South Haven, Michigan climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
South Haven's normal year runs from 22°F January nights to 80°F July afternoons, with 37.2 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 10.4°C, January lows of −5°C, July highs of 27°C, 945 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationSouth Haven
- Station IDUSC00207690
- Location42.40°N 86.28°W
- Elevation590 ft (180 m)
- Population4,017
On October 14, the normal high in South Haven is 63°F and the normal low 48°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for South Haven.
- Jan 34° 22°
- Feb 36° 24°
- Mar 45° 30°
- Apr 56° 39°
- May 68° 49°
- Jun 76° 60°
- Jul 80° 66°
- Aug 79° 64°
- Sep 74° 57°
- Oct 62° 48°
- Nov 49° 36°
- Dec 39° 28°
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 South Haven each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 80°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 22°F. The most precipitation falls in May (3.91 in), the least in February (2.04 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 | 34°F | 22°F | 27.8°F | 2.71 | – | <1 | 27 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 36°F | 24°F | 29.8°F | 2.04 | – | <1 | 24 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 45°F | 30°F | 37.4°F | 2.25 | – | <1 | 21 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 56°F | 39°F | 47.7°F | 3.58 | – | <1 | 5 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 68°F | 49°F | 58.5°F | 3.91 | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 76°F | 60°F | 67.8°F | 3.73 | – | 1 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 80°F | 66°F | 72.8°F | 3.16 | – | 1 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 79°F | 64°F | 71.6°F | 3.70 | – | 1 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 74°F | 57°F | 65.5°F | 3.19 | – | <1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 62°F | 48°F | 54.9°F | 3.89 | – | <1 | <1 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 49°F | 36°F | 42.7°F | 2.68 | – | <1 | 10 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 39°F | 28°F | 33.3°F | 2.38 | – | <1 | 22 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 58°F | 44°F | 50.8°F | 37.22 | – | 3 | 108 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1°C | −5°C | −2.3°C | 69 mm |
| February | 2°C | −5°C | −1.2°C | 52 mm |
| March | 7°C | −1°C | 3.0°C | 57 mm |
| April | 13°C | 4°C | 8.7°C | 91 mm |
| May | 20°C | 10°C | 14.7°C | 99 mm |
| June | 24°C | 15°C | 19.9°C | 95 mm |
| July | 27°C | 19°C | 22.7°C | 80 mm |
| August | 26°C | 18°C | 22.0°C | 94 mm |
| September | 23°C | 14°C | 18.6°C | 81 mm |
| October | 17°C | 9°C | 12.7°C | 99 mm |
| November | 10°C | 2°C | 5.9°C | 68 mm |
| December | 4°C | −2°C | 0.7°C | 60 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Bloomingdale (16 miles away), gets 109 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00207690; 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 South Haven?
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 USC00207690.
When is the last frost in South Haven?
In South Haven, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 17 in half of years and after May 4 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 5 in half of years and before October 24 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
- April 171 year in 10 after May 4; 9 in 10 after April 3
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 51 year in 10 before October 24; 9 in 10 before November 19
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 201 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 224 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 5 in half of springs and before November 14 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts South Haven in zone 6b in ZIP code 49090, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, South Haven's NOAA station is in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 2°F (15 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Michigan · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00207690; 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 South Haven?
In a normal year in South Haven, 3 days a year reach 90°F and 108 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 108a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 39high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1895) is 100°F, on June 20, 1953; the lowest is −22°F, on February 11, 1899.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1990, with 46.92 in; the snowiest season is 1966–67, with 101.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00207690; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00207690. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is South Haven?
Over a year 69% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around South Haven, 3.7 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (81%) and January the cloudiest (47%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 47% | 1.3 |
| February | 53% | 2.0 |
| March | 64% | 3.5 |
| April | 68% | 4.7 |
| May | 70% | 5.5 |
| June | 76% | 6.2 |
| July | 81% | 6.3 |
| August | 79% | 5.4 |
| September | 76% | 4.2 |
| October | 65% | 2.6 |
| November | 58% | 1.6 |
| December | 48% | 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 much heating and cooling does South Haven need?
A normal year in South Haven brings 5,879 heating degree days, 9% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 738 cooling degree days, 19% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,980 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,153 | 0 |
| February | 984 | 0 |
| March | 857 | 0 |
| April | 522 | 3 |
| May | 237 | 37 |
| June | 53 | 135 |
| July | 5 | 247 |
| August | 10 | 213 |
| September | 78 | 91 |
| October | 328 | 13 |
| November | 669 | 0 |
| December | 984 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,879 | 738 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00207690. 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 South Haven's climate compare?
South Haven is warmer than 138 of the other 139 places with their own NOAA record in Michigan, and wetter than 104. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 50.8°F is warmer than 44%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, South Haven is Dfa: continental, no dry season, hot 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.
Questions about South Haven's climate
What is the coldest month in South Haven?
January, with a normal high of 34°F and a normal low of 22°F. The warmest is July (80°F by day, 66°F at night).
Does it snow in South Haven?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for South Haven's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Bloomingdale (16 miles away), records 109 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in South Haven?
May, with 3.91 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.04 in.
What plant hardiness zone is South Haven in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts South Haven in zone 6b in ZIP code 49090, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at South Haven's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 2°F (15 years, 1991-2020): zone 7a.
How late can frost come in South Haven?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 17; in one year in ten it comes after May 4. Waiting until May 4 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- South Haven in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Michigan climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Bloomingdale, MI16 miles from this station, 48.6°F a year
- Benton Harbor, MI21 miles from this station, 49.7°F a year
- Holland, MI25 miles from this station, 49.3°F a year
- Eau Claire, MI27 miles from this station, 51.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made