Rapid River (4 mi SSE), Michigan climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Rapid River (4 mi SSE)'s normal year runs from 7°F January nights to 77°F July afternoons, with 31.3 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 5.6°C, January lows of −14°C, July highs of 25°C, 795 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationRapid River (4 mi SSE)
- Station IDUSC00206840
- Location45.87°N 86.95°W
- Elevation598 ft (182 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Rapid River (4 mi SSE) is 52°F and the normal low 34°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Rapid River (4 mi SSE).
- Jan 25° 7°
- Feb 28° 6°
- Mar 38° 15°
- Apr 50° 28°
- May 63° 41°
- Jun 73° 50°
- Jul 77° 56°
- Aug 76° 55°
- Sep 68° 48°
- Oct 55° 36°
- Nov 41° 27°
- Dec 30° 16°
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 Rapid River (4 mi SSE) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 77°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 7°F. The most precipitation falls in July (3.64 in), the least in February (1.28 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25°F | 7°F | 15.8°F | 1.60 | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 28°F | 6°F | 17.1°F | 1.28 | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 38°F | 15°F | 26.6°F | 1.87 | – | <1 | 30 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 50°F | 28°F | 39.0°F | 2.57 | – | <1 | 25 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 63°F | 41°F | 51.9°F | 3.49 | – | <1 | 6 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 73°F | 50°F | 61.5°F | 2.48 | – | <1 | 1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 77°F | 56°F | 66.5°F | 3.64 | – | 1 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 76°F | 55°F | 65.4°F | 2.89 | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 68°F | 48°F | 58.1°F | 3.43 | – | <1 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 55°F | 36°F | 45.5°F | 3.48 | – | <1 | 12 | 11 h |
| November | 41°F | 27°F | 34.0°F | 2.79 | – | <1 | 23 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 30°F | 16°F | 23.1°F | 1.77 | – | <1 | 30 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 52°F | 32°F | 42.0°F | 31.29 | – | 1 | 189 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −4°C | −14°C | −9.0°C | 41 mm |
| February | −2°C | −14°C | −8.3°C | 33 mm |
| March | 3°C | −9°C | −3.0°C | 47 mm |
| April | 10°C | −2°C | 3.9°C | 65 mm |
| May | 17°C | 5°C | 11.1°C | 89 mm |
| June | 23°C | 10°C | 16.4°C | 63 mm |
| July | 25°C | 13°C | 19.2°C | 92 mm |
| August | 24°C | 13°C | 18.6°C | 73 mm |
| September | 20°C | 9°C | 14.5°C | 87 mm |
| October | 13°C | 2°C | 7.5°C | 88 mm |
| November | 5°C | −3°C | 1.1°C | 71 mm |
| December | −1°C | −9°C | −4.9°C | 45 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Cornell (5 mi SE) (11 miles away), gets 43 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00206840; 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 Rapid River (4 mi SSE)?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in 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 USC00206840.
When is the last frost at Rapid River (4 mi SSE)?
In Rapid River (4 mi SSE), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 18 in half of years and after June 2 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 4 in half of years and before September 18 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 181 year in 10 after June 2; 9 in 10 after May 3
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 41 year in 10 before September 18; 9 in 10 before October 18
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 137 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 162 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 5 in half of springs and before October 17 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Rapid River (4 mi SSE) in zone 5a in ZIP code 49878, 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 USC00206840; 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 Rapid River (4 mi SSE)?
In a normal year in Rapid River (4 mi SSE), 1 day a year reaches 90°F and 189 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 189a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 74high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00206840.
How sunny is it at Rapid River (4 mi SSE)?
Over a year 71% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Rapid River (4 mi SSE), 3.6 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (80%) and December the cloudiest (54%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 56% | 1.3 |
| February | 62% | 2.2 |
| March | 67% | 3.4 |
| April | 68% | 4.6 |
| May | 71% | 5.6 |
| June | 75% | 6.1 |
| July | 80% | 6.2 |
| August | 78% | 5.2 |
| September | 75% | 4.0 |
| October | 64% | 2.4 |
| November | 58% | 1.4 |
| December | 54% | 1.1 |
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 Rapid River (4 mi SSE) record?
A normal year at Rapid River (4 mi SSE) brings 8,555 heating degree days, 59% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 218 cooling degree days, 76% 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 1,772 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,525 | 0 |
| February | 1,342 | 0 |
| March | 1,190 | 0 |
| April | 780 | 0 |
| May | 408 | 2 |
| June | 138 | 33 |
| July | 40 | 87 |
| August | 59 | 70 |
| September | 236 | 27 |
| October | 606 | 0 |
| November | 932 | 0 |
| December | 1,299 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,555 | 218 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00206840. 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 Rapid River (4 mi SSE)'s climate compare?
Rapid River (4 mi SSE) is warmer than 15 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 42.0°F is warmer than 9%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Rapid River (4 mi SSE) 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 Rapid River (4 mi SSE) 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.
- Gladstone, MI5,226 people · 4 mi SW
- Rapid River, MI230 people · 4 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 Rapid River (4 mi SSE)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Rapid River (4 mi SSE)?
January, with a normal high of 25°F and a normal low of 7°F. The warmest is July (77°F by day, 56°F at night).
Does it snow at Rapid River (4 mi SSE)?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Cornell (5 mi SE) (11 miles away), records 43 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Rapid River (4 mi SSE)?
July, with 3.64 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.28 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Rapid River (4 mi SSE) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Rapid River (4 mi SSE) in zone 5a in ZIP code 49878, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Rapid River (4 mi SSE)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 18; 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
- Cornell (5 mi SE), MI11 miles from this station, 43.8°F a year
- Escanaba, MI13 miles from this station, 42.2°F a year
- Garden, MI19 miles from this station, 41.4°F a year
- Chatham, MI32 miles from this station, 40.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made