Grand Rapids, Michigan climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Grand Rapids's normal year runs from 19°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons, with 39.4 inches of precipitation and 78 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.6°C, January lows of −7°C, July highs of 28°C, 1,001 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationGrand Rapids Gerald R Ford International Airport
- Station IDUSW00094860
- Location42.89°N 85.54°W
- Elevation778 ft (237 m)
- From the center7 miles
- Population200,117
On October 23, the normal high in Grand Rapids is 58°F and the normal low 40°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 41%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Grand Rapids.
- Jan 31° 19°
- Feb 34° 20°
- Mar 45° 27°
- Apr 58° 37°
- May 70° 49°
- Jun 79° 58°
- Jul 83° 63°
- Aug 81° 61°
- Sep 74° 53°
- Oct 61° 42°
- Nov 47° 33°
- Dec 36° 25°
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 Grand Rapids each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 19°F. The most precipitation falls in October (4.02 in), the least in February (2.12 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 | 31°F | 19°F | 24.8°F | 2.52 | 22.6 | 17 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 34°F | 20°F | 26.6°F | 2.12 | 17.2 | 13 | <1 | 25 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 45°F | 27°F | 35.7°F | 2.39 | 7.6 | 12 | <1 | 23 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 58°F | 37°F | 47.6°F | 3.99 | 2.0 | 13 | <1 | 10 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 70°F | 49°F | 59.2°F | 4.00 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | 1 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 79°F | 58°F | 68.9°F | 3.94 | 0.0 | 11 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 83°F | 63°F | 72.8°F | 3.86 | 0.0 | 10 | 4 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 81°F | 61°F | 71.1°F | 3.55 | 0.0 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 74°F | 53°F | 63.5°F | 3.43 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 61°F | 42°F | 51.5°F | 4.02 | 0.3 | 13 | <1 | 4 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 47°F | 33°F | 40.0°F | 3.10 | 7.1 | 13 | <1 | 16 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 36°F | 25°F | 30.4°F | 2.48 | 20.8 | 16 | <1 | 26 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 58°F | 41°F | 49.3°F | 39.40 | 77.6 | 149 | 10 | 133 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1°C | −7°C | −4.0°C | 64 mm | 57 cm |
| February | 1°C | −7°C | −3.0°C | 54 mm | 44 cm |
| March | 7°C | −3°C | 2.1°C | 61 mm | 19 cm |
| April | 14°C | 3°C | 8.7°C | 101 mm | 5 cm |
| May | 21°C | 9°C | 15.1°C | 102 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 26°C | 15°C | 20.5°C | 100 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 28°C | 17°C | 22.7°C | 98 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 16°C | 21.7°C | 90 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 23°C | 12°C | 17.5°C | 87 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 16°C | 6°C | 10.8°C | 102 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 8°C | 0°C | 4.4°C | 79 mm | 18 cm |
| December | 2°C | −4°C | −0.9°C | 63 mm | 53 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094860; 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 Grand Rapids?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, August 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 USW00094860.
When is the last frost in Grand Rapids?
In Grand Rapids, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 29 in half of years and after May 15 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 20 in half of years and before October 4 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
- April 291 year in 10 after May 15; 9 in 10 after April 14
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 201 year in 10 before October 4; 9 in 10 before November 2
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 174 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 200 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 16 in half of springs and before November 2 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Grand Rapids in zone 6a across its 7 ZIP code areas (6a in 49504, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Grand Rapids's NOAA station is in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −6°F (30 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Michigan · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00094860; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
What hardiness zone is each Grand Rapids ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Grand Rapids's 7 ZIP code areas are all in zone 6a. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Grand Rapids?
