McGregor Memorial Conference Center · Photo: Matt Joseph · CC BY-SA 4.0Precipitation in Detroit trails that of 78% of U.S. towns: 34 inches a year
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 84°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 66% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.6° more than in 1901–2000, led by December. Central heating does most of its work from November to April, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Detroit at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Detroit’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Detroit’s place in Michigan beside it.
What a year in Detroit feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 190 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first by October 31. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Detroit City Airport, 5 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Detroit’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 31 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Dearborn, MI, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 34 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 127 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Detroit
88% 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 Detroit City Airport.
Living with Detroit’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
190 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 21 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 31.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 107 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Detroit from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (59%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 24%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Detroit and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Detroit in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Detroit’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit, MI | 19° | 84° | 34" | 31" |
| Skokie, IL | 18° | 83° | 38" | 34" |
| Sayre, PA | 17° | 84° | 37" | 35" |
| North Dansville, NY | 17° | 82° | 33" | 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 Detroit averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.8°).
A bigger shift than in 68% 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. In a city of 649,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Detroit compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Detroit’s place among Michigan’s.
Detroit weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Detroit’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Dearborn, MI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 19° | 2.3" | 11.7" | 12 | 16° – 35° |
| February | 35° | 20° | 2.0" | 7.3" | 9 | 14° – 36° |
| March | 45° | 27° | 2.4" | 5.7" | 9 | 28° – 49° |
| April | 58° | 38° | 3.2" | 0.6" | 12 | 41° – 53° |
| May | 70° | 48° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 51° – 65° |
| June | 80° | 59° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 64° – 74° |
| July | 84° | 63° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 68° – 78° |
| August | 81° | 62° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 66° – 76° |
| September | 75° | 54° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 59° – 69° |
| October | 62° | 43° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 49° – 59° |
| November | 48° | 33° | 2.6" | 0.9" | 10 | 34° – 47° |
| December | 37° | 25° | 2.2" | 4.6" | 12 | 20° – 40° |
| Year | 59° | 41° | 34.2" | 30.8" | 127 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 14° to 36°. August is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Detroit’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 Detroit’s center.
- Snow: Dearborn, MI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Detroit City Airport, 5 miles from the city’s center point, 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 Detroit’s climate
What is the weather like in Detroit?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 66% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 64% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Detroit in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 113 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Detroit get?
About 31 inches in a normal winter at Dearborn, MI, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Detroit?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 63°. About 13 days a year reach 90° (Detroit City Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Detroit?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 21 and the first fall frost by October 31, about 190 frost-free days, at Detroit City Airport.
What growing zone is Detroit 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 Detroit?
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 Detroit getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 68% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Detroit.
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.