Wellston, Michigan climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Wellston's normal year runs from 12°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons, with 38.0 inches of precipitation and 120 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.8°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 27°C, 966 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationWellston (1 mi N)
- Station IDUSC00208774
- Location44.23°N 85.96°W
- Elevation773 ft (236 m)
- Population (census place)425
On October 23, the normal high in Wellston is 54°F and the normal low 34°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 Wellston.
- Jan 28° 12°
- Feb 31° 12°
- Mar 41° 19°
- Apr 55° 29°
- May 68° 40°
- Jun 77° 50°
- Jul 81° 54°
- Aug 79° 54°
- Sep 72° 46°
- Oct 57° 36°
- Nov 44° 26°
- Dec 33° 18°
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 Wellston each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F. The most precipitation falls in October (4.20 in), the least in February (1.99 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28°F | 12°F | 20.0°F | 2.90 | 38.1 | 19 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 31°F | 12°F | 21.6°F | 1.99 | 24.2 | 15 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 41°F | 19°F | 29.9°F | 2.27 | 10.8 | 11 | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 55°F | 29°F | 41.8°F | 3.72 | 3.9 | 13 | <1 | 19 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 68°F | 40°F | 53.9°F | 3.62 | 0.1 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 77°F | 50°F | 63.7°F | 3.50 | 0.0 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 81°F | 54°F | 67.4°F | 3.31 | 0.0 | 10 | 4 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 79°F | 54°F | 66.1°F | 2.76 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 72°F | 46°F | 58.8°F | 3.56 | 0.0 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 57°F | 36°F | 46.5°F | 4.20 | 0.2 | 16 | <1 | 11 | 11 h |
| November | 44°F | 26°F | 35.0°F | 3.57 | 10.5 | 14 | <1 | 22 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 33°F | 18°F | 25.4°F | 2.65 | 31.8 | 17 | <1 | 29 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 56°F | 33°F | 44.2°F | 38.05 | 119.6 | 161 | 8 | 171 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2°C | −11°C | −6.7°C | 74 mm | 97 cm |
| February | 0°C | −11°C | −5.8°C | 51 mm | 61 cm |
| March | 5°C | −7°C | −1.2°C | 58 mm | 27 cm |
| April | 13°C | −2°C | 5.4°C | 94 mm | 10 cm |
| May | 20°C | 4°C | 12.2°C | 92 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 25°C | 10°C | 17.6°C | 89 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 27°C | 12°C | 19.7°C | 84 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 26°C | 12°C | 18.9°C | 70 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 22°C | 8°C | 14.9°C | 90 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 14°C | 2°C | 8.1°C | 107 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 7°C | −3°C | 1.7°C | 91 mm | 27 cm |
| December | 1°C | −8°C | −3.7°C | 67 mm | 81 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00208774; 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 Wellston?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, August 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 USC00208774.
When is the last frost in Wellston?
In Wellston, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 28 in half of years and after June 13 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 25 in half of years and before September 8 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 281 year in 10 after June 13; 9 in 10 after May 13
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 251 year in 10 before September 8; 9 in 10 before October 10
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 119 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 144 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 18 in half of springs and before October 8 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Wellston in zone 5b in ZIP code 49689, 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 USC00208774; 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 Wellston?
In a normal year in Wellston, 8 days a year reach 90°F, 171 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 161 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 8a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 171a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 60high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 161a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 36a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00208774.
How sunny is Wellston?
Over a year 69% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Wellston, 3.6 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (79%) and December the cloudiest (47%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 52% | 1.3 |
| February | 59% | 2.2 |
| March | 67% | 3.5 |
| April | 67% | 4.6 |
| May | 71% | 5.6 |
| June | 75% | 6.2 |
| July | 79% | 6.2 |
| August | 77% | 5.3 |
| September | 75% | 4.1 |
| October | 62% | 2.4 |
| November | 55% | 1.4 |
| December | 47% | 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 much heating and cooling does Wellston need?
A normal year in Wellston brings 7,893 heating degree days, 47% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 342 cooling degree days, 62% 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 2,054 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,393 | 0 |
| February | 1,215 | 0 |
| March | 1,087 | 0 |
| April | 698 | 1 |
| May | 360 | 18 |
| June | 109 | 69 |
| July | 47 | 119 |
| August | 62 | 96 |
| September | 222 | 36 |
| October | 575 | 3 |
| November | 899 | 0 |
| December | 1,228 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,893 | 342 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00208774. 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 Wellston's climate compare?
Wellston is warmer than 35 of the other 139 places with their own NOAA record in Michigan, and wetter than 108. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 44.2°F is warmer than 16%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Wellston 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 Wellston share this climate record?
6 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.
- Kaleva, MI523 people · 10 mi N
- Mesick, MI415 people · 17 mi NE
- Brethren, MI405 people · 6 mi NW
- Luther, MI318 people · 19 mi SE
- Harrietta, MI159 people · 14 mi NE
- Caberfae, MI64 people · 12 mi E
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 Wellston's climate
What is the coldest month in Wellston?
January, with a normal high of 28°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 54°F at night).
Does it snow in Wellston?
Yes: 120 inches in a normal year, falling on 56 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (38.1 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Wellston?
October, with 4.20 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.99 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Wellston in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Wellston in zone 5b in ZIP code 49689, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Wellston?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 28; in one year in ten it comes after June 13. Waiting until June 13 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Michigan climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Manistee, MI17 miles from this station, 47.5°F a year
- Beulah, MI22 miles from this station, 46.5°F a year
- Cadillac, MI28 miles from this station, 44.5°F a year
- Ludington, MI31 miles from this station, 46.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made