Jackson, Michigan climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Jackson's normal year runs from 18°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons, with 32.2 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.4°C, January lows of −8°C, July highs of 28°C, 818 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationJackson Reynolds Field
- Station IDUSW00014833
- Location42.27°N 84.47°W
- Elevation998 ft (304 m)
- From the center4 miles
- Population30,920
On October 14, the normal high in Jackson is 62°F and the normal low 42°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 36%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Jackson.
- Jan 31° 18°
- Feb 35° 19°
- Mar 45° 27°
- Apr 59° 37°
- May 70° 48°
- Jun 79° 57°
- Jul 83° 61°
- Aug 80° 59°
- Sep 74° 52°
- Oct 61° 41°
- Nov 48° 32°
- Dec 36° 24°
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 Jackson each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 18°F. The most precipitation falls in August (3.81 in), the least in February (1.52 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. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31°F | 18°F | 24.4°F | 1.67 | 13 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 35°F | 19°F | 26.6°F | 1.52 | 10 | <1 | 25 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 45°F | 27°F | 36.0°F | 1.93 | 11 | <1 | 23 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 59°F | 37°F | 47.8°F | 2.94 | 13 | <1 | 10 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 70°F | 48°F | 58.8°F | 3.40 | 12 | <1 | 1 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 79°F | 57°F | 68.0°F | 3.58 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 83°F | 61°F | 71.6°F | 3.35 | 9 | 4 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 80°F | 59°F | 69.9°F | 3.81 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 74°F | 52°F | 62.6°F | 2.98 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 61°F | 41°F | 51.2°F | 2.92 | 11 | <1 | 6 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 48°F | 32°F | 39.9°F | 2.33 | 11 | <1 | 17 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 36°F | 24°F | 29.9°F | 1.76 | 12 | <1 | 26 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 58°F | 40°F | 48.9°F | 32.19 | 133 | 8 | 137 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0°C | −8°C | −4.2°C | 42 mm |
| February | 1°C | −7°C | −3.0°C | 39 mm |
| March | 7°C | −3°C | 2.2°C | 49 mm |
| April | 15°C | 3°C | 8.8°C | 75 mm |
| May | 21°C | 9°C | 14.9°C | 86 mm |
| June | 26°C | 14°C | 20.0°C | 91 mm |
| July | 28°C | 16°C | 22.0°C | 85 mm |
| August | 27°C | 15°C | 21.1°C | 97 mm |
| September | 23°C | 11°C | 17.0°C | 76 mm |
| October | 16°C | 5°C | 10.7°C | 74 mm |
| November | 9°C | 0°C | 4.4°C | 59 mm |
| December | 2°C | −5°C | −1.2°C | 45 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Chelsea (24 miles away), gets 33 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014833; 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 Jackson?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, July has the fewest days with rain (9).
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 USW00014833.
When is the last frost in Jackson?
In Jackson, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 1 in half of years and after May 18 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 14 in half of years and before September 30 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 11 year in 10 after May 18; 9 in 10 after April 16
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 141 year in 10 before September 30; 9 in 10 before October 28
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 164 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 189 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 20 in half of springs and before October 28 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Jackson in zone 6a across its 2 ZIP code areas (6a in 49203, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Jackson's NOAA station is in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −8°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 USW00014833; 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 Jackson ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Jackson's 2 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 Jackson?
In a normal year in Jackson, 8 days a year reach 90°F, 137 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 133 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 8a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 137a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 50high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 133a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1944) is 103°F, on July 15, 1977; the lowest is −20°F, on January 18, 1976.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1954, with 39.14 in; the snowiest season is 1981–82, with 68.2 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014833; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00014833. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Jackson, 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 (17°F). January is the windiest month (9.3 mph on average), and July has the most clear or nearly clear hours (73%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 17°F | 75% | 64% | 9.3 mph | – | – |
| February | 20°F | 70% | 57% | 9.2 mph | 45% | 45% |
| March | 29°F | 63% | 47% | 9.2 mph | 54% | 37% |
| April | 39°F | 60% | 45% | 8.9 mph | 54% | 30% |
| May | 52°F | 68% | 52% | 7.0 mph | 61% | 23% |
| June | 60°F | 70% | 52% | 6.3 mph | 67% | 13% |
| July | 61°F | 73% | 54% | 5.7 mph | 73% | 12% |
| August | 59°F | 75% | 55% | 5.7 mph | 71% | 14% |
| September | 48°F | 74% | 54% | 6.8 mph | 63% | 23% |
| October | 36°F | 71% | 56% | 8.3 mph | – | – |
| November | 27°F | 75% | 64% | 9.1 mph | – | – |
| December | 21°F | 77% | 69% | 9.2 mph | – | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014833. 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 Jackson?
Over a year 71% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Jackson, 3.8 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (80%) and December the cloudiest (52%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 56% | 1.5 |
| February | 62% | 2.4 |
| March | 67% | 3.6 |
| April | 68% | 4.6 |
| May | 70% | 5.4 |
| June | 76% | 6.2 |
| July | 80% | 6.3 |
| August | 78% | 5.4 |
| September | 77% | 4.3 |
| October | 67% | 2.7 |
| November | 62% | 1.8 |
| December | 52% | 1.2 |
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 Jackson need?
A normal year in Jackson brings 6,470 heating degree days, 20% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 635 cooling degree days, 30% 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 2,767 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,258 | 0 |
| February | 1,077 | 0 |
| March | 900 | 1 |
| April | 520 | 4 |
| May | 234 | 40 |
| June | 46 | 136 |
| July | 9 | 213 |
| August | 18 | 170 |
| September | 134 | 63 |
| October | 434 | 7 |
| November | 753 | 0 |
| December | 1,088 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,470 | 635 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014833. 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 Jackson been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 48.5°F, 0.4°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 48.9°F. 2 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50.7°F | +1.8°F | 34.72 |
| 2022 | 48.5°F | −0.4°F | 27.04 |
| 2024 | 51.6°F | +2.7°F | 37.42 |
| 2025 | 48.5°F | −0.4°F | – |
Over 69 complete years from 1949 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 2.4°F per century (+0.13°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00014833; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Jackson's climate compare?
Jackson is warmer than 120 of the other 139 places with their own NOAA record in Michigan, and wetter than 27. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 48.9°F is warmer than 36%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Jackson 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.
Which places near Jackson share this climate record?
6 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.
- Albion, MI7,494 people · 15 mi W
- Michigan Center, MI4,623 people · 8 mi E
- Vandercook Lake, MI4,434 people · 7 mi SE
- Spring Arbor, MI2,385 people · 6 mi SW
- Concord, MI1,088 people · 11 mi SW
- Parma, MI765 people · 4 mi W
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 Jackson's climate
What is the coldest month in Jackson?
January, with a normal high of 31°F and a normal low of 18°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 61°F at night).
Does it snow in Jackson?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Jackson's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Chelsea (24 miles away), records 33 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Jackson?
August, with 3.81 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.52 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Jackson in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Jackson in zone 6a across its 2 ZIP code areas (6a in 49203, the largest). By the same method at Jackson's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −8°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 6a.
How late can frost come in Jackson?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 1; in one year in ten it comes after May 18. Waiting until May 18 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Jackson in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Michigan climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Eaton Rapids, MI20 miles from this station, 48.1°F a year
- Chelsea, MI24 miles from this station, 48.3°F a year
- Manchester, MI24 miles from this station, 48.3°F a year
- Tipton (2 mi WNW), MI25 miles from this station, 47.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made