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Deer Lodge County, MT

No sale barn with a published report is within 100 miles of Deer Lodge County, Montana. This page still has drought, programs and weather for the county when those are loaded.

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Drought No droughtNone · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Not listedFSA 2026 list Burn ban Checkcall the county Nearest barn –no 5-wt steer sale

Deer Lodge County rain, outlook and forecast

Most of Deer Lodge County, MT showed no drought on the Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map. Rain has run 79% of normal over the last 30 days (below normal); the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans toward near-normal rain and Tuesday carries the week's highest rain chance at 97% (high 29°). FSA has not added Deer Lodge County to its 2026 LFP list.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 79% of normal
  • Last 60 days not read yet
  • Last 90 days not read yet

NOAA river forecast center rain (radar plus gauges) at the county center, Nov 15, 2026. Source.

Rain outlook

  • 6-10 day outlook (Nov 20–24) Leans toward near-normal rain
  • 8-14 day outlook (Nov 22–28) Leans toward near-normal rain

NOAA Climate Prediction Center precipitation outlook, issued Nov 14, 2026. Source.

Next 7 days

  1. Today Partly Sunny, high 36°, low 26°, 3% rain, wind 9–17 mph
  2. Monday Mostly Cloudy then Chance Light Snow, high 36°, low 24°, 92% rain, wind 5–12 mph
  3. Tuesday Snow, high 29°, low 18°, 97% rain, wind 7–10 mph
  4. Wednesday Mostly Sunny, high 25°, low 16°, 30% rain, wind 3–10 mph
  5. Thursday Chance Light Snow, high 25°, low 17°, 42% rain, wind 3–7 mph
  6. Friday Chance Light Snow, high 24°, low 14°, 40% rain, wind 5–10 mph
  7. Saturday Partly Sunny, high 25°, low 14°, 21% rain, wind 5–13 mph

National Weather Service forecast for the county center, updated Nov 15, 2026. Wind, warnings and burn bans.

PRF pasture insurance: sign up by Dec 1, 2026

The 2027 Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF) insurance sales closing date for Deer Lodge County is Dec 1, 2026, 16 days from today. PRF (Rainfall Index) pays on a rainfall index for your grid, not on your own rain gauge. You buy it through a crop insurance agent.

How PRF works · PRF 2027 sign-up · Find your grid on RMA's PRF tool

Date from USDA RMA's actuarial data, read Aug 28, 2026 · RMA dates map. Your agent confirms the date for your policy.

Deer Lodge County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Deer Lodge County grew about 828 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 113% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 733 pounds per acre. That was the 7th best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2023 at 953 pounds per acre; worst: 2000 at 584.

Pounds per acre of new grass and forbs each year on rangeland and pasture, from the Rangeland Analysis Platform (satellite-based estimates). See every year on the Land tab.

Open loss windows

No open loss windows in Deer Lodge County right now. A 30-day window opens when the county first hits severe drought (D2), jumps to D3 or D4, or after a blizzard, extreme heat or cold, flood or ice warning, a wildfire, or a USDA disaster designation. Keep a Drought Ledger.

Information only; not financial, tax or legal advice. FSA decides eligibility. Cownty sends nothing to FSA.

Drought-sale tax flag IRS list

Deer Lodge County is on IRS Notice 2026-54 (severe or worse drought, Sep 1, 2025 to Aug 31, 2026).

Why it matters: if you sold breeding, dairy or draft livestock because of drought, the tax code may let you put off the gain (more time to buy replacement animals, or report the extra-sale income a year later). Your tax preparer decides whether either applies.

Work out your numbers and print a page for your preparer

Information only; not financial, tax or legal advice. Ask your tax preparer. FSA decides program eligibility. IRS Notice 2026-54 (PDF)

Next 7 days · National Weather Service

Weather for Deer Lodge County

Forecast for the center point of Deer Lodge County.

