Milford, Michigan climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Milford's normal year runs from 15°F January nights to 82°F July afternoons, with 34.1 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.7°C, January lows of −10°C, July highs of 28°C, 866 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMilford Gm Proving Ground
- Station IDUSC00205452
- Location42.58°N 83.68°W
- Elevation970 ft (296 m)
- Population6,554
On October 14, the normal high in Milford is 62°F and the normal low 41°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Milford.
- Jan 31° 15°
- Feb 34° 15°
- Mar 45° 24°
- Apr 58° 35°
- May 70° 46°
- Jun 78° 56°
- Jul 82° 60°
- Aug 80° 58°
- Sep 74° 51°
- Oct 61° 40°
- Nov 47° 30°
- Dec 36° 21°
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 Milford each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 15°F. The most precipitation falls in May (3.66 in), the least in February (1.91 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31°F | 15°F | 22.8°F | 2.06 | – | <1 | 29 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 34°F | 15°F | 24.5°F | 1.91 | – | <1 | 26 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 45°F | 24°F | 34.2°F | 2.16 | – | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 58°F | 35°F | 46.3°F | 3.07 | – | <1 | 12 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 70°F | 46°F | 57.8°F | 3.66 | – | <1 | 2 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 78°F | 56°F | 67.1°F | 3.58 | – | 2 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 82°F | 60°F | 71.0°F | 3.20 | – | 3 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 80°F | 58°F | 69.3°F | 3.32 | – | 1 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 74°F | 51°F | 62.2°F | 3.51 | – | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 61°F | 40°F | 50.4°F | 2.88 | – | <1 | 7 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 47°F | 30°F | 38.3°F | 2.64 | – | <1 | 20 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 36°F | 21°F | 28.1°F | 2.10 | – | <1 | 28 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 58°F | 37°F | 47.7°F | 34.09 | – | 7 | 149 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1°C | −10°C | −5.1°C | 52 mm |
| February | 1°C | −9°C | −4.2°C | 49 mm |
| March | 7°C | −5°C | 1.2°C | 55 mm |
| April | 14°C | 2°C | 7.9°C | 78 mm |
| May | 21°C | 8°C | 14.3°C | 93 mm |
| June | 26°C | 13°C | 19.5°C | 91 mm |
| July | 28°C | 15°C | 21.7°C | 81 mm |
| August | 27°C | 15°C | 20.7°C | 84 mm |
| September | 23°C | 11°C | 16.8°C | 89 mm |
| October | 16°C | 4°C | 10.2°C | 73 mm |
| November | 8°C | −1°C | 3.5°C | 67 mm |
| December | 2°C | −6°C | −2.2°C | 53 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Howell (13 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 USC00205452; 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 Milford?
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 USC00205452.
When is the last frost in Milford?
In Milford, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 6 in half of years and after May 22 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 12 in half of years and before September 27 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 61 year in 10 after May 22; 9 in 10 after April 21
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 121 year in 10 before September 27; 9 in 10 before October 27
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 157 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 179 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 26 in half of springs and before October 24 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Milford in zone 6a in ZIP code 48381.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Michigan · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00205452; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. 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 Milford?
In a normal year in Milford, 7 days a year reach 90°F and 149 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 7a 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
- 54high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1928) is 104°F, on July 24, 1934; the lowest is −23°F, on January 19, 1994.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1950, with 46.88 in; the snowiest season is 1974–75, with 71.9 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00205452; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00205452. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Milford?
Over a year 71% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Milford, 3.8 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (80%) and December the cloudiest (54%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 59% | 1.6 |
| February | 62% | 2.4 |
| March | 66% | 3.5 |
| April | 68% | 4.7 |
| May | 70% | 5.5 |
| June | 76% | 6.2 |
| July | 80% | 6.2 |
| August | 78% | 5.3 |
| September | 77% | 4.3 |
| October | 68% | 2.8 |
| November | 63% | 1.8 |
| December | 54% | 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 Milford need?
A normal year in Milford brings 6,853 heating degree days, 28% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 572 cooling degree days, 37% 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 2,617 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,308 | 0 |
| February | 1,132 | 0 |
| March | 955 | 0 |
| April | 565 | 3 |
| May | 259 | 35 |
| June | 55 | 118 |
| July | 12 | 196 |
| August | 23 | 155 |
| September | 142 | 59 |
| October | 460 | 6 |
| November | 800 | 0 |
| December | 1,142 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,853 | 572 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00205452. 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 Milford been warmer than normal lately?
Over 57 complete years from 1928 to 2017, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.1°F per century (+0.17°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Milford's climate compare?
Milford is warmer than 90 of the other 139 places with their own NOAA record in Michigan, and wetter than 59. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 47.7°F is warmer than 31%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Milford 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 Milford share this climate record?
3 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.
- Wixom, MI17,486 people · 9 mi SE
- Brighton, MI7,933 people · 6 mi SW
- Hartland, MI722 people · 7 mi NW
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 Milford's climate
What is the coldest month in Milford?
January, with a normal high of 31°F and a normal low of 15°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 60°F at night).
Does it snow in Milford?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Milford's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Howell (13 miles away), records 33 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Milford?
May, with 3.66 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.91 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Milford in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Milford in zone 6a in ZIP code 48381.
How late can frost come in Milford?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 6; in one year in ten it comes after May 22. Waiting until May 22 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Michigan climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Whitmore Lake, MI11 miles from this station, 47.1°F a year
- Howell, MI12 miles from this station, 47.5°F a year
- White Lake (4 mi E), MI14 miles from this station, 45.6°F a year
- Pontiac, MI15 miles from this station, 48.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made