Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0Bark River Township’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 70 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Bark River Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bark River Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bark River Township’s place in Michigan beside it.
What a year in Bark River Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 147 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 13 and the first by October 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Escanaba, MI, 10 miles from the town’s center, 130 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bark River Township’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −17°. 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 70 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Spalding 1 Nw, MI, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 30 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 135 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bark River Township
98% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Escanaba, MI.
Living with Bark River Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
147 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 13 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 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 36 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bark River Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 33%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bark River Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Bark River Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Bark River Township’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bark River Township, MI | 9° | 80° | 30" | 70" |
| Marshfield, WI | 5° | 80° | 32" | 57" |
| Beekmantown, NY | 9° | 80° | 35" | 80" |
| Ham Lake, MN | 5° | 82° | 32" | 64" |
| St. Albans, VT | 9° | 81° | 39" | 80" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Bark River Township averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.7°).
A bigger shift than in 72% 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 Bark River Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bark River Township’s place among Michigan’s.
Bark River Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bark River Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Spalding 1 Nw, MI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 9° | 1.4" | 18.1" | 13 | 6° – 26° |
| February | 29° | 9° | 1.1" | 11.0" | 9 | 7° – 31° |
| March | 39° | 18° | 1.7" | 12.1" | 10 | 19° – 41° |
| April | 52° | 29° | 2.6" | 7.7" | 12 | 33° – 47° |
| May | 65° | 39° | 3.2" | 0.2" | 13 | 46° – 59° |
| June | 75° | 50° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 59° – 67° |
| July | 80° | 55° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 61° – 72° |
| August | 78° | 54° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 62° – 70° |
| September | 70° | 47° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 53° – 63° |
| October | 56° | 36° | 3.3" | 0.7" | 12 | 41° – 52° |
| November | 42° | 26° | 2.2" | 7.4" | 11 | 26° – 42° |
| December | 31° | 15° | 1.7" | 13.0" | 11 | 14° – 33° |
| Year | 54° | 32° | 30.2" | 70.2" | 135 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 7° to 31°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Bark River Township’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 Bark River Township’s center.
- Snow: Spalding 1 Nw, MI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Escanaba, MI, 10 miles from the town’s center, 130 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 Bark River Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Bark River Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 70 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bark River Township in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 175 nights a year reach 32° or below and 24 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 6°.
How much snow does Bark River Township get?
About 70 inches in a normal winter at Spalding 1 Nw, MI, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Bark River Township?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 55°. About 2 days a year reach 90° (Escanaba, MI).
When is the first and last frost in Bark River Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 13 and the first fall frost by October 7, about 147 frost-free days, at Escanaba, MI.
What growing zone is Bark River Township in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −17°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bark River Township?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Bark River Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 72% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bark River Township.
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.