Watton (2 mi WSW), Michigan climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Watton (2 mi WSW)'s normal year runs from 6°F January nights to 76°F July afternoons, with 31.9 inches of precipitation and 121 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.7°C, January lows of −14°C, July highs of 24°C, 811 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationWatton (2 mi WSW)
- Station IDUSC00208706
- Location46.53°N 88.64°W
- Elevation1,394 ft (425 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Watton (2 mi WSW) is 50°F and the normal low 32°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 51%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Watton (2 mi WSW).
- Jan 22° 6°
- Feb 25° 7°
- Mar 37° 14°
- Apr 49° 27°
- May 64° 39°
- Jun 72° 49°
- Jul 76° 53°
- Aug 74° 52°
- Sep 67° 45°
- Oct 53° 34°
- Nov 38° 24°
- Dec 27° 13°
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 Watton (2 mi WSW) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 76°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 6°F. The most precipitation falls in July (3.60 in), the least in February (1.41 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22°F | 6°F | 13.9°F | 1.72 | 24.8 | 20 | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 25°F | 7°F | 16.1°F | 1.41 | 20.9 | 16 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 37°F | 14°F | 25.4°F | 1.53 | 13.6 | 11 | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 49°F | 27°F | 37.9°F | 3.20 | 15.6 | 13 | <1 | 23 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 64°F | 39°F | 51.4°F | 3.02 | 1.0 | 13 | <1 | 9 | 15 h |
| June | 72°F | 49°F | 60.5°F | 3.42 | 0.0 | 12 | <1 | 1 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 76°F | 53°F | 64.4°F | 3.60 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 74°F | 52°F | 63.3°F | 2.98 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 67°F | 45°F | 56.1°F | 3.53 | 0.0 | 14 | <1 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 53°F | 34°F | 43.7°F | 3.36 | 3.8 | 16 | <1 | 14 | 11 h |
| November | 38°F | 24°F | 31.4°F | 2.45 | 16.9 | 16 | <1 | 23 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 27°F | 13°F | 20.0°F | 1.72 | 24.7 | 19 | <1 | 30 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 50°F | 30°F | 40.4°F | 31.94 | 121.3 | 172 | 1 | 189 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −6°C | −14°C | −10.1°C | 44 mm | 63 cm |
| February | −4°C | −14°C | −8.8°C | 36 mm | 53 cm |
| March | 3°C | −10°C | −3.7°C | 39 mm | 35 cm |
| April | 10°C | −3°C | 3.3°C | 81 mm | 40 cm |
| May | 18°C | 4°C | 10.8°C | 77 mm | 3 cm |
| June | 22°C | 9°C | 15.8°C | 87 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 24°C | 12°C | 18.0°C | 91 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 24°C | 11°C | 17.4°C | 76 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 19°C | 7°C | 13.4°C | 90 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 12°C | 1°C | 6.5°C | 85 mm | 10 cm |
| November | 4°C | −4°C | −0.3°C | 62 mm | 43 cm |
| December | −3°C | −11°C | −6.7°C | 44 mm | 63 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00208706; 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 Watton (2 mi WSW)?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, August has the fewest days with rain (11).
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 USC00208706.
When is the last frost at Watton (2 mi WSW)?
In Watton (2 mi WSW), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 25 in half of years and after June 11 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 25 in half of years and before September 10 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 251 year in 10 after June 11; 9 in 10 after May 7
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 251 year in 10 before September 10; 9 in 10 before October 10
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 123 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 148 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 10 in half of springs and before October 7 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Watton (2 mi WSW) in zone 4b in ZIP code 49970, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −18°F (17 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 USC00208706; 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 at Watton (2 mi WSW)?
In a normal year in Watton (2 mi WSW), 1 day a year reaches 90°F, 189 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 172 days bring measurable precipitation.
- 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
- 99high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 172a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 42a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 2000) is 98°F, on July 14, 2026; the lowest is −27°F, on January 25, 2026.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2019, with 42.09 in; the snowiest season is 2022–23, with 182.7 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00208706; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00208706. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Watton (2 mi WSW)?
Over a year 69% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Watton (2 mi WSW), 3.6 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (78%) and December the cloudiest (50%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 56% | 1.3 |
| February | 63% | 2.2 |
| March | 68% | 3.5 |
| April | 67% | 4.5 |
| May | 69% | 5.4 |
| June | 73% | 6.0 |
| July | 78% | 6.2 |
| August | 75% | 5.1 |
| September | 71% | 3.8 |
| October | 61% | 2.3 |
| November | 54% | 1.3 |
| December | 50% | 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Watton (2 mi WSW) record?
A normal year at Watton (2 mi WSW) brings 9,156 heating degree days, 70% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 203 cooling degree days, 78% 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 1,621 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,584 | 0 |
| February | 1,370 | 0 |
| March | 1,226 | 0 |
| April | 814 | 0 |
| May | 429 | 9 |
| June | 175 | 40 |
| July | 93 | 76 |
| August | 110 | 55 |
| September | 288 | 21 |
| October | 662 | 2 |
| November | 1,010 | 0 |
| December | 1,395 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,156 | 203 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00208706. 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.
Have recent years at Watton (2 mi WSW) been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 40.6°F, 0.2°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 40.4°F. 4 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 42.2°F | +1.8°F | 30.65 | 110.1 |
| 2023 | 42.5°F | +2.1°F | 31.24 | 140.2 |
| 2024 | 43.6°F | +3.2°F | 33.40 | 98.8 |
| 2025 | 40.6°F | +0.2°F | 36.82 | 172.6 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00208706. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Watton (2 mi WSW)'s climate compare?
Watton (2 mi WSW) is warmer than 4 of the 140 places with their own NOAA record in Michigan, and wetter than 22. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 40.4°F is warmer than 6%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Watton (2 mi WSW) 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.
Questions about Watton (2 mi WSW)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Watton (2 mi WSW)?
January, with a normal high of 22°F and a normal low of 6°F. The warmest is July (76°F by day, 53°F at night).
Does it snow at Watton (2 mi WSW)?
Yes: 121 inches in a normal year, falling on 87 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (24.8 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Watton (2 mi WSW)?
July, with 3.60 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.41 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Watton (2 mi WSW) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Watton (2 mi WSW) in zone 4b in ZIP code 49970, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −18°F (17 years, 1991-2020): zone 5a.
How late can frost come at Watton (2 mi WSW)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 25; in one year in ten it comes after June 11. Waiting until June 11 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Michigan climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Covington, MI5 miles from this station, 40.4°F a year
- Alberta Ford Forestry Center, MI11 miles from this station, 40.9°F a year
- Herman, MI16 miles from this station, 39.3°F a year
- Baraga, MI21 miles from this station, 41.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made