Summer arrives softly in Applegate, cooler than in 91% of U.S. towns
In January the night’s low is typically 17°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 63°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 82% of U.S. towns. Garden chairs stay out from May to September, the months with highs of 66–80°.
A year in Applegate at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Applegate’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Applegate’s place in Michigan beside it.
What a year in Applegate feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 171 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 4 and the first by October 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lexington Wtp, MI, 9 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Applegate’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −7°. 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 41 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Yale 1 Nnw, MI, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 33 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 120 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Applegate
94% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October 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 Lexington Wtp, MI.
Living with Applegate’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
171 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 4 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Applegate from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (45%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 44%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Applegate and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Applegate yet.
Climates most like Applegate’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applegate, MI | 17° | 80° | 33" | 41" |
| Whitefish Bay, WI | 16° | 80° | 34" | 40" |
| Winthrop Harbor, IL | 17° | 81° | 36" | 36" |
| Le Roy, NY | 17° | 80° | 35" | 52" |
| Portage, IN | 19° | 83° | 38" | 40" |
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 Applegate averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.8°).
A bigger shift than in 62% 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 Applegate compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Applegate’s place among Michigan’s.
Applegate weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Applegate’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Yale 1 Nnw, MI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 17° | 2.2" | 13.0" | 11 | 20 | 12° – 32° |
| February | 32° | 17° | 1.8" | 9.5" | 9 | 18 | 10° – 34° |
| March | 41° | 26° | 2.1" | 6.3" | 9 | 10 | 24° – 46° |
| April | 54° | 35° | 3.2" | 2.1" | 11 | 1 | 38° – 50° |
| May | 66° | 45° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 48° – 62° |
| June | 76° | 56° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 61° – 70° |
| July | 80° | 61° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| August | 79° | 60° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| September | 72° | 52° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| October | 59° | 42° | 3.0" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 46° | 32° | 2.5" | 2.0" | 10 | 2 | 32° – 46° |
| December | 35° | 24° | 2.2" | 7.6" | 11 | 12 | 18° – 39° |
| Year | 56° | 39° | 33.0" | 40.7" | 120 | 63 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 10° to 34°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Applegate’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 Applegate’s center.
- Snow: Yale 1 Nnw, MI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lexington Wtp, MI, 9 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft lower; 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 Applegate’s climate
What is the weather like in Applegate?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 41 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 75% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Applegate in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 140 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 12°.
How much snow does Applegate get?
About 41 inches in a normal winter at Yale 1 Nnw, MI, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 63 days a year.
How hot does it get in Applegate?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 61°. About 6 days a year reach 90° (Lexington Wtp, MI).
When is the first and last frost in Applegate?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 4 and the first fall frost by October 24, about 171 frost-free days, at Lexington Wtp, MI.
What growing zone is Applegate in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Applegate?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Applegate getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 62% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Applegate.
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.