St. Clair Flats South Channel Range Lights · Photo: US Coast Guard · Public domainClay Township’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 32 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Clay Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Clay Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Clay Township’s place in Michigan beside it.
What a year in Clay Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 167 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 3 and the first by October 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Algonac Wwtp, MI, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Clay Township’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −3°. 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 32 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 35 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 134 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Clay Township
91% 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 Algonac Wwtp, MI.
Living with Clay Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
167 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 3 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 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 26 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Clay Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (63%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 20%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Clay Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Clay Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Clay 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay Township, MI | 20° | 81° | 35" | 32" |
| Winthrop Harbor, IL | 17° | 81° | 36" | 36" |
| North Dansville, NY | 17° | 82° | 33" | 36" |
| Kenosha, WI | 16° | 82° | 35" | 36" |
| Gary, IN | 19° | 83° | 38" | 27" |
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 Clay Township averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 75% 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 Clay Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Clay Township’s place among Michigan’s.
Clay Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Clay Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 20° | 2.4" | 10.6" | 14 | 18 | 16° – 35° |
| February | 34° | 21° | 2.0" | 8.5" | 10 | 12 | 13° – 36° |
| March | 43° | 28° | 2.3" | 5.2" | 12 | 5 | 26° – 48° |
| April | 55° | 38° | 3.2" | 0.7" | 13 | 0 | 40° – 52° |
| May | 67° | 49° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 50° – 64° |
| June | 77° | 59° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| July | 81° | 64° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| August | 80° | 64° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| September | 73° | 57° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 59° – 69° |
| October | 60° | 46° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| November | 47° | 35° | 2.6" | 1.3" | 11 | 1 | 35° – 48° |
| December | 37° | 26° | 2.3" | 5.9" | 12 | 7 | 20° – 41° |
| Year | 57° | 42° | 34.5" | 32.2" | 134 | 43 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 13° to 36°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Clay 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 Clay Township’s center.
- Snow: Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Algonac Wwtp, MI, 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 Clay Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Clay Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 32 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 60% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 86% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Clay Township in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 137 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Clay Township get?
About 32 inches in a normal winter at Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 43 days a year.
How hot does it get in Clay Township?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 64°. About 17 days a year reach 90° (Algonac Wwtp, MI).
When is the first and last frost in Clay Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 3 and the first fall frost by October 18, about 167 frost-free days, at Algonac Wwtp, MI.
What growing zone is Clay Township in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Clay 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 Clay Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 75% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Clay 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.