Onaway, Michigan climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Onaway's normal year runs from 12°F January nights to 80°F July afternoons, with 32.0 inches of precipitation and 87 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.9°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 27°C, 812 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationOnaway (4 mi N)
- Station IDUSC00206184
- Location45.41°N 84.22°W
- Elevation745 ft (227 m)
- Population912
On October 23, the normal high in Onaway is 54°F and the normal low 36°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 52%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Onaway.
- Jan 27° 12°
- Feb 30° 11°
- Mar 41° 19°
- Apr 53° 30°
- May 67° 41°
- Jun 77° 51°
- Jul 80° 56°
- Aug 79° 55°
- Sep 71° 48°
- Oct 57° 38°
- Nov 44° 29°
- Dec 32° 19°
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 Onaway each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 80°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F. The most precipitation falls in October (3.54 in), the least in February (1.51 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27°F | 12°F | 19.3°F | 2.03 | 21.3 | 18 | <1 | 30 | 9 h |
| February | 30°F | 11°F | 20.6°F | 1.51 | 17.7 | 13 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 41°F | 19°F | 29.7°F | 1.78 | 11.3 | 11 | <1 | 27 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 53°F | 30°F | 41.5°F | 2.96 | 6.9 | 11 | <1 | 19 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 67°F | 41°F | 54.2°F | 3.07 | 0.1 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 77°F | 51°F | 63.6°F | 2.88 | 0.0 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 80°F | 56°F | 68.1°F | 3.11 | 0.0 | 11 | 4 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 79°F | 55°F | 66.8°F | 3.24 | 0.0 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 71°F | 48°F | 59.7°F | 3.31 | 0.0 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 57°F | 38°F | 47.8°F | 3.54 | 0.7 | 16 | <1 | 8 | 11 h |
| November | 44°F | 29°F | 36.3°F | 2.41 | 7.3 | 15 | <1 | 20 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 32°F | 19°F | 25.8°F | 2.14 | 21.6 | 17 | <1 | 29 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 55°F | 34°F | 44.4°F | 31.98 | 86.9 | 159 | 9 | 167 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −3°C | −11°C | −7.1°C | 52 mm | 54 cm |
| February | −1°C | −12°C | −6.3°C | 38 mm | 45 cm |
| March | 5°C | −7°C | −1.3°C | 45 mm | 29 cm |
| April | 12°C | −1°C | 5.3°C | 75 mm | 18 cm |
| May | 20°C | 5°C | 12.3°C | 78 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 25°C | 10°C | 17.6°C | 73 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 27°C | 13°C | 20.1°C | 79 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 26°C | 13°C | 19.3°C | 82 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 22°C | 9°C | 15.4°C | 84 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 14°C | 4°C | 8.8°C | 90 mm | 2 cm |
| November | 6°C | −2°C | 2.4°C | 61 mm | 19 cm |
| December | 0°C | −7°C | −3.4°C | 54 mm | 55 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00206184; 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 Onaway?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (11).
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 USC00206184.
When is the last frost in Onaway?
In Onaway, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 22 in half of years and after June 2 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 2 in half of years and before September 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
- May 221 year in 10 after June 2; 9 in 10 after May 3
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 21 year in 10 before September 16; 9 in 10 before October 16
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 135 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 160 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 7 in half of springs and before October 16 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Onaway in zone 5a in ZIP code 49765, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Onaway's NOAA station is in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −16°F (26 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 USC00206184; 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 Onaway?
In a normal year in Onaway, 9 days a year reach 90°F, 167 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 159 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 9a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 167a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 62high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 159a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 30a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1900) is 106°F, on July 12, 1936; the lowest is −36°F, on January 25, 1920.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2017, with 40.20 in; the snowiest season is 1964–65, with 140.7 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00206184; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00206184. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Onaway?
Over a year 69% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Onaway, 3.5 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (79%) and December the cloudiest (48%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 51% | 1.2 |
| February | 58% | 2.0 |
| March | 67% | 3.4 |
| April | 68% | 4.6 |
| May | 71% | 5.5 |
| June | 74% | 6.1 |
| July | 79% | 6.1 |
| August | 78% | 5.2 |
| September | 74% | 3.9 |
| October | 61% | 2.3 |
| November | 53% | 1.3 |
| December | 48% | 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 much heating and cooling does Onaway need?
A normal year in Onaway brings 7,815 heating degree days, 45% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 359 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 2,106 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,415 | 0 |
| February | 1,245 | 0 |
| March | 1,096 | 0 |
| April | 707 | 2 |
| May | 353 | 18 |
| June | 110 | 67 |
| July | 33 | 128 |
| August | 47 | 103 |
| September | 198 | 39 |
| October | 537 | 4 |
| November | 861 | 0 |
| December | 1,214 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,815 | 359 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00206184. 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 Onaway been warmer than normal lately?
2021 averaged 46.3°F, 1.9°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 44.4°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 46.3°F | +1.9°F | 30.66 | 64.2 |
Over 66 complete years from 1929 to 2021, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 1.9°F per century (+0.10°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00206184; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Onaway's climate compare?
Onaway is warmer than 38 of the other 139 places with their own NOAA record in Michigan, and wetter than 25. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 44.4°F is warmer than 17%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Onaway 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 Onaway 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.
- Tower, MI271 people · 5 mi SW
- Millersburg, MI207 people · 10 mi SE
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 Onaway's climate
What is the coldest month in Onaway?
January, with a normal high of 27°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (80°F by day, 56°F at night).
Does it snow in Onaway?
Yes: 87 inches in a normal year, falling on 54 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (21.6 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Onaway?
October, with 3.54 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.51 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Onaway in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Onaway in zone 5a in ZIP code 49765, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Onaway's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −16°F (26 years, 1991-2020): zone 5a.
How late can frost come in Onaway?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 22; in one year in ten it comes after June 2. Waiting until June 2 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Michigan climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Vanderbilt (11 mi ENE), MI20 miles from this station, 41.7°F a year
- Rogers City, MI20 miles from this station, 44.8°F a year
- Cheboygan, MI21 miles from this station, 43.7°F a year
- Atlanta, MI29 miles from this station, 43.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made