Vassar, Michigan climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Vassar's normal year runs from 12°F January nights to 82°F July afternoons, with 34.2 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.9°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 28°C, 868 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationVassar
- Station IDUSC00208443
- Location43.37°N 83.58°W
- Elevation630 ft (192 m)
- From the centerunder 1 mile
- Population2,692
On October 23, the normal high in Vassar is 57°F and the normal low 36°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 42%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Vassar.
- Jan 30° 12°
- Feb 33° 13°
- Mar 43° 21°
- Apr 57° 32°
- May 69° 43°
- Jun 78° 53°
- Jul 82° 57°
- Aug 80° 56°
- Sep 74° 48°
- Oct 61° 38°
- Nov 47° 29°
- Dec 35° 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 Vassar each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F. The most precipitation falls in July (4.07 in), the least in February (1.45 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30°F | 12°F | 21.0°F | 1.96 | 13 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 33°F | 13°F | 22.8°F | 1.45 | 11 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 43°F | 21°F | 32.1°F | 1.90 | 9 | <1 | 26 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 57°F | 32°F | 44.1°F | 3.29 | 12 | <1 | 18 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 69°F | 43°F | 55.9°F | 3.55 | 14 | <1 | 3 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 78°F | 53°F | 65.8°F | 3.37 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 82°F | 57°F | 69.4°F | 4.07 | 10 | 5 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 80°F | 56°F | 67.8°F | 3.73 | 11 | 1 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 74°F | 48°F | 61.0°F | 3.01 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 61°F | 38°F | 49.4°F | 3.08 | 13 | <1 | 9 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 47°F | 29°F | 37.7°F | 2.67 | 11 | <1 | 20 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 35°F | 22°F | 28.4°F | 2.08 | 13 | <1 | 28 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 57°F | 35°F | 46.3°F | 34.16 | 137 | 10 | 160 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1°C | −11°C | −6.1°C | 50 mm |
| February | 0°C | −11°C | −5.1°C | 37 mm |
| March | 6°C | −6°C | 0.1°C | 48 mm |
| April | 14°C | 0°C | 6.7°C | 84 mm |
| May | 20°C | 6°C | 13.3°C | 90 mm |
| June | 26°C | 12°C | 18.8°C | 86 mm |
| July | 28°C | 14°C | 20.8°C | 103 mm |
| August | 27°C | 13°C | 19.9°C | 95 mm |
| September | 23°C | 9°C | 16.1°C | 76 mm |
| October | 16°C | 3°C | 9.7°C | 78 mm |
| November | 8°C | −2°C | 3.2°C | 68 mm |
| December | 2°C | −6°C | −2.0°C | 53 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Caro (13 miles away), gets 42 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00208443; 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 Vassar?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, September 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 USC00208443.
When is the last frost in Vassar?
In Vassar, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 9 in half of years and after May 24 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 7 in half of years and before September 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
- May 91 year in 10 after May 24; 9 in 10 after April 26
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 71 year in 10 before September 24; 9 in 10 before October 21
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 150 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 172 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 30 in half of springs and before October 21 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Vassar in zone 6a in ZIP code 48768, 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 USC00208443; 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 Vassar?
In a normal year in Vassar, 10 days a year reach 90°F, 160 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 137 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 10a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 160a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 54high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 137a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00208443.
How sunny is Vassar?
Over a year 70% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Vassar, 3.7 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (80%) and December the cloudiest (53%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 55% | 1.4 |
| February | 60% | 2.3 |
| March | 66% | 3.5 |
| April | 68% | 4.6 |
| May | 70% | 5.5 |
| June | 76% | 6.2 |
| July | 80% | 6.2 |
| August | 78% | 5.3 |
| September | 75% | 4.1 |
| October | 65% | 2.6 |
| November | 61% | 1.6 |
| December | 53% | 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 Vassar need?
A normal year in Vassar brings 7,234 heating degree days, 35% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 451 cooling degree days, 50% 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 2,371 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,365 | 0 |
| February | 1,182 | 0 |
| March | 1,022 | 0 |
| April | 628 | 1 |
| May | 304 | 22 |
| June | 69 | 93 |
| July | 23 | 161 |
| August | 33 | 121 |
| September | 166 | 48 |
| October | 489 | 5 |
| November | 819 | 0 |
| December | 1,135 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,234 | 451 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00208443. 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 Vassar's climate compare?
Vassar is warmer than 59 of the other 139 places with their own NOAA record in Michigan, and wetter than 61. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 46.3°F is warmer than 25%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Vassar 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 Vassar share this climate record?
3 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.
- Reese, MI1,261 people · 8 mi NW
- Fostoria, MI1,081 people · 14 mi SE
- Millington, MI1,014 people · 7 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 Vassar's climate
What is the coldest month in Vassar?
January, with a normal high of 30°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 57°F at night).
Does it snow in Vassar?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Vassar's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Caro (13 miles away), records 42 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Vassar?
July, with 4.07 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.45 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Vassar in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Vassar in zone 6a in ZIP code 48768, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Vassar?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 9; in one year in ten it comes after May 24. Waiting until May 24 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Michigan climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Frankenmuth, MI7 miles from this station, 46.8°F a year
- Caro, MI12 miles from this station, 46.8°F a year
- Burton, MI21 miles from this station, 47.2°F a year
- Essexville, MI22 miles from this station, 47.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made