For its elevation and latitude, Bigfork and The Flathead Valley have a relatively mild climate, and can best be described as an area of climatic transition between coastal and continental. The high mountains of the Continental Divide at the east provide protection from the Great Plains climate while the mountains to the west interrupt passage of the Great Basin Climate found in Spokane. In addition, water surfaces associated with the many existing lakes and rivers tend to moderate temperatures in both winter and summer. The weather ranges from moderately dry summer and autumn to a moderately wet winter and spring. Annual precipitation in the Flathead averages 20.27 inches of rain and 49.0 inches of snow.
The weather is cool and maritime influenced. Precipitation ranges from 16 inches in the valley bottoms to more than 100 inches on the mountain tops. On the valley bottoms about half of the annual precipitation fall as snow. Up to 80 percent of the precipitation at the higher elevations is snow. Valley bottoms are about 3,000 feet above sea level. The highest peaks are just under 10,000 feet above sea level.
