Photo: Mitchazenia · CC BY-SA 4.0Weather without surprises: Detroit keeps close to the norm for U.S. towns
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 87° on average. The seasons are far apart: from a winter night to a summer afternoon the average spans 67°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 64% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 14, with the first autumn frost due around October 21.
A year in Detroit at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Detroit’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Detroit’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Detroit feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 189 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 14 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Pittsfield #2, IL, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Detroit’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −6°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 16 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Pittsfield #2, IL, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 39 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 102 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Detroit
81% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Pittsfield #2, IL.
Living with Detroit’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
189 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 14 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Detroit from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 26%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Detroit and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Detroit yet.
Climates most like Detroit’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit, IL | 20° | 87° | 39" | 16" |
| Excelsior Springs, MO | 19° | 87° | 40" | 19" |
| Terre Haute, IN | 21° | 87° | 43" | 15" |
| Spring Hill, KS | 21° | 88° | 40" | 14" |
| Dayton, OH | 22° | 86° | 41" | 12" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Detroit averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 92% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Detroit compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Detroit’s place among Illinois’.
Detroit weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Detroit’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Pittsfield #2, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 20° | 2.1" | 4.0" | 6 | 10 | 21° – 39° |
| February | 41° | 24° | 1.9" | 5.1" | 7 | 7 | 21° – 43° |
| March | 53° | 33° | 2.8" | 1.7" | 9 | 2 | 35° – 56° |
| April | 65° | 42° | 4.0" | 0.3" | 11 | 0 | 46° – 60° |
| May | 75° | 53° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 58° – 73° |
| June | 83° | 63° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| July | 87° | 66° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 82° |
| August | 85° | 64° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 80° |
| September | 79° | 56° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 62° – 73° |
| October | 67° | 44° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| November | 53° | 34° | 2.8" | 1.1" | 8 | 1 | 36° – 51° |
| December | 41° | 24° | 2.2" | 3.4" | 7 | 5 | 19° – 41° |
| Year | 64° | 43° | 39.0" | 15.6" | 102 | 24 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 41°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Detroit’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Detroit’s center.
- Snow: Pittsfield #2, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Pittsfield #2, IL, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Detroit’s climate
What is the weather like in Detroit?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 62% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 59% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Detroit in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 119 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Detroit get?
About 16 inches in a normal winter at Pittsfield #2, IL, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 24 days a year.
How hot does it get in Detroit?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 66°. About 31 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Pittsfield #2, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Detroit?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 14 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 189 frost-free days, at Pittsfield #2, IL.
What growing zone is Detroit in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Detroit?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Detroit getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 92% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Detroit.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.