Sandusky, Michigan climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Sandusky's normal year runs from 15°F January nights to 80°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.0°C, January lows of −10°C, July highs of 27°C.
- NOAA stationSandusky
- Station IDUSC00207350
- Location43.42°N 82.82°W
- Elevation774 ft (236 m)
- From the centerunder 1 mile
- Population2,679
On October 22, the normal high in Sandusky is 56°F and the normal low 38°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Sandusky.
- Jan 28° 15°
- Feb 31° 14°
- Mar 41° 24°
- Apr 54° 33°
- May 67° 45°
- Jun 77° 56°
- Jul 80° 60°
- Aug 78° 58°
- Sep 72° 51°
- Oct 59° 40°
- Nov 45° 30°
- Dec 34° 22°
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 Sandusky each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 80°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 15°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28°F | 15°F | 21.5°F | – | <1 | 30 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 31°F | 14°F | 22.5°F | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 41°F | 24°F | 32.1°F | – | <1 | 27 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 54°F | 33°F | 43.5°F | – | <1 | 15 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 67°F | 45°F | 55.9°F | – | <1 | 1 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 77°F | 56°F | 66.2°F | – | 2 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 80°F | 60°F | 70.1°F | – | 3 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 78°F | 58°F | 68.2°F | – | 1 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 72°F | 51°F | 61.4°F | – | <1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 59°F | 40°F | 49.4°F | – | <1 | 6 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 45°F | 30°F | 37.6°F | – | <1 | 18 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 34°F | 22°F | 28.3°F | – | <1 | 28 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 55°F | 37°F | 46.4°F | – | 6 | 151 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2°C | −10°C | −5.8°C |
| February | −1°C | −10°C | −5.3°C |
| March | 5°C | −5°C | 0.1°C |
| April | 12°C | 1°C | 6.4°C |
| May | 19°C | 7°C | 13.3°C |
| June | 25°C | 13°C | 19.0°C |
| July | 27°C | 16°C | 21.2°C |
| August | 26°C | 15°C | 20.1°C |
| September | 22°C | 10°C | 16.3°C |
| October | 15°C | 5°C | 9.7°C |
| November | 7°C | −1°C | 3.1°C |
| December | 1°C | −5°C | −2.1°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Yale (19 miles away), gets 41 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00207350; 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 Sandusky?
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 USC00207350.
When is the last frost in Sandusky?
In Sandusky, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 2 in half of years and after May 17 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 16 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 21 year in 10 after May 17; 9 in 10 after April 19
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 161 year in 10 before October 1; 9 in 10 before November 1
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 165 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 189 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 22 in half of springs and before October 30 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Sandusky in zone 6a in ZIP code 48471, 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 USC00207350; 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 in Sandusky?
In a normal year in Sandusky, 6 days a year reach 90°F and 151 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 6a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 151a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 57high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1909) is 103°F, on July 29, 1916; the lowest is −28°F, on January 19, 1994.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1959, with 38.61 in; the snowiest season is 1964–65, with 79.4 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00207350; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00207350. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Sandusky?
Over a year 69% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Sandusky, 3.6 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 | 50% | 1.3 |
| February | 54% | 2.0 |
| March | 63% | 3.3 |
| April | 68% | 4.5 |
| May | 70% | 5.3 |
| June | 76% | 6.0 |
| July | 79% | 6.0 |
| August | 78% | 5.2 |
| September | 76% | 4.1 |
| October | 65% | 2.5 |
| November | 57% | 1.6 |
| December | 48% | 1.0 |
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 Sandusky need?
A normal year in Sandusky brings 7,227 heating degree days, 35% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 488 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 2,396 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,347 | 0 |
| February | 1,189 | 0 |
| March | 1,019 | 0 |
| April | 646 | 1 |
| May | 307 | 26 |
| June | 71 | 108 |
| July | 16 | 173 |
| August | 32 | 131 |
| September | 153 | 45 |
| October | 490 | 5 |
| November | 822 | 0 |
| December | 1,138 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,227 | 488 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00207350. 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 Sandusky's climate compare?
Sandusky is warmer than 62 of the other 139 places with their own NOAA record in Michigan. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 46.4°F is warmer than 25%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Sandusky share this climate record?
4 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.
- Marlette, MI1,843 people · 15 mi SW
- Deckerville, MI879 people · 8 mi NE
- Carsonville, MI502 people · 7 mi E
- Snover, MI273 people · 8 mi W
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 Sandusky's climate
What is the coldest month in Sandusky?
January, with a normal high of 28°F and a normal low of 15°F. The warmest is July (80°F by day, 60°F at night).
Does it snow in Sandusky?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Sandusky's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Yale (19 miles away), records 41 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Sandusky in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Sandusky in zone 6a in ZIP code 48471, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Sandusky?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 2; in one year in ten it comes after May 17. Waiting until May 17 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Michigan climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Lexington, MI18 miles from this station, 46.5°F a year
- Yale, MI19 miles from this station, 45.4°F a year
- Cass City, MI22 miles from this station, 45.8°F a year
- Bad Axe, MI28 miles from this station, 46.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made