29; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · April through June: 6.5 of the year’s 15.7 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Lame Deer normally reaches 47° and falls to 19°. The record high is 74°, in 1999; the record low −29°, in 1959. The most rain on this date, 0.52 in, fell in 1991.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1907 at Busby, 15 miles west-southwest. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 3,080 mito the Gulf of AmericaAlderson Creek → Lame Deer Creek → Rosebud Creek → Yellowstone → Missouri → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Lame Deer reaches the Gulf of America by way of Alderson Creek, Lame Deer Creek, Rosebud Creek, the Yellowstone, the Missouri and the Mississippi: about 3,080 river miles.

Lakes on the way: Lake Oahe, Lake Sakakawea, Lake Sharpe and Lake Francis Case.

1,170 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.