Butterfield Township’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 66 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Butterfield Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Butterfield Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Butterfield Township’s place in Michigan beside it.
What a year in Butterfield Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 106 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 30 and the first by September 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Houghton Lake 6 Wsw, MI, 1.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Butterfield Township’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −18°. 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 66 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Houghton Lake 6 Wsw, MI, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 33 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 140 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Butterfield Township
96% 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 Houghton Lake 6 Wsw, MI.
Living with Butterfield Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
106 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 30 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 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 18 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Butterfield Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (59%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 21%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Butterfield Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Butterfield Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Butterfield 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butterfield Township, MI | 12° | 81° | 33" | 66" |
| Lawrence, WI | 11° | 81° | 33" | 56" |
| Hornell, NY | 15° | 82° | 35" | 62" |
| Burlington, VT | 10° | 81° | 38" | 86" |
| Prior Lake, MN | 7° | 82° | 33" | 55" |
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 Butterfield Township averaged 2.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+3.9°).
A bigger 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 Butterfield Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Butterfield Township’s place among Michigan’s.
Butterfield Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Butterfield Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Houghton Lake 6 Wsw, MI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 12° | 2.0" | 15.6" | 14 | 28 | 9° – 30° |
| February | 31° | 12° | 1.5" | 14.6" | 11 | 27 | 7° – 32° |
| March | 41° | 20° | 1.9" | 7.9" | 9 | 18 | 19° – 44° |
| April | 54° | 31° | 3.4" | 3.8" | 11 | 4 | 34° – 49° |
| May | 68° | 41° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 46° – 61° |
| June | 77° | 51° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| July | 81° | 55° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 62° – 73° |
| August | 79° | 54° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 61° – 71° |
| September | 72° | 46° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| October | 58° | 37° | 3.5" | 0.5" | 14 | 0 | 43° – 54° |
| November | 44° | 28° | 2.5" | 5.6" | 13 | 6 | 28° – 43° |
| December | 33° | 19° | 2.0" | 18.0" | 13 | 21 | 17° – 35° |
| Year | 55° | 34° | 33.1" | 66.0" | 140 | 104 |
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 32°. June is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Butterfield 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 Butterfield Township’s center.
- Snow: Houghton Lake 6 Wsw, MI (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Houghton Lake 6 Wsw, MI, 1.4 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 Butterfield Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Butterfield Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 66 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 91% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 87% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Butterfield Township in winter?
January nights average 12°. About 191 nights a year reach 32° or below and 22 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 9°.
How much snow does Butterfield Township get?
About 66 inches in a normal winter at Houghton Lake 6 Wsw, MI, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 104 days a year.
How hot does it get in Butterfield Township?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 55°. About 10 days a year reach 90° (Houghton Lake 6 Wsw, MI).
When is the first and last frost in Butterfield Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 30 and the first fall frost by September 15, about 106 frost-free days, at Houghton Lake 6 Wsw, MI.
What growing zone is Butterfield Township in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −18°.
What is the best time of year to visit Butterfield Township?
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 Butterfield Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 92% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Butterfield 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.