Old Mission (3 mi SSW), Michigan climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Old Mission (3 mi SSW)'s normal year runs from 17°F January nights to 80°F July afternoons, with 31.3 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.9°C, January lows of −9°C, July highs of 27°C, 796 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationOld Mission (3 mi SSW)
- Station IDUSC00206158
- Location44.92°N 85.52°W
- Elevation656 ft (200 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Old Mission (3 mi SSW) is 55°F and the normal low 39°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Old Mission (3 mi SSW).
- Jan 30° 17°
- Feb 31° 16°
- Mar 41° 22°
- Apr 52° 31°
- May 66° 43°
- Jun 76° 52°
- Jul 80° 58°
- Aug 79° 58°
- Sep 71° 51°
- Oct 58° 41°
- Nov 46° 33°
- Dec 35° 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 Old Mission (3 mi SSW) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 80°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 17°F. The most precipitation falls in October (3.98 in), the least in February (1.18 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30°F | 17°F | 23.0°F | 1.78 | – | <1 | 30 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 31°F | 16°F | 23.4°F | 1.18 | – | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 41°F | 22°F | 31.4°F | 1.43 | – | <1 | 27 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 52°F | 31°F | 41.8°F | 2.81 | – | <1 | 19 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 66°F | 43°F | 54.1°F | 3.05 | – | <1 | 5 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 76°F | 52°F | 63.9°F | 3.02 | – | 1 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 80°F | 58°F | 68.8°F | 2.78 | – | 2 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 79°F | 58°F | 68.3°F | 3.32 | – | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 71°F | 51°F | 61.2°F | 3.61 | – | 1 | <1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 58°F | 41°F | 49.5°F | 3.98 | – | <1 | 4 | 11 h |
| November | 46°F | 33°F | 39.3°F | 2.36 | – | <1 | 17 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 35°F | 25°F | 29.9°F | 2.00 | – | <1 | 28 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 55°F | 37°F | 46.2°F | 31.32 | – | 5 | 157 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1°C | −9°C | −5.0°C | 45 mm |
| February | −1°C | −9°C | −4.8°C | 30 mm |
| March | 5°C | −5°C | −0.3°C | 36 mm |
| April | 11°C | 0°C | 5.4°C | 71 mm |
| May | 19°C | 6°C | 12.3°C | 77 mm |
| June | 24°C | 11°C | 17.7°C | 77 mm |
| July | 27°C | 14°C | 20.4°C | 71 mm |
| August | 26°C | 15°C | 20.2°C | 84 mm |
| September | 22°C | 11°C | 16.2°C | 92 mm |
| October | 14°C | 5°C | 9.7°C | 101 mm |
| November | 8°C | 0°C | 4.1°C | 60 mm |
| December | 2°C | −4°C | −1.2°C | 51 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, NW Michigan Research Farm (8 miles away), gets 115 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00206158; 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 Old Mission (3 mi SSW)?
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 USC00206158.
When is the last frost at Old Mission (3 mi SSW)?
In Old Mission (3 mi SSW), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 13 in half of years and after May 29 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 19 in half of years and before October 1 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 131 year in 10 after May 29; 9 in 10 after April 28
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 191 year in 10 before October 1; 9 in 10 before November 5
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 158 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 186 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 30 in half of springs and before November 4 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Old Mission (3 mi SSW) in zone 6b in ZIP code 49686, 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 USC00206158; 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 at Old Mission (3 mi SSW)?
In a normal year in Old Mission (3 mi SSW), 5 days a year reach 90°F and 157 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
- 157a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 60high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00206158.
How sunny is it at Old Mission (3 mi SSW)?
Over a year 69% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Old Mission (3 mi SSW), 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 Old Mission (3 mi SSW) record?
A normal year at Old Mission (3 mi SSW) brings 7,237 heating degree days, 35% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 428 cooling degree days, 53% 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 2,248 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,302 | 0 |
| February | 1,166 | 0 |
| March | 1,042 | 0 |
| April | 697 | 1 |
| May | 358 | 20 |
| June | 105 | 74 |
| July | 31 | 149 |
| August | 31 | 134 |
| September | 162 | 47 |
| October | 482 | 3 |
| November | 771 | 0 |
| December | 1,090 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,237 | 428 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00206158. 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 Old Mission (3 mi SSW)'s climate compare?
Old Mission (3 mi SSW) is warmer than 58 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 46.2°F is warmer than 24%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Old Mission (3 mi SSW) 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 Old Mission (3 mi SSW) share this climate record?
Elk Rapids has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its 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.
- Elk Rapids, MI1,605 people · 6 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 Old Mission (3 mi SSW)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Old Mission (3 mi SSW)?
January, with a normal high of 30°F and a normal low of 17°F. The warmest is July (80°F by day, 58°F at night).
Does it snow at Old Mission (3 mi SSW)?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, NW Michigan Research Farm (8 miles away), records 115 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Old Mission (3 mi SSW)?
October, with 3.98 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.18 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Old Mission (3 mi SSW) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Old Mission (3 mi SSW) in zone 6b in ZIP code 49686, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Old Mission (3 mi SSW)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 13; in one year in ten it comes after May 29. Waiting until May 29 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Michigan climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- NW Michigan Research Farm, MI8 miles from this station, 46.6°F a year
- Traverse City Munson, MI13 miles from this station, 45.1°F a year
- Traverse City, MI13 miles from this station, 46.9°F a year
- Northport, MI16 miles from this station, 45.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made