Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0Carney has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 81°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 90% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.6° more than in 1901–2000, led by December. From June to September, highs of 70–81° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in Carney at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Carney’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Carney’s place in Michigan beside it.
What a year in Carney feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 126 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 22 and the first by September 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Stephenson 5wsw, MI, 16 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Carney’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −19°. 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 31 inches a year; June 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 Carney
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 Stephenson 5wsw, MI.
Living with Carney’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
126 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 22 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 27.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 48% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Carney from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Carney and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Carney yet.
Climates most like Carney’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carney, MI | 7° | 81° | 31" | 70" |
| Ham Lake, MN | 5° | 82° | 32" | 64" |
| Beekmantown, NY | 9° | 80° | 35" | 80" |
| Lafayette, WI | 5° | 81° | 33" | 55" |
| St. Albans, VT | 9° | 81° | 39" | 80" |
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 Carney averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.6°).
A bigger shift than in 63% 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 Carney compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Carney’s place among Michigan’s.
Carney weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Carney’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 | 25° | 7° | 1.4" | 18.1" | 13 | 5° – 26° |
| February | 29° | 8° | 1.1" | 11.0" | 9 | 6° – 31° |
| March | 40° | 18° | 1.7" | 12.1" | 10 | 19° – 42° |
| April | 52° | 29° | 2.7" | 7.7" | 12 | 33° – 47° |
| May | 66° | 40° | 3.3" | 0.2" | 13 | 46° – 59° |
| June | 76° | 50° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 60° – 68° |
| July | 81° | 55° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 62° – 72° |
| August | 79° | 54° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 62° – 70° |
| September | 70° | 46° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 52° – 63° |
| October | 56° | 36° | 3.3" | 0.7" | 12 | 40° – 52° |
| November | 42° | 25° | 2.2" | 7.4" | 11 | 25° – 41° |
| December | 30° | 15° | 1.7" | 13.0" | 11 | 13° – 32° |
| Year | 54° | 32° | 30.6" | 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 6° to 31°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Carney’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 Carney’s center.
- Snow: Spalding 1 Nw, MI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Stephenson 5wsw, MI, 16 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 Carney’s climate
What is the weather like in Carney?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 7°, and about 70 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Carney in winter?
January nights average 7°. About 191 nights a year reach 32° or below and 33 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 5°.
How much snow does Carney get?
About 70 inches in a normal winter at Spalding 1 Nw, MI, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Carney?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 55°. About 6 days a year reach 90° (Stephenson 5wsw, MI).
When is the first and last frost in Carney?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 22 and the first fall frost by September 27, about 126 frost-free days, at Stephenson 5wsw, MI.
What growing zone is Carney in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Carney?
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 Carney getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 63% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Carney.
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.