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Silver Bow County, MT

No sale barn with a published report is within 100 miles of Silver Bow 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) Eligibleup to 2 payments Burn ban Checkcall the county Billings MT (BLC) 5-wt steers $408per cwt

Silver Bow County rain, outlook and forecast

The Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map shows most of Silver Bow County, MT with no drought. The NWS forecast peaks at a 96% rain chance on Tuesday (high 33°) and the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans toward near-normal rain. Silver Bow County is on FSA's 2026 LFP list with up to 2 monthly payments, and the nearest USDA-reported sale barn is Billings MT (BLC), 198 miles away.

Rain vs normal

Rain totals: not read yet.

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 44°, low 32°, 1% rain, wind 12–20 mph
  2. Monday Mostly Cloudy, high 45°, low 32°, 84% rain, wind 6–12 mph
  3. Tuesday Light Snow, high 33°, low 23°, 96% rain, wind 5–12 mph
  4. Wednesday Mostly Sunny, high 33°, low 23°, 33% rain, wind 3–12 mph
  5. Thursday Chance Light Snow, high 33°, low 24°, 44% rain, wind 5–6 mph
  6. Friday Chance Light Snow, high 32°, low 20°, 41% rain, wind 6–9 mph
  7. Saturday Partly Sunny, high 32°, low 20°, 12% rain, wind 7–12 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 Silver Bow 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.

Silver Bow County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Silver Bow County grew about 803 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 115% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 696 pounds per acre. That was the 4th best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2023 at 908 pounds per acre; worst: 2000 at 554.

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 Silver Bow 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

Silver Bow 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 Silver Bow County

Forecast for the center point of Silver Bow County.

  • Freeze on 7 nights
  1. Today Partly Sunny 44° 32° S 12–20 mph 1% rain
  2. Mon Mostly Cloudy 45° 32° S 6–12 mph 84% rain
  3. Tue Light Snow 33° 23° N 5–12 mph 96% rain
  4. Wed Mostly Sunny 33° 23° SSW 3–12 mph 33% rain
  5. Thu Chance Light Snow 33° 24° SSE 5–6 mph 44% rain
  6. Fri Chance Light Snow 32° 20° NW 6–9 mph 41% rain
  7. Sat Partly Sunny 32° 20° SSW 7–12 mph 12% 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
2.73 in 190% of normal
Last 12 months
19.05 in 105%
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 1.44 in; same month last year 1.63 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 25 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 Silver Bow County. Frost = 32°F; hard freeze = 28°F.

Butte Bert Mooney Ap weather station (9 mi away)

Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
Frost (32°F)
83-day growing season
 Jun 13
1 year in 10 it's after Jul 1
 Sep 5
1 year in 10 it's before Aug 24
Hard freeze (28°F)
117-day growing season
 May 21
1 year in 10 it's after Jun 10
 Sep 17
1 year in 10 it's before Sep 2

Anaconda weather station (21 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 (Butte Bert Mooney Ap, Anaconda), NOAA files as of Jun 27, 2023. Fetched Nov 11, 2026.

Text me Silver Bow County changes

Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

  1. Billings Livestock Commission Billings, MT 198 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 2026
  2. Public Auction Yards Billings, MT 198 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
  3. Winter Livestock Auction Riverton, WY 289 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 Silver Bow County eligible for LFP in 2026?

Yes. Silver Bow County is on FSA's 2026 Livestock Forage Disaster Program county list, with up to 2 monthly payments for some pasture types. FSA decides each operation's eligibility; apply at your county FSA office by March 1 after the loss year.

Source: FSA LFP county file of Nov 5, 2026

What is the drought level in Silver Bow County this week?

On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Silver Bow 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 Silver Bow 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 Silver Bow County?

The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Billings MT (BLC) (198 mi), last report Nov 9, 2026; Billings MT (PAYS) (198 mi), last report Nov 11, 2026.

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.