NW Michigan Research Farm, Michigan climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
NW Michigan Research Farm's normal year runs from 19°F January nights to 79°F July afternoons, with 31.2 inches of precipitation and 115 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.1°C, January lows of −7°C, July highs of 26°C, 791 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationNW Michigan Research Farm
- Station IDUSC00206012
- Location44.88°N 85.68°W
- Elevation820 ft (250 m)
On October 23, the normal high in NW Michigan Research Farm is 53°F and the normal low 41°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 48%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for NW Michigan Research Farm.
- Jan 27° 19°
- Feb 29° 19°
- Mar 38° 25°
- Apr 51° 34°
- May 65° 45°
- Jun 75° 56°
- Jul 79° 61°
- Aug 77° 60°
- Sep 70° 54°
- Oct 57° 43°
- Nov 44° 33°
- Dec 33° 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 at NW Michigan Research Farm each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 79°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 19°F. The most precipitation falls in October (3.89 in), the least in February (1.38 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27°F | 19°F | 22.9°F | 1.82 | 32.0 | 18 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 29°F | 19°F | 23.8°F | 1.38 | 22.3 | 13 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 38°F | 25°F | 31.4°F | 1.58 | 13.4 | 10 | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 51°F | 34°F | 42.7°F | 2.84 | 6.8 | 12 | <1 | 11 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 65°F | 45°F | 55.0°F | 2.88 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | 1 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 75°F | 56°F | 65.1°F | 2.68 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 79°F | 61°F | 69.9°F | 2.66 | 0.0 | 9 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 77°F | 60°F | 68.9°F | 3.20 | 0.0 | 9 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 70°F | 54°F | 61.9°F | 3.50 | 0.0 | 11 | 1 | <1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 57°F | 43°F | 49.8°F | 3.89 | 0.3 | 15 | <1 | 1 | 11 h |
| November | 44°F | 33°F | 38.5°F | 2.68 | 10.4 | 14 | <1 | 13 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 33°F | 25°F | 29.0°F | 2.05 | 29.3 | 16 | <1 | 26 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 54°F | 40°F | 46.6°F | 31.16 | 114.5 | 149 | 5 | 133 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −3°C | −7°C | −5.1°C | 46 mm | 81 cm |
| February | −2°C | −7°C | −4.6°C | 35 mm | 57 cm |
| March | 4°C | −4°C | −0.3°C | 40 mm | 34 cm |
| April | 11°C | 1°C | 5.9°C | 72 mm | 17 cm |
| May | 18°C | 7°C | 12.8°C | 73 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 24°C | 13°C | 18.4°C | 68 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 26°C | 16°C | 21.1°C | 68 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 25°C | 16°C | 20.5°C | 81 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 21°C | 12°C | 16.6°C | 89 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 14°C | 6°C | 9.9°C | 99 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 7°C | 1°C | 3.6°C | 68 mm | 26 cm |
| December | 1°C | −4°C | −1.7°C | 52 mm | 74 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00206012; 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.
Which months are mildest at NW Michigan Research Farm?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, August 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 USC00206012.
When is the last frost at NW Michigan Research Farm?
In NW Michigan Research Farm, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 30 in half of years and after May 15 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 1 in half of years and before October 16 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 301 year in 10 after May 15; 9 in 10 after April 16
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 11 year in 10 before October 16; 9 in 10 before November 14
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 182 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 208 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 18 in half of springs and before November 12 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts NW Michigan Research Farm in zone 6b in ZIP code 49621, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 1°F (22 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Michigan · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00206012; 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 at NW Michigan Research Farm?
In a normal year in NW Michigan Research Farm, 5 days a year reach 90°F, 133 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 149 days bring measurable precipitation.
- 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
- 133a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 67high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 149a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 44a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1998) is 99°F, on August 1, 2006; the lowest is −14°F, on February 20, 2015.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2019, with 39.25 in; the snowiest season is 2008–09, with 161.2 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00206012; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00206012. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at NW Michigan Research Farm?
Over a year 69% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at NW Michigan Research Farm, 3.6 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (79%) and December the cloudiest (47%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 52% | 1.3 |
| February | 59% | 2.2 |
| March | 67% | 3.5 |
| April | 67% | 4.6 |
| May | 71% | 5.6 |
| June | 75% | 6.2 |
| July | 79% | 6.2 |
| August | 77% | 5.3 |
| September | 75% | 4.1 |
| October | 62% | 2.4 |
| November | 55% | 1.4 |
| December | 47% | 0.9 |
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 many heating and cooling degree days does NW Michigan Research Farm record?
A normal year at NW Michigan Research Farm brings 7,165 heating degree days, 33% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 486 cooling degree days, 46% 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 2,387 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,303 | 0 |
| February | 1,154 | 0 |
| March | 1,041 | 1 |
| April | 670 | 1 |
| May | 332 | 21 |
| June | 87 | 90 |
| July | 22 | 172 |
| August | 23 | 142 |
| September | 147 | 54 |
| October | 475 | 6 |
| November | 794 | 0 |
| December | 1,118 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,165 | 486 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00206012. 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.
Have recent years at NW Michigan Research Farm been warmer than normal?
2024 averaged 50.2°F, 3.6°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 46.6°F. 3 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48.8°F | +2.2°F | 32.42 | 79.2 |
| 2022 | 46.4°F | −0.2°F | 32.38 | 121.5 |
| 2023 | 48.8°F | +2.2°F | 29.29 | 74.0 |
| 2024 | 50.2°F | +3.6°F | 26.30 | 88.5 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00206012. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does NW Michigan Research Farm's climate compare?
NW Michigan Research Farm is warmer than 67 of the 140 places with their own NOAA record in Michigan, and wetter than 17. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 46.6°F is warmer than 26%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, NW Michigan Research Farm 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 NW Michigan Research Farm 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.
- Suttons Bay, MI580 people · 7 mi N
- Lake Leelanau, MI223 people · 7 mi N
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 NW Michigan Research Farm's climate
What is the coldest month at NW Michigan Research Farm?
January, with a normal high of 27°F and a normal low of 19°F. The warmest is July (79°F by day, 61°F at night).
Does it snow at NW Michigan Research Farm?
Yes: 115 inches in a normal year, falling on 60 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (32.0 inches).
What is the rainiest month at NW Michigan Research Farm?
October, with 3.89 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.38 in.
What plant hardiness zone is NW Michigan Research Farm in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts NW Michigan Research Farm in zone 6b in ZIP code 49621, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 1°F (22 years, 1991-2020): zone 7a.
How late can frost come at NW Michigan Research Farm?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 30; in one year in ten it comes after May 15. Waiting until May 15 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Michigan climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Maple City, MI8 miles from this station, 45.7°F a year
- Old Mission (3 mi SSW), MI8 miles from this station, 46.2°F a year
- Traverse City Munson, MI9 miles from this station, 45.1°F a year
- Traverse City, MI11 miles from this station, 46.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made