Parker Road-Charlotte River Bridge · Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0Bruce Township gets about 120 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 141 U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 7°, and about 120 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Bruce Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bruce Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bruce Township’s place in Michigan beside it.
What a year in Bruce Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 116 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 31 and the first by September 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Pickford 3ne, MI, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bruce Township’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −20°. 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 120 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Sault Ste Marie Sanderson Fld, MI, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 34 inches a year; October is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 165 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bruce 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 Pickford 3ne, MI.
Living with Bruce Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
116 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 31 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 8.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bruce Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (86%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bruce Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Bruce Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Bruce 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Township, MI | 7° | 78° | 34" | 120" |
| Minocqua, WI | 3° | 77° | 33" | 99" |
| Malone, NY | 7° | 79° | 41" | 98" |
| Lyndon, VT | 5° | 79° | 41" | 142" |
| Caribou, ME | 2° | 77° | 41" | 118" |
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 Bruce Township averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+3.0°).
A bigger shift than in 77% 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 Bruce Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bruce Township’s place among Michigan’s.
Bruce Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bruce Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Sault Ste Marie Sanderson Fld, MI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 7° | 2.2" | 30.3" | 19 | 31 | 1° – 25° |
| February | 26° | 7° | 1.6" | 20.7" | 14 | 29 | 1° – 28° |
| March | 36° | 16° | 1.8" | 13.0" | 12 | 29 | 14° – 37° |
| April | 49° | 29° | 2.6" | 7.6" | 12 | 12 | 32° – 46° |
| May | 64° | 40° | 2.7" | 0.4" | 11 | 0 | 45° – 58° |
| June | 74° | 49° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 57° – 66° |
| July | 78° | 54° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| August | 76° | 54° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 61° – 69° |
| September | 68° | 47° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| October | 54° | 37° | 4.2" | 1.7" | 17 | 0 | 41° – 51° |
| November | 41° | 27° | 3.1" | 16.0" | 17 | 11 | 26° – 40° |
| December | 30° | 16° | 2.7" | 30.4" | 19 | 26 | 12° – 32° |
| Year | 52° | 32° | 34.1" | 120.1" | 165 | 137 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 1° to 28°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Bruce 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 Bruce Township’s center.
- Snow: Sault Ste Marie Sanderson Fld, MI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Pickford 3ne, MI, 9 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 Bruce Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Bruce Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 7°, and about 120 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bruce Township in winter?
February nights average 7°. About 184 nights a year reach 32° or below and 34 reach 0° or below. In the coldest February of the last 30 years the month averaged 1°.
How much snow does Bruce Township get?
About 120 inches in a normal winter at Sault Ste Marie Sanderson Fld, MI, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 137 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bruce Township?
July, with a typical high of 78° and a low of 54°. About 3 days a year reach 90° (Pickford 3ne, MI).
When is the first and last frost in Bruce Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 31 and the first fall frost by September 25, about 116 frost-free days, at Pickford 3ne, MI.
What growing zone is Bruce Township in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −20°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bruce 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 Bruce Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 77% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bruce 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.