diff --git a/python/lsst/ip/diffim/getTemplate.py b/python/lsst/ip/diffim/getTemplate.py
index 04e9d5ce6..aeb498e1c 100644
--- a/python/lsst/ip/diffim/getTemplate.py
+++ b/python/lsst/ip/diffim/getTemplate.py
@@ -398,7 +398,9 @@ def _merge(self, maskedImages, bbox, wcs):
         merged = afwImage.ExposureF(bbox, wcs)
         weights = afwImage.ImageF(bbox)
         for maskedImage in maskedImages:
-            weight = afwImage.ImageF(maskedImage.variance.array**(-0.5))
+            goodPix = maskedImage.variance.array > 0
+            weight = afwImage.ImageF(maskedImage.getBBox())
+            weight.array[goodPix] = maskedImage.variance.array[goodPix]**(-0.5)
             bad = np.isnan(maskedImage.image.array) | ~np.isfinite(maskedImage.variance.array)
             # Note that modifying the patch MaskedImage in place is fine;
             # we're throwing it away at the end anyway.
@@ -419,9 +421,13 @@ def _merge(self, maskedImages, bbox, wcs):
         # Cannot use `merged.maskedImage /= weights` because that operator
         # divides the variance by the weight twice; in this case `weights` are
         # the exact values we want to scale by.
-        merged.image /= weights
-        merged.variance /= weights
-        merged.mask.array |= merged.mask.getPlaneBitMask("NO_DATA") * (weights.array == 0)
+        invWeights = np.zeros_like(weights.array)
+        goodPix = weights.array > 0
+        invWeights[goodPix] = 1/weights.array[goodPix]
+
+        merged.image.array *= invWeights
+        merged.variance.array *= invWeights
+        merged.mask.array |= merged.mask.getPlaneBitMask("NO_DATA") * (invWeights == 0)
 
         return merged
 
diff --git a/tests/test_getTemplate.py b/tests/test_getTemplate.py
index a9b00e9b1..0da547356 100644
--- a/tests/test_getTemplate.py
+++ b/tests/test_getTemplate.py
@@ -282,9 +282,7 @@ def testMissingPatches(self):
                           dataIds=self.dataIds,
                           physical_filter="a_test")
         no_data = (result.template.mask.array & result.template.mask.getPlaneBitMask("NO_DATA")) != 0
-        self.assertTrue(all(np.isnan(result.template.image.array[no_data])))
-        self.assertTrue(all(np.isnan(result.template.variance.array[no_data])))
-        self.assertEqual(no_data.sum(), 21548)
+        self.assertEqual(no_data.sum(), 20990)
 
 
 def setup_module(module):