Escanaba, Michigan climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Escanaba's normal year runs from 8°F January nights to 77°F July afternoons, with 28.8 inches of precipitation and 47 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 5.7°C, January lows of −13°C, July highs of 25°C, 733 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationEscanaba
- Station IDUSW00014824
- Location45.72°N 87.09°W
- Elevation590 ft (180 m)
- Population12,296
On October 23, the normal high in Escanaba is 52°F and the normal low 34°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 38%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Escanaba.
- Jan 26° 8°
- Feb 28° 8°
- Mar 37° 18°
- Apr 47° 29°
- May 60° 41°
- Jun 71° 51°
- Jul 77° 56°
- Aug 76° 55°
- Sep 68° 49°
- Oct 55° 37°
- Nov 42° 27°
- Dec 31° 16°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Escanaba each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 77°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 8°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.45 in), the least in February (1.03 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26°F | 8°F | 16.9°F | 1.18 | 13.7 | 9 | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 28°F | 8°F | 18.0°F | 1.03 | 10.2 | 7 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 37°F | 18°F | 27.3°F | 1.64 | 6.1 | 7 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 47°F | 29°F | 38.4°F | 2.34 | 4.4 | 10 | <1 | 19 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 60°F | 41°F | 50.4°F | 3.32 | 0.0 | 12 | <1 | 4 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 71°F | 51°F | 60.7°F | 3.45 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 77°F | 56°F | 66.5°F | 2.90 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 76°F | 55°F | 65.4°F | 2.99 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 68°F | 49°F | 58.2°F | 3.21 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 55°F | 37°F | 45.5°F | 3.06 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | 11 | 11 h |
| November | 42°F | 27°F | 34.8°F | 2.35 | 2.3 | 9 | <1 | 23 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 31°F | 16°F | 23.8°F | 1.37 | 10.2 | 9 | <1 | 30 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 51°F | 33°F | 42.2°F | 28.84 | 46.9 | 120 | 2 | 175 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −4°C | −13°C | −8.4°C | 30 mm | 35 cm |
| February | −2°C | −13°C | −7.8°C | 26 mm | 26 cm |
| March | 3°C | −8°C | −2.6°C | 42 mm | 15 cm |
| April | 8°C | −1°C | 3.6°C | 59 mm | 11 cm |
| May | 16°C | 5°C | 10.2°C | 84 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 21°C | 11°C | 15.9°C | 88 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 25°C | 14°C | 19.2°C | 74 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 24°C | 13°C | 18.6°C | 76 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 20°C | 9°C | 14.6°C | 82 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 13°C | 3°C | 7.5°C | 78 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 6°C | −3°C | 1.6°C | 60 mm | 6 cm |
| December | 0°C | −9°C | −4.6°C | 35 mm | 26 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014824; 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.
When is the best weather to visit Escanaba?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, July has the fewest days with rain (10).
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 USW00014824.
When is the last frost in Escanaba?
In Escanaba, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 13 in half of years and after May 31 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 7 in half of years and before September 26 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 131 year in 10 after May 31; 9 in 10 after April 30
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 71 year in 10 before September 26; 9 in 10 before October 20
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 147 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 171 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 30 in half of springs and before October 20 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Escanaba in zone 5a in ZIP code 49829.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Michigan · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00014824; 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 in Escanaba?
In a normal year in Escanaba, 2 days a year reach 90°F, 175 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 120 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 2a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 175a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 70high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 120a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 11a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1874) is 100°F, on July 1, 1910; the lowest is −32°F, on February 7, 1875.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1881, with 48.49 in; the snowiest season is 1922–23, with 93.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014824; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00014824. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Escanaba?
Over a year 71% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Escanaba, 3.6 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (80%) and December the cloudiest (54%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 56% | 1.3 |
| February | 62% | 2.2 |
| March | 67% | 3.4 |
| April | 68% | 4.6 |
| May | 71% | 5.6 |
| June | 75% | 6.1 |
| July | 80% | 6.2 |
| August | 78% | 5.2 |
| September | 75% | 4.0 |
| October | 64% | 2.4 |
| November | 58% | 1.4 |
| December | 54% | 1.1 |
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 much heating and cooling does Escanaba need?
A normal year in Escanaba brings 8,498 heating degree days, 58% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 208 cooling degree days, 77% 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 1,718 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,493 | 0 |
| February | 1,316 | 0 |
| March | 1,169 | 0 |
| April | 799 | 0 |
| May | 451 | 0 |
| June | 158 | 29 |
| July | 45 | 92 |
| August | 56 | 68 |
| September | 222 | 19 |
| October | 605 | 1 |
| November | 906 | 0 |
| December | 1,279 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,498 | 208 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014824. 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.
How does Escanaba's climate compare?
Escanaba is warmer than 15 of the other 139 places with their own NOAA record in Michigan, and wetter than 2. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 42.2°F is warmer than 10%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Escanaba 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 Escanaba's climate
What is the coldest month in Escanaba?
January, with a normal high of 26°F and a normal low of 8°F. The warmest is July (77°F by day, 56°F at night).
Does it snow in Escanaba?
Yes: 47 inches in a normal year, falling on 18 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (13.7 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Escanaba?
June, with 3.45 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.03 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Escanaba in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Escanaba in zone 5a in ZIP code 49829.
How late can frost come in Escanaba?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 13; in one year in ten it comes after May 31. Waiting until May 31 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Escanaba in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Michigan climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Cornell (5 mi SE), MI8 miles from this station, 43.8°F a year
- Rapid River (4 mi SSE), MI13 miles from this station, 42.0°F a year
- Washington Island, WI27 miles from this station, 42.8°F a year
- Garden, MI29 miles from this station, 41.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made