Hancock, Michigan climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Hancock's normal year runs from 10°F January nights to 75°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.8°C, January lows of −12°C, July highs of 24°C.
- NOAA stationHancock Houghton County Airport
- Station IDUSW00014858
- Location47.17°N 88.49°W
- Elevation1,095 ft (334 m)
- Population4,620
On October 14, the normal high in Hancock is 52°F and the normal low 37°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Hancock.
- Jan 22° 10°
- Feb 25° 9°
- Mar 34° 17°
- Apr 46° 29°
- May 61° 40°
- Jun 71° 49°
- Jul 75° 55°
- Aug 74° 54°
- Sep 66° 47°
- Oct 52° 37°
- Nov 38° 26°
- Dec 28° 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 Hancock each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 75°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 10°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22°F | 10°F | 16.1°F | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| February | 25°F | 9°F | 17.0°F | – | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 34°F | 17°F | 25.2°F | – | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 46°F | 29°F | 37.2°F | – | <1 | 20 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 61°F | 40°F | 50.2°F | – | <1 | 5 | 15 h |
| June | 71°F | 49°F | 59.7°F | – | 1 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 75°F | 55°F | 65.0°F | – | 1 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 74°F | 54°F | 64.2°F | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 66°F | 47°F | 56.4°F | – | <1 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 52°F | 37°F | 44.0°F | – | <1 | 9 | 11 h |
| November | 38°F | 26°F | 32.0°F | – | <1 | 23 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 28°F | 16°F | 21.9°F | – | <1 | 30 | 8 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 49°F | 32°F | 40.7°F | – | 2 | 175 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5°C | −12°C | −8.8°C |
| February | −4°C | −13°C | −8.3°C |
| March | 1°C | −8°C | −3.8°C |
| April | 8°C | −2°C | 2.9°C |
| May | 16°C | 4°C | 10.1°C |
| June | 21°C | 9°C | 15.4°C |
| July | 24°C | 13°C | 18.3°C |
| August | 23°C | 12°C | 17.9°C |
| September | 19°C | 8°C | 13.6°C |
| October | 11°C | 3°C | 6.7°C |
| November | 3°C | −3°C | 0.0°C |
| December | −2°C | −9°C | −5.6°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station, and no record within 25 miles keeps one, so snow is left out here rather than estimated.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014858; 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 Hancock?
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 USW00014858.
When is the last frost in Hancock?
In Hancock, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 17 in half of years and after June 3 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 171 year in 10 after June 3; 9 in 10 after May 1
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 11 year in 10 before September 16; 9 in 10 before October 18
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 138 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 164 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 2 in half of springs and before October 14 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Hancock in zone 5b in ZIP code 49921, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Hancock's NOAA station is in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −13°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 USW00014858; 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.
How hot and how cold does it get in Hancock?
In a normal year in Hancock, 2 days a year reach 90°F and 175 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- 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
- 96high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1887) is 102°F, on July 7, 1988; the lowest is −30°F, on February 10, 1948.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1985, with 53.43 in; the snowiest season is 1978–79, with 354.1 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014858; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00014858. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Hancock, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 55°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 56°F; the driest air comes in January (11°F). December is the windiest month (10.4 mph on average), and July has the most clear or nearly clear hours (69%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11°F | 78% | 74% | 10.3 mph | – | – |
| February | 13°F | 75% | 67% | 10.0 mph | 44% | 45% |
| March | 23°F | 70% | 60% | 9.9 mph | 54% | 35% |
| April | 31°F | 60% | 48% | 9.6 mph | 61% | 27% |
| May | 44°F | 65% | 52% | 8.6 mph | 63% | 22% |
| June | 54°F | 71% | 55% | 8.8 mph | 64% | 21% |
| July | 56°F | 72% | 55% | 8.3 mph | 69% | 15% |
| August | 54°F | 75% | 58% | 8.5 mph | 66% | 18% |
| September | 43°F | 75% | 62% | 9.4 mph | 50% | 34% |
| October | 31°F | 75% | 66% | 10.0 mph | – | – |
| November | 21°F | 80% | 75% | 10.3 mph | – | – |
| December | 14°F | 80% | 77% | 10.4 mph | – | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014858. 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 Hancock?
Over a year 68% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Hancock, 3.4 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (78%) and December the cloudiest (45%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 47% | 1.0 |
| February | 56% | 1.9 |
| March | 67% | 3.3 |
| April | 69% | 4.6 |
| May | 69% | 5.4 |
| June | 73% | 6.0 |
| July | 78% | 6.0 |
| August | 77% | 5.1 |
| September | 72% | 3.7 |
| October | 62% | 2.2 |
| November | 52% | 1.2 |
| December | 45% | 0.8 |
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 Hancock need?
A normal year in Hancock brings 9,013 heating degree days, 68% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 206 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 1,605 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,516 | 0 |
| February | 1,345 | 0 |
| March | 1,234 | 0 |
| April | 836 | 0 |
| May | 469 | 8 |
| June | 191 | 32 |
| July | 79 | 80 |
| August | 91 | 64 |
| September | 277 | 21 |
| October | 652 | 1 |
| November | 990 | 0 |
| December | 1,335 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,013 | 206 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014858. 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 Hancock been warmer than normal lately?
2023 averaged 44.0°F, 3.3°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 40.7°F. 3 of the 3 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 44.3°F | +3.6°F |
| 2022 | 40.9°F | +0.2°F |
| 2023 | 44.0°F | +3.3°F |
Over 59 complete years from 1948 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 4.9°F per century (+0.27°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00014858; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Hancock's climate compare?
Hancock is warmer than 6 of the other 139 places with their own NOAA record in Michigan. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 40.7°F is warmer than 7%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Hancock share this climate record?
15 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.
- Houghton, MI8,543 people · 5 mi SW
- Laurium, MI1,904 people · 5 mi NE
- Dollar Bay, MI1,070 people · 3 mi S
- Lake Linden, MI1,051 people · 4 mi NE
- Hubbell, MI970 people · 3 mi E
- South Range, MI753 people · 10 mi SW
- Calumet, MI692 people · 6 mi N
- Atlantic Mine, MI513 people · 8 mi SW
- Dodgeville, MI298 people · 7 mi SW
- Mohawk, MI260 people · 12 mi NE
- Copper City, MI210 people · 9 mi NE
- Fulton, MI189 people · 11 mi NE
- Trimountain, MI189 people · 11 mi SW
- Hurontown, MI155 people · 6 mi SW
- Ahmeek, MI118 people · 10 mi NE
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 Hancock's climate
What is the coldest month in Hancock?
January, with a normal high of 22°F and a normal low of 10°F. The warmest is July (75°F by day, 55°F at night).
What plant hardiness zone is Hancock in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Hancock in zone 5b in ZIP code 49921, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Hancock's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −13°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 5b.
How late can frost come in Hancock?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 17; in one year in ten it comes after June 3. Waiting until June 3 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Michigan climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Jacobsville, MI11 miles from this station, 39.9°F a year
- Baraga, MI25 miles from this station, 41.0°F a year
- Copper Harbor, MI35 miles from this station, 42.5°F a year
- Herman, MI35 miles from this station, 39.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made