Pellston, Michigan climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Pellston's normal year runs from 9°F January nights to 79°F July afternoons, with 30.0 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 5.9°C, January lows of −13°C, July highs of 26°C, 762 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationPellston Regional Airport
- Station IDUSW00014841
- Location45.56°N 84.79°W
- Elevation705 ft (215 m)
- Population801
On October 23, the normal high in Pellston is 53°F and the normal low 33°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 50%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Pellston.
- Jan 27° 9°
- Feb 29° 7°
- Mar 39° 16°
- Apr 52° 27°
- May 66° 38°
- Jun 76° 48°
- Jul 79° 53°
- Aug 78° 52°
- Sep 70° 45°
- Oct 57° 35°
- Nov 44° 27°
- Dec 33° 18°
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 Pellston each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 79°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 9°F. The most precipitation falls in October (4.22 in), the least in February (1.14 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27°F | 9°F | 17.8°F | 1.61 | 15 | <1 | 30 | 9 h |
| February | 29°F | 7°F | 18.0°F | 1.14 | 11 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 39°F | 16°F | 27.0°F | 1.74 | 10 | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 52°F | 27°F | 39.5°F | 2.44 | 11 | <1 | 21 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 66°F | 38°F | 52.2°F | 2.79 | 11 | <1 | 8 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 76°F | 48°F | 61.9°F | 2.57 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 79°F | 53°F | 66.0°F | 2.67 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 78°F | 52°F | 64.7°F | 2.85 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 70°F | 45°F | 57.3°F | 3.38 | 12 | <1 | 3 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 57°F | 35°F | 45.9°F | 4.22 | 16 | <1 | 12 | 11 h |
| November | 44°F | 27°F | 35.2°F | 2.71 | 15 | <1 | 21 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 33°F | 18°F | 25.2°F | 1.89 | 15 | <1 | 28 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 54°F | 31°F | 42.6°F | 30.01 | 147 | 5 | 180 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −3°C | −13°C | −7.9°C | 41 mm |
| February | −2°C | −14°C | −7.8°C | 29 mm |
| March | 4°C | −9°C | −2.8°C | 44 mm |
| April | 11°C | −3°C | 4.2°C | 62 mm |
| May | 19°C | 3°C | 11.2°C | 71 mm |
| June | 24°C | 9°C | 16.6°C | 65 mm |
| July | 26°C | 12°C | 18.9°C | 68 mm |
| August | 26°C | 11°C | 18.2°C | 72 mm |
| September | 21°C | 7°C | 14.1°C | 86 mm |
| October | 14°C | 2°C | 7.7°C | 107 mm |
| November | 6°C | −3°C | 1.8°C | 69 mm |
| December | 0°C | −8°C | −3.8°C | 48 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Cross Village (12 miles away), gets 80 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014841; 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 Pellston?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, August 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 USW00014841.
When is the last frost in Pellston?
In Pellston, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 31 in half of years and after June 21 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 18 in half of years and before September 2 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 311 year in 10 after June 21; 9 in 10 after May 16
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 181 year in 10 before September 2; 9 in 10 before October 3
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 108 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 136 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 19 in half of springs and before October 1 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Pellston in zone 4b in ZIP code 49716, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Pellston's NOAA station is in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −23°F (30 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 USW00014841; 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 Pellston?
In a normal year in Pellston, 5 days a year reach 90°F, 180 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 147 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
- 180a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 71high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 147a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1948) is 99°F, on June 19, 1995; the lowest is −37°F, on January 23, 1948.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1972, with 42.65 in; the snowiest season is 1971–72, with 200.2 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014841; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00014841. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Pellston, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 56°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 58°F; the driest air comes in January (13°F). November is the windiest month (8.9 mph on average), and August has the most clear or nearly clear hours (61%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13°F | 78% | 70% | 8.6 mph | – | – |
| February | 15°F | 75% | 62% | 8.3 mph | 41% | 46% |
| March | 25°F | 68% | 52% | 8.5 mph | 48% | 39% |
| April | 33°F | 61% | 41% | 8.4 mph | 54% | 31% |
| May | 47°F | 67% | 47% | 7.1 mph | 58% | 26% |
| June | 55°F | 69% | 49% | 6.9 mph | 59% | 23% |
| July | 58°F | 73% | 51% | 6.3 mph | 60% | 18% |
| August | 55°F | 76% | 54% | 6.3 mph | 61% | 19% |
| September | 45°F | 77% | 58% | 7.2 mph | 48% | 32% |
| October | 34°F | 76% | 63% | 8.3 mph | – | – |
| November | 25°F | 79% | 72% | 8.9 mph | – | – |
| December | 17°F | 80% | 74% | 8.8 mph | – | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014841. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Pellston?
Over a year 69% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Pellston, 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 Pellston need?
A normal year in Pellston brings 8,391 heating degree days, 56% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 254 cooling degree days, 72% 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 1,796 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,463 | 0 |
| February | 1,316 | 0 |
| March | 1,178 | 0 |
| April | 767 | 1 |
| May | 409 | 13 |
| June | 142 | 50 |
| July | 60 | 92 |
| August | 79 | 72 |
| September | 253 | 24 |
| October | 595 | 3 |
| November | 893 | 0 |
| December | 1,235 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,391 | 254 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014841. 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 Pellston been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 43.7°F, 1.1°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 42.6°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 45.5°F | +2.9°F | 29.37 |
| 2022 | 43.0°F | +0.4°F | 32.59 |
| 2023 | 45.6°F | +3.0°F | 27.38 |
| 2024 | 47.2°F | +4.6°F | 26.75 |
| 2025 | 43.7°F | +1.1°F | 30.82 |
Over 71 complete years from 1948 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 5.7°F per century (+0.31°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00014841; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Pellston's climate compare?
Pellston is warmer than 19 of the other 139 places with their own NOAA record in Michigan, and wetter than 11. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 42.6°F is warmer than 11%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Pellston 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 Pellston share this climate record?
5 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.
- Indian River, MI2,210 people · 12 mi SE
- Alanson, MI781 people · 8 mi S
- Carp Lake, MI407 people · 9 mi N
- Brutus, MI220 people · 5 mi S
- Levering, MI90 people · 5 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.
What do Pellston's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Pellston. This page uses Pellston Regional Airport; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pellston Airport #2 USC00206442 | 1 mi NE | 712 ft | 42.3°F | 8°F | 78°F | – | – | May 21 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Pellston's climate
What is the coldest month in Pellston?
January, with a normal high of 27°F and a normal low of 9°F. The warmest is July (79°F by day, 53°F at night).
Does it snow in Pellston?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Pellston's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Cross Village (12 miles away), records 80 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Pellston?
October, with 4.22 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.14 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Pellston in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Pellston in zone 4b in ZIP code 49716, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Pellston's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −23°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 4b.
How late can frost come in Pellston?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 31; in one year in ten it comes after June 21. Waiting until June 21 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Pellston in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Michigan climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Cross Village, MI12 miles from this station, 43.5°F a year
- Petoskey, MI16 miles from this station, 44.4°F a year
- Cheboygan, MI17 miles from this station, 43.7°F a year
- St Ignace Mackinac Bridge, MI20 miles from this station, 44.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made