  • Freeze on 7 nights
  1. Today Partly Sunny 36° 26° SW 9–17 mph 3% rain
  2. Mon Mostly Cloudy then Chance Light Snow 36° 24° SSW 5–12 mph 92% rain
  3. Tue Snow 29° 18° NNW 7–10 mph 97% rain
  4. Wed Mostly Sunny 25° 16° SW 3–10 mph 30% rain
  5. Thu Chance Light Snow 25° 17° S 3–7 mph 42% rain
  6. Fri Chance Light Snow 24° 14° NW 5–10 mph 40% rain
  7. Sat Partly Sunny 25° 14° SSW 5–13 mph 21% rain

Forecast from the National Weather Service, updated Nov 15, 2026. Wind arrows point where the wind is going; the letters say where it comes from. Windy = 25 mph or more; freeze = a low of 32°F or less. Open the full forecast.

Burn ban

Data pending. Cownty doesn't read an official statewide burn-ban list for Montana; county commissions, sheriffs and fire districts post local fire restrictions, so check your county's own notices

No official ban list to check here, so Cownty shows the National Weather Service fire-weather alerts for the county instead: none right now.

Guide: Burn bans: where to check and what they mean

Weather warnings right now

None right now

National Weather Service active alerts for this county, as of Nov 15, 2026 (source). Fetched Nov 15, 2026.

Rainfall vs normal

Oct 2026
2.62 in 153% of normal
Last 12 months
25.32 in 114%
How to read this

Bars are the rain that fell each month; the dashed line is a normal month (1991-2020 average). Bars below the line = drier than normal.

County-average precipitation, Nov 2025 to Oct 2026. Normal = NCEI's own 1991-2020 average for each month (Oct 2026 normal 1.71 in; same month last year 2.41 in). NCEI posts each month around the 8th of the next and may revise recent months. Source: NOAA NCEI Climate at a Glance. Fetched Nov 14, 2026.

Wildfires

No current fire perimeter in the county

Nearest current perimeter: Bobcat Lakes (Wildfire, MT), about 29 mi from the county center; 10,896 acres, 100% contained, perimeter of Sep 14, 2026.

See the fire map

Interagency fire outlines. Small or brand-new fires are often not mapped yet; call 911 for a fire you can see. Layer updated Nov 15, 2026. Source: National Interagency Fire Center. Fetched Nov 15, 2026.

Frost dates

Frost and freeze dates

30-year averages (1991–2020) from the weather stations nearest Deer Lodge County. Frost = 32°F; hard freeze = 28°F.

Anaconda weather station (10 mi away)

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
105-day growing season
 Jun 1
1 year in 10 it's after Jun 25
 Sep 14
1 year in 10 it's before Aug 31
Hard freeze (28°F)
138-day growing season
 May 13
1 year in 10 it's after May 30
 Sep 28
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 12

Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Anaconda), NOAA files as of Jun 27, 2023. Fetched Nov 11, 2026.

Text me Deer Lodge County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Billings Livestock Commission Billings, MT 221 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 2026
  2. Public Auction Yards Billings, MT 221 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
  3. Winter Livestock Auction Riverton, WY 316 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Nov 10, 2026

Miles are straight-line from the county center. Sale days come from the barns' recent USDA AMS reports; call the barn to confirm. All barns

Printable county brief (PDF) · Everything on one page · Hay prices in Montana

Common questions and nearby counties

Is Deer Lodge County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Not on FSA's 2026 LFP county list as of Nov 5, 2026. FSA updates the list as drought changes.

Source: FSA LFP county file of Nov 5, 2026

What is the drought level in Deer Lodge County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Deer Lodge County was in no drought, and the worst part was no drought on 0% of the county. 0 straight weeks with some severe drought (D2) or worse.

Source: U.S. Drought Monitor, map of Nov 10, 2026

Is there a burn ban in Deer Lodge County?

No official statewide list to check: Cownty doesn't read an official statewide burn-ban list for Montana; county commissions, sheriffs and fire districts post local fire restrictions, so check your county's own notices.

What sale barns are near Deer Lodge County?

No USDA-reported sale barn within 200 miles.

Source: USDA AMS Market News reports

What are the upcoming FSA and farm deadlines?

Next: Nov 20, 2026: Micro Farm 2027: last day to buy crop insurance; Nov 20, 2026: Whole Farm Revenue Protection 2027: last day to buy crop insurance. FSA program dates not posted officially are marked "confirm at source" on the calendar.

Source: official agency pages (see Calendar)

Information only; not financial or legal advice. FSA decides eligibility. Always check the linked official source.