Lansing, Michigan climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Lansing's normal year runs from 17°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons, with 33.3 inches of precipitation and 50 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.2°C, January lows of −8°C, July highs of 28°C, 847 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationLansing Capital City Airport
- Station IDUSW00014836
- Location42.78°N 84.58°W
- Elevation841 ft (256 m)
- From the center5 miles
- Population114,336
On October 14, the normal high in Lansing is 61°F and the normal low 42°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 37%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Lansing.
- Jan 31° 17°
- Feb 34° 18°
- Mar 44° 26°
- Apr 58° 36°
- May 69° 48°
- Jun 79° 57°
- Jul 83° 61°
- Aug 81° 60°
- Sep 74° 52°
- Oct 61° 41°
- Nov 47° 32°
- Dec 36° 23°
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 Lansing each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 17°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.76 in), the least in February (1.71 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 | 17°F | 23.9°F | 2.06 | 14.3 | 14 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 34°F | 18°F | 25.9°F | 1.71 | 12.9 | 11 | <1 | 26 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 44°F | 26°F | 35.2°F | 2.13 | 5.9 | 11 | <1 | 24 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 58°F | 36°F | 47.0°F | 3.26 | 1.7 | 13 | <1 | 12 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 69°F | 48°F | 58.4°F | 3.66 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | 2 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 79°F | 57°F | 68.0°F | 3.76 | 0.0 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 83°F | 61°F | 71.8°F | 2.94 | 0.0 | 9 | 4 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 81°F | 60°F | 70.0°F | 3.48 | 0.0 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 74°F | 52°F | 62.5°F | 2.81 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 61°F | 41°F | 50.8°F | 3.16 | 0.2 | 12 | <1 | 6 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 47°F | 32°F | 39.5°F | 2.46 | 3.9 | 12 | <1 | 18 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 36°F | 23°F | 29.5°F | 1.90 | 11.3 | 14 | <1 | 27 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 58°F | 39°F | 48.6°F | 33.33 | 50.2 | 138 | 9 | 143 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1°C | −8°C | −4.5°C | 52 mm | 36 cm |
| February | 1°C | −8°C | −3.4°C | 43 mm | 33 cm |
| March | 7°C | −3°C | 1.8°C | 54 mm | 15 cm |
| April | 14°C | 2°C | 8.3°C | 83 mm | 4 cm |
| May | 21°C | 9°C | 14.7°C | 93 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 26°C | 14°C | 20.0°C | 96 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 28°C | 16°C | 22.1°C | 75 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 15°C | 21.1°C | 88 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 23°C | 11°C | 16.9°C | 71 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 16°C | 5°C | 10.4°C | 80 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 8°C | 0°C | 4.2°C | 62 mm | 10 cm |
| December | 2°C | −5°C | −1.4°C | 48 mm | 29 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014836; 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 Lansing?
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 USW00014836.
When is the last frost in Lansing?
In Lansing, 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 13 in half of years and before September 29 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 18
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 131 year in 10 before September 29; 9 in 10 before October 28
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 162 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 187 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 21 in half of springs and before October 27 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Lansing in zone 6a across its 6 ZIP code areas (6a in 48911, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Lansing's NOAA station is in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −9°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 USW00014836; 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 Lansing ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Lansing's 6 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 Lansing?
In a normal year in Lansing, 9 days a year reach 90°F, 143 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 138 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 9a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 143a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 53high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 138a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 15a normal year
The highest temperature in Lansing's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1863) is 103°F, on July 6, 2012; the lowest is −37°F, on February 2, 1868.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1883, with 48.41 in; the snowiest season is 1880–81, with 97.2 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014836; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record LANthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Lansing, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 59°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 60°F; the driest air comes in January (17°F). December is the windiest month (10.1 mph on average), and August has the most clear or nearly clear hours (50%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 17°F | 76% | 67% | 10.0 mph | 25% | 55% |
| February | 21°F | 72% | 60% | 9.8 mph | 33% | 49% |
| March | 30°F | 66% | 50% | 9.9 mph | 34% | 42% |
| April | 39°F | 61% | 46% | 9.4 mph | 38% | 35% |
| May | 52°F | 67% | 50% | 7.9 mph | 40% | 28% |
| June | 59°F | 68% | 50% | 7.4 mph | 44% | 18% |
| July | 60°F | 71% | 51% | 6.6 mph | 44% | 18% |
| August | 59°F | 73% | 53% | 6.7 mph | 50% | 19% |
| September | 47°F | 74% | 54% | 7.8 mph | 44% | 28% |
| October | 36°F | 72% | 57% | 9.2 mph | 32% | 44% |
| November | 28°F | 76% | 67% | 10.0 mph | 23% | 57% |
| December | 21°F | 79% | 71% | 10.1 mph | 20% | 62% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014836. 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 Lansing?
Over a year 71% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Lansing, 3.8 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (80%) and December the cloudiest (52%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 416th (with 11 others) in sunshine.
| 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 Lansing need?
A normal year in Lansing brings 6,612 heating degree days, 23% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 656 cooling degree days, 28% 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 2,748 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,274 | 0 |
| February | 1,095 | 0 |
| March | 925 | 1 |
| April | 544 | 4 |
| May | 244 | 41 |
| June | 48 | 138 |
| July | 10 | 223 |
| August | 21 | 177 |
| September | 140 | 66 |
| October | 446 | 8 |
| November | 767 | 0 |
| December | 1,100 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,612 | 656 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014836. 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 Lansing been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 51.7°F, 3.1°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 48.6°F. 4 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 51.0°F | +2.4°F | 34.56 | 53.9 |
| 2022 | 49.9°F | +1.3°F | 31.80 | 72.3 |
| 2023 | 51.2°F | +2.6°F | 36.78 | 36.2 |
| 2024 | 51.7°F | +3.1°F | 34.29 | 38.8 |
Over 148 complete years from 1872 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 2.7°F per century (+0.15°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00014836; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Lansing's climate compare?
Lansing is warmer than 114 of the other 139 places with their own NOAA record in Michigan, and wetter than 44. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 48.6°F is warmer than 34%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Lansing 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 Lansing share this climate record?
7 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.
- Waverly, MI23,301 people · 4 mi SW
- Grand Ledge, MI7,838 people · 9 mi W
- DeWitt, MI4,780 people · 4 mi N
- Bath, MI2,938 people · 7 mi NE
- Edgemont Park, MI2,367 people · 2 mi S
- Wacousta, MI1,686 people · 6 mi NW
- Eagle, MI104 people · 11 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 Lansing's climate
What is the coldest month in Lansing?
January, with a normal high of 31°F and a normal low of 17°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 61°F at night).
Does it snow in Lansing?
Yes: 50 inches in a normal year, falling on 42 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (14.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Lansing?
June, with 3.76 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.71 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Lansing in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Lansing in zone 6a across its 6 ZIP code areas (6a in 48911, the largest). By the same method at Lansing's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −9°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 6a.
How late can frost come in Lansing?
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
- Lansing in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Michigan climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- East Lansing, MI9 miles from this station, 49.2°F a year
- St. Johns, MI16 miles from this station, 49.1°F a year
- Eaton Rapids, MI19 miles from this station, 48.1°F a year
- Charlotte, MI21 miles from this station, 47.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made