Willow Creek Campground

Kootenai National Forest, Montana

Tonight: low 38 °F, frost likely, breezy.

Nights by month

Night lows from 2016 to 2025: a typical night, and the cold one that comes 1 night in 10.

The mildest nights are in July, typically 54°F. The coldest are in February, when 1 night in 10 drops to -3°F. Frost is common in January, February, March, April, May, October, November and December.

Typical nightCold night (1 in 10)
  1. Jan20°F 3°FBag comfortable to 5°F · frost 99% · rain or snow 47% of days
  2. Feb18°F -3°FBag comfortable to 0°F · frost 98% · rain or snow 56% of days
  3. Mar24°F 12°FBag comfortable to 10°F · frost 95% · rain or snow 46% of days
  4. Apr29°F 18°FBag comfortable to 20°F · frost 72% · rain or snow 46% of days
  5. May37°F 30°FBag comfortable to 30°F · frost 19% · rain or snow 46% of days
  6. Jun45°F 38°FBag comfortable to 40°F · frost 1% · rain or snow 36% of days
  7. Jul54°F 46°FBag comfortable to 45°F · frost 0% · rain or snow 12% of days
  8. Aug53°F 45°FBag comfortable to 45°F · frost 0% · rain or snow 19% of days
  9. Sep (this month)45°F 37°FBag comfortable to 35°F · frost 3% · rain or snow 23% of days
  10. Oct34°F 24°FBag comfortable to 25°F · frost 42% · rain or snow 38% of days
  11. Nov25°F 10°FBag comfortable to 10°F · frost 81% · rain or snow 52% of days
  12. Dec20°F 6°FBag comfortable to 5°F · frost 95% · rain or snow 56% of days

| = 32°F

History: ERA5 and ERA5-Land reanalysis via Open-Meteo, corrected to the site's elevation. Bag rating: the comfort rating that keeps you warm in a tent on 9 of 10 nights that month.

Tonight

Worth a lookFriday, September 25, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Cold air collects in this hollow

Your setup looks too cold for this night

Expected from around 2 a.m.

Your spot sits in a hollow where cold air collects at night.

Best change

Move 20 to 50 meters higher, away from the valley floor or creek.

  • On clear, calm nights it is often several degrees warmer there.

This is based on typical values for the gear types you picked, so treat it as an estimate.

  • Low outside38°F
  • Moisturefrost, keep your bag covered
  • Windgusty at times

Your night

  1. 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.ComfortableAir around you 51 to 49°F, some dew, gusty (up to 32 mph).
  2. 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.Chilly. Add a layerAir around you 42 to 36°F, frost, gusty (up to 32 mph).
  3. 6 a.m. to 7 a.m.Cold. Your setup is not warm enoughAir around you 33°F, frost.
  4. 7 a.m. until morningChilly. Add a layerAir around you 39°F.
Every hour
  • 10 p.m.49°Fcomfortable, some dew, gusty
  • 11 p.m.51°Fcomfortable, gusty
  • midnight51°Fcomfortable, gusty
  • 1 a.m.49°Fcomfortable, gusty
  • 2 a.m.38°Fchilly, frost, gusty
  • 3 a.m.36°Fchilly, frost, gusty
  • 4 a.m.42°Fchilly
  • 5 a.m.42°Fchilly
  • 6 a.m.33°Fcold, frost
  • 7 a.m.39°Fchilly

This spot sits about 107 m below the land around it. On clear, calm nights cold air pools here, so expect it colder and wetter than the forecast.

Times are local time at your spot (GMT-6).

What works tonight

The gear this night calls for, for someone who sleeps like you.

  • Missing

    Sleeping bag

    Comfort 30°F or colder

    Usually sold as a 21° bag. The number in a bag's name is the limit, not the comfort.

  • Missing

    Underneath you

    R2.5 or more

    The R-value says how well a pad keeps the cold ground out.

  • Worth adding

    Also useful

    A bag liner

    Adds a few degrees to the bag you already own.

Before you sleep

  • Put on a warm layer and a hat before about 2 a.m., or go to bed already wearing them.
  • Eat a proper meal with some fat before bed. Your body keeps burning it through the night.
  • Pee right before you get in your bag. Getting out at 3 a.m. in the cold is worse.
  • Sleep in dry clothes, not the ones you wore all day. Damp fabric pulls heat out of you.
  • Fill a sturdy water bottle with hot (not boiling) water, check the lid does not leak, and put it in your bag by your core or feet.
  • Your spot sits lower than the ground around it. On a clear, calm night cold air drains into spots like this, so expect it colder and wetter than the forecast. If you can, move a little higher up, away from the creek or valley floor.
  • Stake out every guyline and point the low, narrow end of the tent into the wind.
  • Bring shoes, clothes and electronics inside. Anything left out will be wet by morning.
  • Open the tent vents and keep the door zip open a bit at the top. Some condensation inside is normal on a night like this, so bring a small towel to wipe it off.
How we estimated this

At the coldest hour (6 a.m.):

Outside at your spot
38°F
Warmth your shelter holds
+2 °F
Clear-sky cooling
−1 °F
Low spot
−6 °F
Air around you
33°F
Your bag's comfort rating
39°F
Cold ground through what you lie on
+4 °F
Your comfort limit
43°F

10 °F short, so you will likely be cold.

Assumptions

  • Bag categories use typical ratings as sold: summer about 50 °F (10 °C), 3-season about 30 °F (-1 °C), winter about 15 °F (-9 °C). The number in a bag's name is usually its lower limit, so its comfort rating is about 9 °F (5 °C) warmer.
  • What you lie on: foam mat about R2, thin air pad about R1.5, insulated pad about R3.5, winter pad R5 and up, van bed about R4, air mattress about R0.5. Colder ground needs a higher R-value.
  • Shelters hold a few degrees early in the night and less towards morning. Wind and clear, calm skies take warmth away.
  • Weather: Open-Meteo forecast for your spot, on a grid of a few kilometers, corrected to its height.
  • These are rules of thumb, not measurements. People and gear vary.

A forecast, not a promise. Mountains, valleys and water make their own weather, so trust what you see and feel on site. Terms and liability

Checked for a double-wall tent, a 3-season bag and a thin air pad. Check your own gear here.

Book or read more on Recreation.gov

Campgrounds nearby