In a normal year in Grand Rapids, 10 days a year reach 90°F, 133 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 149 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 10a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 133a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 51high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 149a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 24a normal year
The highest temperature in Grand Rapids's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1892) is 108°F, on July 13, 1936; the lowest is −24°F, on February 14, 1899.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2019, with 51.37 in; the snowiest season is 1951–52, with 132.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00094860; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record GRRthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Grand Rapids, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 60°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 61°F; the driest air comes in January (18°F). December is the windiest month (10.5 mph on average), and August has the most clear or nearly clear hours (49%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18°F | 77% | 69% | 10.5 mph | 15% | 64% |
| February | 21°F | 72% | 61% | 10.5 mph | 27% | 52% |
| March | 30°F | 65% | 50% | 10.5 mph | 31% | 44% |
| April | 39°F | 60% | 45% | 10.2 mph | 34% | 36% |
| May | 52°F | 66% | 49% | 8.6 mph | 37% | 28% |
| June | 60°F | 67% | 49% | 8.3 mph | 43% | 18% |
| July | 61°F | 70% | 51% | 7.4 mph | 42% | 18% |
| August | 59°F | 73% | 53% | 7.3 mph | 49% | 19% |
| September | 48°F | 73% | 54% | 8.6 mph | 42% | 29% |
| October | 37°F | 73% | 59% | 9.9 mph | 30% | 48% |
| November | 28°F | 76% | 68% | 10.4 mph | 16% | 64% |
| December | 21°F | 79% | 72% | 10.5 mph | 12% | 70% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00094860. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Grand Rapids?
Over a year 70% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Grand Rapids, 3.8 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (81%) and December the cloudiest (50%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 428th (with 16 others) in sunshine.
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 52% | 1.4 |
| February | 57% | 2.2 |
| March | 65% | 3.5 |
| April | 68% | 4.7 |
| May | 71% | 5.5 |
| June | 77% | 6.3 |
| July | 81% | 6.3 |
| August | 79% | 5.4 |
| September | 77% | 4.3 |
| October | 65% | 2.7 |
| November | 60% | 1.7 |
| December | 50% | 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 Grand Rapids need?
A normal year in Grand Rapids brings 6,408 heating degree days, 19% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 732 cooling degree days, 19% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,888 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,246 | 0 |
| February | 1,075 | 0 |
| March | 910 | 1 |
| April | 528 | 5 |
| May | 225 | 45 |
| June | 38 | 154 |
| July | 5 | 247 |
| August | 12 | 200 |
| September | 119 | 73 |
| October | 428 | 8 |
| November | 750 | 0 |
| December | 1,073 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,408 | 732 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094860. 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.
Has Grand Rapids been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 49.4°F, 0.1°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 49.3°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50.8°F | +1.5°F | 38.04 | 60.6 |
| 2022 | 48.7°F | −0.6°F | 37.73 | 118.8 |
| 2023 | 51.0°F | +1.7°F | 36.74 | 46.3 |
| 2024 | 52.2°F | +2.9°F | 36.90 | 75.3 |
| 2025 | 49.4°F | +0.1°F | 28.78 | 59.6 |
Over 119 complete years from 1889 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 4.1°F per century (+0.23°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00094860; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Grand Rapids's climate compare?
Grand Rapids is warmer than 124 of the other 139 places with their own NOAA record in Michigan, and wetter than 115. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 49.3°F is warmer than 37%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Grand Rapids is Dfa: continental, no dry season, hot 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.
Which places near Grand Rapids share this climate record?
2 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Forest Hills, MI28,494 people · 5 mi NE
- Lowell, MI4,153 people · 10 mi E
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Grand Rapids's climate
What is the coldest month in Grand Rapids?
January, with a normal high of 31°F and a normal low of 19°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 63°F at night).
Does it snow in Grand Rapids?
Yes: 78 inches in a normal year, falling on 51 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (22.6 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Grand Rapids?
October, with 4.02 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.12 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Grand Rapids in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Grand Rapids in zone 6a across its 7 ZIP code areas (6a in 49504, the largest). By the same method at Grand Rapids's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −6°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 6a.
How late can frost come in Grand Rapids?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 29; in one year in ten it comes after May 15. Waiting until May 15 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Grand Rapids in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Michigan climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Kentwood, MI0 miles from this station, 48.3°F a year
- East Grand Rapids, MI4 miles from this station, 48.0°F a year
- Hastings, MI22 miles from this station, 47.5°F a year
- Ionia, MI24 miles from this station, 47.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made