Cornell, MI Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Cornell's primary NOAA station, CORNELL 5SE.
The climate verdict for Cornell
Cornell, Michigan has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 44°F. At 49/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 18% of scores.
- 44°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 49/100
- comfort score, above 18% of station-mapped location scores
- 30.1"
- annual precipitation · 43" snow
- 135 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Cornell: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00201802 · Cornell, MI 44°F mean · 30.1" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 44°F
- RANK-COOL #961
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Peshtigo
- PRCP-MID 30.1"
- SWING-WIDE 51°F
- COMF-LOW 49/100
- LOAD-HEAT 8,040 HDD
- STN-1 USC00201802
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Peshtigo, WI ( -0.1 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every MI station list.
- Cornell (this station) 44°F
- Cold Peshtigo, WI 44°F
- Hot Colton, NY 44°F
- Near Powder Rvr, WY 44°F
- Near Seminoe Rsvr Us…, WY 44°F
Climate Living Index · Cornell
Cornell: 32/100 · grade F
Cornell publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Cornell, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 49/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 30.1 in · 4.9 from 35 in | 83/100 · B |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 176 calendar days | 28/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 42.6 inches/year | 25/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 43.8°F · 23.7° from 67.5°F | 15/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 135 days/year | 15/100 · F |
Cornell · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Cornell is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 17.8°F and warmest-month mean 68.4°F place this station in continental, no dry season, warm summer climates (Dfb). Class Dfb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfb
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 68.4°F
- Coldest month
- 17.8°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Cornell sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Cornell's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 86%
- Among 6,861 stations, Cornell sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- 40th percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 83%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Cornell is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Cornell compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Cornell's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
49 18th percentile score exceeds 18% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27°F (-3°C) | 8°F (-13°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 1.2" | 10.3" | 30.8 | 0.0 |
| February | 30°F (-1°C) | 9°F (-13°C) | 20°F (-7°C) | 1.1" | 8.4" | 27.6 | 0.0 |
| March | 41°F (5°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 29°F (-1°C) | 1.4" | 7.9" | 28.6 | 0.0 |
| April | 53°F (11°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 2.5" | 3.1" | 20.9 | 0.0 |
| May | 66°F (19°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 2.9" | 0.1" | 5.5 | 0.0 |
| June | 76°F (25°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 3.2" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 0.7 |
| July | 82°F (28°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 3.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 2.7 |
| August | 81°F (27°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 67°F (20°C) | 3.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 1.7 |
| September | 72°F (22°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 3.6" | 0.0" | 1.6 | 0.3 |
| October | 58°F (14°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 3.3" | 0.4" | 12.1 | 0.0 |
| November | 44°F (7°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 2.2" | 3.7" | 23.7 | 0.0 |
| December | 33°F (0°C) | 16°F (-9°C) | 24°F (-4°C) | 1.7" | 8.7" | 30.0 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 82°F around July 22, short of 90°F on every date, while 176 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 7°F near January 27.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 23, then returns to freezing around October 31, covering 176 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is September 29, when 44% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is March 18 at 21%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 114 wet dates a year.
The widest day
July 28 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 27°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Cornell.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 10.3"
8.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 8.4"
6.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 7.9"
6.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.1"
8.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
10.8 days with precipitation
11.1 days with precipitation
11.5 days with precipitation
10.1 days with precipitation
12.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.4"
12.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.7"
8.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 8.7"
8.4 days with precipitation
Cornell spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 34% of the annual total and December through February 13%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Cornell has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a wide 50.6°F gap between its warmest and coldest month.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: September averages 3.6" and February 1.1". The three wettest months together take 35% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
How Cornell's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 114 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 30.1" between them, or roughly 0.26 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Cornell
Cornell averages 42.6 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 28 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 42.6 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 28 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 14% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 1
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 19
50% probability date
Growing Season
135 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
8,040
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
366
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside MI closest to Cornell on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (44°F here).
- Bridgton, ME 44°F · 0.0°F off
- Buffalo, MN 44°F · 0.0°F off
- Choteau, MT 44°F · 0.0°F off
- Hamer, ID 44°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (30.1" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Danbury, WI 30.1" · 0.0" off
- Lake Wilson, MN 30.1" · 0.0" off
- Mead, NE 30.1" · 0.0" off
- Weatherford, OK 30.1" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Cornell
heating led · moderate · mid swing
Cornell's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 8,040 annual heating degree days against 366 for cooling. Its 50.6°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 135 days are frost-free in a normal year. That short interval is consistent with the cold-season signal, but the measure does not predict the exact first or last freeze in any one year.
-
1. Cornell coldest normal
January
Averaging 18°F (-8°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Cornell typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Cornell snow peak
January
Cornell averages 42.6 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Cornell's climate
How much snow does Cornell get? ▼
How cold does Cornell get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Cornell? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Cornell's primary station: CORNELL 5SE (USC00201802). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for Cornell; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Cornell comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.