Niles, Michigan climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Niles's normal year runs from 19°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons, with 41.7 inches of precipitation and 63 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 10.2°C, January lows of −7°C, July highs of 29°C, 1,059 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationNiles
- Station IDUSC00205892
- Location41.84°N 86.27°W
- Elevation650 ft (198 m)
- From the center1 miles
- Population11,738
On October 23, the normal high in Niles is 59°F and the normal low 41°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 41%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Niles.
- Jan 33° 19°
- Feb 36° 21°
- Mar 47° 29°
- Apr 60° 39°
- May 71° 48°
- Jun 80° 58°
- Jul 83° 61°
- Aug 81° 61°
- Sep 76° 53°
- Oct 63° 43°
- Nov 49° 33°
- Dec 38° 25°
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 Niles each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 19°F. The most precipitation falls in August (4.42 in), the least in February (2.34 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°F | 19°F | 25.8°F | 3.03 | 22.6 | 16 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 36°F | 21°F | 28.5°F | 2.34 | 13.6 | 12 | <1 | 26 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 47°F | 29°F | 37.9°F | 2.54 | 6.3 | 12 | <1 | 21 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 60°F | 39°F | 49.2°F | 3.69 | 0.8 | 13 | <1 | 8 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 71°F | 48°F | 59.8°F | 4.24 | 0.0 | 13 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 80°F | 58°F | 69.1°F | 4.05 | 0.0 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 83°F | 61°F | 72.3°F | 3.69 | 0.0 | 10 | 5 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 81°F | 61°F | 71.0°F | 4.42 | 0.0 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 76°F | 53°F | 64.4°F | 3.52 | 0.0 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 63°F | 43°F | 52.9°F | 4.39 | 0.1 | 12 | <1 | 3 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 49°F | 33°F | 41.2°F | 3.03 | 4.6 | 13 | <1 | 15 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 38°F | 25°F | 31.2°F | 2.74 | 14.5 | 15 | <1 | 24 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 60°F | 41°F | 50.3°F | 41.68 | 62.5 | 147 | 12 | 124 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0°C | −7°C | −3.4°C | 77 mm | 57 cm |
| February | 2°C | −6°C | −1.9°C | 59 mm | 35 cm |
| March | 8°C | −2°C | 3.3°C | 65 mm | 16 cm |
| April | 15°C | 4°C | 9.6°C | 94 mm | 2 cm |
| May | 22°C | 9°C | 15.4°C | 108 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 27°C | 15°C | 20.6°C | 103 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 29°C | 16°C | 22.4°C | 94 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 16°C | 21.7°C | 112 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 24°C | 12°C | 18.0°C | 89 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 17°C | 6°C | 11.6°C | 112 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 10°C | 1°C | 5.1°C | 77 mm | 12 cm |
| December | 3°C | −4°C | −0.4°C | 70 mm | 37 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00205892; 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 Niles?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (10).
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 USC00205892.
When is the last frost in Niles?
In Niles, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 27 in half of years and after May 14 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 25 in half of years and before October 9 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
- April 271 year in 10 after May 14; 9 in 10 after April 10
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 251 year in 10 before October 9; 9 in 10 before November 7
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 180 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 208 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 13 in half of springs and before November 6 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Niles in zone 6a in ZIP code 49120, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Michigan · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00205892; 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 Niles?
In a normal year in Niles, 12 days a year reach 90°F, 124 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 147 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 12a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 124a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 41high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 147a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 21a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00205892.
How sunny is Niles?
Over a year 71% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Niles, 3.8 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (80%) and December the cloudiest (56%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 56% | 1.6 |
| February | 60% | 2.4 |
| March | 66% | 3.5 |
| April | 69% | 4.7 |
| May | 70% | 5.4 |
| June | 76% | 6.1 |
| July | 80% | 6.2 |
| August | 79% | 5.4 |
| September | 78% | 4.4 |
| October | 69% | 2.9 |
| November | 63% | 1.9 |
| December | 56% | 1.3 |
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 Niles need?
A normal year in Niles brings 6,053 heating degree days, 13% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 719 cooling degree days, 21% 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 2,985 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,215 | 0 |
| February | 1,023 | 0 |
| March | 842 | 2 |
| April | 479 | 3 |
| May | 201 | 40 |
| June | 26 | 150 |
| July | 7 | 235 |
| August | 13 | 198 |
| September | 101 | 83 |
| October | 383 | 10 |
| November | 714 | 0 |
| December | 1,049 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,053 | 719 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00205892. 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 Niles been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 51.4°F, 1.1°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 50.3°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 52.8°F | +2.5°F | 39.23 | – |
| 2022 | 50.8°F | +0.5°F | 36.43 | 96.0 |
| 2023 | 52.4°F | +2.1°F | 44.43 | 14.9 |
| 2024 | 53.6°F | +3.3°F | 40.59 | 32.7 |
| 2025 | 51.4°F | +1.1°F | 38.24 | 78.7 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00205892. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Niles's climate compare?
Niles is warmer than 136 of the other 139 places with their own NOAA record in Michigan, and wetter than 122. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 50.3°F is warmer than 42%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Niles 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 Niles share this climate record?
12 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.
- Elkhart, INalso near: Goshen (14 mi, 50.1°F a year); South Bend (18 mi, 49.3°F a year)53,690 people · 19 mi SE
- Mishawaka, INalso near: South Bend (8 mi, 49.3°F a year); Lakeville (12 mi, 48.5°F a year)51,020 people · 12 mi SE
- Granger, IN30,279 people · 10 mi SE
- Notre Dame, IN6,754 people · 10 mi S
- Simonton Lake, IN4,113 people · 16 mi E
- Osceola, IN2,600 people · 15 mi SE
- New Carlisle, IN1,913 people · 16 mi SW
- Hudson Lake, IN1,245 people · 17 mi SW
- Roseland, IN853 people · 9 mi S
- Chain-O-Lakes, IN427 people · 11 mi SW
- Saugany Lake, IN171 people · 19 mi SW
- Indian Village, IN115 people · 9 mi S
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 Niles's climate
What is the coldest month in Niles?
January, with a normal high of 33°F and a normal low of 19°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 61°F at night).
Does it snow in Niles?
Yes: 63 inches in a normal year, falling on 36 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (22.6 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Niles?
August, with 4.42 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.34 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Niles in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Niles in zone 6a in ZIP code 49120, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Niles?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 27; in one year in ten it comes after May 14. Waiting until May 14 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Michigan climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- South Bend, IN9 miles from this station, 49.3°F a year
- Eau Claire, MI12 miles from this station, 51.6°F a year
- Dowagiac, MI12 miles from this station, 48.1°F a year
- Benton Harbor, MI21 miles from this station, 49.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made