Ludington, Michigan climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Ludington's normal year runs from 17°F January nights to 79°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.8°C, January lows of −8°C, July highs of 26°C.
- NOAA stationLudington (4 mi SE)
- Station IDUSC00204954
- Location43.91°N 86.39°W
- Elevation690 ft (210 m)
- From the center4 miles
- Population7,577
On October 23, the normal high in Ludington is 55°F and the normal low 37°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Ludington.
- Jan 29° 17°
- Feb 32° 18°
- Mar 41° 24°
- Apr 54° 33°
- May 67° 43°
- Jun 76° 52°
- Jul 79° 58°
- Aug 78° 56°
- Sep 71° 50°
- Oct 57° 40°
- Nov 45° 30°
- Dec 34° 22°
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 Ludington each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 79°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 17°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29°F | 17°F | 23.1°F | – | <1 | 29 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 32°F | 18°F | 24.9°F | – | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 41°F | 24°F | 32.6°F | – | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 54°F | 33°F | 43.6°F | – | <1 | 14 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 67°F | 43°F | 55.0°F | – | <1 | 4 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 76°F | 52°F | 63.9°F | – | 2 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 79°F | 58°F | 68.3°F | – | 2 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 78°F | 56°F | 67.0°F | – | 1 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 71°F | 50°F | 60.3°F | – | <1 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 57°F | 40°F | 48.4°F | – | <1 | 6 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 45°F | 30°F | 37.6°F | – | <1 | 17 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 34°F | 22°F | 27.8°F | – | <1 | 28 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 55°F | 37°F | 46.0°F | – | 5 | 149 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2°C | −8°C | −4.9°C |
| February | 0°C | −8°C | −3.9°C |
| March | 5°C | −4°C | 0.3°C |
| April | 12°C | 1°C | 6.4°C |
| May | 19°C | 6°C | 12.8°C |
| June | 24°C | 11°C | 17.7°C |
| July | 26°C | 14°C | 20.2°C |
| August | 25°C | 14°C | 19.4°C |
| September | 21°C | 10°C | 15.7°C |
| October | 14°C | 4°C | 9.1°C |
| November | 7°C | −1°C | 3.1°C |
| December | 1°C | −5°C | −2.3°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Hart (16 miles away), gets 79 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00204954; 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 Ludington?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, 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 USC00204954.
When is the last frost in Ludington?
In Ludington, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 17 in half of years and after June 1 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 7 in half of years and before September 20 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 1; 9 in 10 after April 28
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 71 year in 10 before September 20; 9 in 10 before October 25
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 144 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 171 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 1 in half of springs and before October 21 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Ludington in zone 6b in ZIP code 49431, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Ludington's NOAA station is in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −4°F (19 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 USC00204954; 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 Ludington?
In a normal year in Ludington, 5 days a year reach 90°F and 149 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 5a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 149a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 44high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1896) is 99°F, on August 17, 1988; the lowest is −37°F, on February 11, 1899.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2006, with 44.40 in; the snowiest season is 1985–86, with 159.7 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00204954; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00204954. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Ludington?
Over a year 70% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Ludington, 3.7 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (81%) and December the cloudiest (46%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 47% | 1.2 |
| February | 55% | 2.1 |
| March | 66% | 3.5 |
| April | 69% | 4.7 |
| May | 72% | 5.6 |
| June | 76% | 6.2 |
| July | 81% | 6.3 |
| August | 80% | 5.4 |
| September | 77% | 4.2 |
| October | 65% | 2.6 |
| November | 57% | 1.6 |
| December | 46% | 1.0 |
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 Ludington need?
A normal year in Ludington brings 7,239 heating degree days, 35% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 363 cooling degree days, 60% 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 2,166 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,300 | 0 |
| February | 1,121 | 0 |
| March | 1,004 | 0 |
| April | 641 | 1 |
| May | 328 | 16 |
| June | 102 | 69 |
| July | 30 | 131 |
| August | 40 | 104 |
| September | 180 | 39 |
| October | 517 | 4 |
| November | 822 | 0 |
| December | 1,153 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,239 | 363 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00204954. 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 Ludington's climate compare?
Ludington is warmer than 56 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 46.0°F is warmer than 23%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Ludington 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.
- Scottville, MI1,355 people · 6 mi NE
- Custer, MI300 people · 9 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 Ludington's climate
What is the coldest month in Ludington?
January, with a normal high of 29°F and a normal low of 17°F. The warmest is July (79°F by day, 58°F at night).
Does it snow in Ludington?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Ludington's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Hart (16 miles away), records 79 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Ludington in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Ludington in zone 6b in ZIP code 49431, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Ludington's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −4°F (19 years, 1991-2020): zone 6b.
How late can frost come in Ludington?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 17; in one year in ten it comes after June 1. Waiting until June 1 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Michigan climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Hart, MI16 miles from this station, 46.3°F a year
- Manistee, MI22 miles from this station, 47.5°F a year
- Hesperia, MI26 miles from this station, 46.1°F a year
- Montague, MI31 miles from this station, 47.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made