Alberta Ford Forestry Center, Michigan climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Alberta Ford Forestry Center's normal year runs from 6°F January nights to 77°F July afternoons, with 33.2 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.9°C, January lows of −14°C, July highs of 25°C, 843 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationAlberta Ford Forestry Center
- Station IDUSC00200089
- Location46.64°N 88.48°W
- Elevation1,310 ft (399 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Alberta Ford Forestry Center is 50°F and the normal low 33°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Alberta Ford Forestry Center.
- Jan 21° 6°
- Feb 25° 6°
- Mar 36° 15°
- Apr 48° 28°
- May 63° 40°
- Jun 73° 50°
- Jul 77° 55°
- Aug 76° 54°
- Sep 68° 47°
- Oct 53° 35°
- Nov 39° 25°
- Dec 27° 13°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Alberta Ford Forestry Center each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 77°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 6°F. The most precipitation falls in July (4.12 in), the least in March (1.56 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21°F | 6°F | 13.7°F | 1.97 | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 25°F | 6°F | 15.4°F | 1.58 | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 36°F | 15°F | 25.4°F | 1.56 | – | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 48°F | 28°F | 37.8°F | 2.65 | – | <1 | 23 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 63°F | 40°F | 51.7°F | 3.27 | – | <1 | 8 | 15 h |
| June | 73°F | 50°F | 61.7°F | 3.45 | – | 1 | 1 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 77°F | 55°F | 66.2°F | 4.12 | – | 1 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 76°F | 54°F | 64.8°F | 3.15 | – | 1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 68°F | 47°F | 57.7°F | 3.56 | – | <1 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 53°F | 35°F | 44.3°F | 3.68 | – | <1 | 13 | 11 h |
| November | 39°F | 25°F | 31.7°F | 2.10 | – | <1 | 25 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 27°F | 13°F | 20.2°F | 2.08 | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 51°F | 31°F | 40.9°F | 33.17 | – | 3 | 189 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −6°C | −14°C | −10.2°C | 50 mm |
| February | −4°C | −15°C | −9.2°C | 40 mm |
| March | 2°C | −10°C | −3.7°C | 40 mm |
| April | 9°C | −2°C | 3.2°C | 67 mm |
| May | 17°C | 5°C | 10.9°C | 83 mm |
| June | 23°C | 10°C | 16.5°C | 88 mm |
| July | 25°C | 13°C | 19.0°C | 105 mm |
| August | 24°C | 12°C | 18.2°C | 80 mm |
| September | 20°C | 9°C | 14.3°C | 90 mm |
| October | 12°C | 2°C | 6.8°C | 93 mm |
| November | 4°C | −4°C | −0.2°C | 53 mm |
| December | −3°C | −10°C | −6.6°C | 53 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Herman (5 miles away), gets 208 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00200089; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
Which months are mildest at Alberta Ford Forestry Center?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September.
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00200089.
When is the last frost at Alberta Ford Forestry Center?
In Alberta Ford Forestry Center, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 23 in half of years and after June 8 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 1 in half of years and before September 16 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- May 231 year in 10 after June 8; 9 in 10 after May 4
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 11 year in 10 before September 16; 9 in 10 before October 14
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 128 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 155 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 9 in half of springs and before October 11 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Alberta Ford Forestry Center in zone 4a in ZIP code 49919, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Michigan · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00200089; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at Alberta Ford Forestry Center?
In a normal year in Alberta Ford Forestry Center, 3 days a year reach 90°F and 189 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 189a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 96high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1956) is 99°F, on July 14, 2026; the lowest is −38°F, on February 17, 1979.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1968, with 47.43 in; the snowiest season is 2025–26, with 202.4 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00200089; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00200089. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Alberta Ford Forestry Center?
Over a year 69% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Alberta Ford Forestry Center, 3.6 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (78%) and December the cloudiest (50%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 56% | 1.3 |
| February | 63% | 2.2 |
| March | 68% | 3.5 |
| April | 67% | 4.5 |
| May | 69% | 5.4 |
| June | 73% | 6.0 |
| July | 78% | 6.2 |
| August | 75% | 5.1 |
| September | 71% | 3.8 |
| October | 61% | 2.3 |
| November | 54% | 1.3 |
| December | 50% | 0.9 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How many heating and cooling degree days does Alberta Ford Forestry Center record?
A normal year at Alberta Ford Forestry Center brings 9,046 heating degree days, 68% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 291 cooling degree days, 68% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,824 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,592 | 0 |
| February | 1,387 | 0 |
| March | 1,228 | 0 |
| April | 816 | 0 |
| May | 427 | 16 |
| June | 158 | 57 |
| July | 65 | 102 |
| August | 89 | 81 |
| September | 253 | 33 |
| October | 642 | 2 |
| November | 999 | 0 |
| December | 1,390 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,046 | 291 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00200089. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Have recent years at Alberta Ford Forestry Center been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 41.0°F, 0.1°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 40.9°F. 3 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 41.5°F | +0.6°F | 28.73 |
| 2022 | 38.4°F | −2.5°F | 40.50 |
| 2024 | 44.4°F | +3.5°F | 31.50 |
| 2025 | 41.0°F | +0.1°F | 35.65 |
Over 39 complete years from 1958 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 4.4°F per century (+0.25°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00200089; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Alberta Ford Forestry Center's climate compare?
Alberta Ford Forestry Center is warmer than 7 of the 140 places with their own NOAA record in Michigan, and wetter than 40. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 40.9°F is warmer than 7%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Alberta Ford Forestry Center is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Questions about Alberta Ford Forestry Center's climate
What is the coldest month at Alberta Ford Forestry Center?
January, with a normal high of 21°F and a normal low of 6°F. The warmest is July (77°F by day, 55°F at night).
Does it snow at Alberta Ford Forestry Center?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Herman (5 miles away), records 208 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Alberta Ford Forestry Center?
July, with 4.12 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is March with 1.56 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Alberta Ford Forestry Center in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Alberta Ford Forestry Center in zone 4a in ZIP code 49919, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Alberta Ford Forestry Center?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 23; in one year in ten it comes after June 8. Waiting until June 8 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Michigan climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Herman, MI5 miles from this station, 39.3°F a year
- Covington, MI7 miles from this station, 40.4°F a year
- Watton (2 mi WSW), MI11 miles from this station, 40.4°F a year
- Baraga, MI14 miles from this station, 41.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made