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Hartwick, Edward E., Memorial BuildingHartwick, Edward E., Memorial Building · Public domain
Climate in Grayling Township · NOAA 1991–2020 normals

Grayling Township gets about 88 inches of snow a winter, more than 96% of U.S. towns

A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 88 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

More snow than 96% of U.S. towns#89Snowiest  of 717 in MI
Colder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns#39 coldest of 726 in MI
All MI rankings →

A year in Grayling Township at a glance

Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.

Jan26°11° 26" snow
Feb29°11° 19" snow
Mar40°19° 11" snow
Apr53°30° 4" snow
May67°41° Last frost ~May 23
Jun76°51° 1 day 90°+
Jul80°55° 3 days 90°+
Aug78°54° 1 day 90°+
Sep70°46° First frost ~Sep 27
Oct57°37° Wettest
Nov now42°28° 7" snow
Dec32°19° 20" snow

What stands out about Grayling Township’s climate

Compared with towns across the U.S., with Grayling Township’s place in Michigan beside it.

A normal year

What a year in Grayling Township feels like

Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.

Winter
29° / 14°
40 days with 1"+ of snow
Spring
53° / 30°
Last frost around May 23
Summer
78° / 53°
6 days reach 90°
Fall
56° / 37°
First frost around Sep 27
Best months to be outsideMayJunJulAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Frost, heat & the growing season

About 124 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 23 and the first by September 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Grayling, MI, 3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.

185
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
14th most of 726 in Michigan
More freezing nights than all but 193 U.S. towns
24
nights at or below 0°
21st most of 726 in Michigan
More nights at or below 0° than 96% of U.S. towns
6
days that reach 90°
128th fewest of 726 in Michigan
Fewer 90° days than 88% of U.S. towns
0
days that reach 100°
None in a normal year
5aUSDA zone
Plant hardiness zone 5a

The 2023 USDA map puts Grayling Township’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°

30
JFMAMJJASOND

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more

2.5
JFMAMJJASOND
Rain & snow

About 88 inches of snow a winter

Snow, measured at Grayling, MI, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 33 inches a year; October is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 171 days a year.

33"
Rain + melted snow a year
82nd driest of 726 in Michigan
Drier than 83% of U.S. towns
88"
Snow in a normal winter
89th snowiest of 717 in Michigan
More snow than 96% of U.S. towns
116 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
33rd most of 581 in Michigan
More days with snow on the ground than 98% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water

3.7"
JFMAMJJASOND

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow

26"
JFMAMJJASOND
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Grayling 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.

8,228 heating degree daysMore heating than 98% of U.S. towns
353 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 93% of U.S. towns

Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Grayling, MI.

Living here

Living with Grayling Township’s climate

What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.

The garden window

124 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 23 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.

Get outside

Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 503 miles of trails are waiting.

Parks & trails →
Storms and extremes

Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Grayling Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (60%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 19%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.

Natural hazards →
Next door

Grayling Township and its neighbors

Every town next door is within a degree of Grayling Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.

Greenwood Township: January low 11°, July high 80°Charlton Township: January low 10°, July high 79°Chester Township: January low 11°, July high 79°Au Sable Township: January low 11°, July high 80°Big Creek Township: January low 11°, July high 80°Higgins Township: January low 12°, July high 81°Hayes Township: January low 11°, July high 79°Blue Lake Township: January low 11°, July high 79°Otsego Lake Township: January low 11°, July high 79°Oliver Township: January low 12°, July high 80°Excelsior Township: January low 12°, July high 80°Garfield Township: January low 12°, July high 81°Lyon Township: January low 11°, July high 80°Gerrish Township: January low 12°, July high 81°Lovells Township: January low 11°, July high 80°South Branch Township: January low 11°, July high 80°Frederic Township: January low 11°, July high 79°Maple Forest Township: January low 11°, July high 79°Bear Lake Township: January low 12°, July high 80°Beaver Creek Township: January low 11°, July high 80°Grayling Township: January low 11°, July high 80°Grayling TownshipLovells TownshipSouth Branch TownshipFrederic TownshipMaple Forest TownshipBear Lake TownshipBeaver Creek Township
ColderMilder10° to 12°
Maple Forest Township10.6° about the same
Lovells Township10.9° about the same
South Branch Township11.0° about the same
Frederic Township11.1° about the same
Grayling Township11.2°
Beaver Creek Township11.3° about the same
Bear Lake Township11.6° about the same

Climates most like Grayling 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.

TownJan. lowJuly highPrecip.Snow
Grayling Township, MI11°80°33"88"
Beekmantown, NY9°80°35"80"
Burlington, VT10°81°38"86"
Kronenwetter, WI6°80°34"64"
Ham Lake, MN5°82°32"64"

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.

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

The last 30 years in Grayling Township averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+3.4°).

+1.8°1991–2020 vs. 1901–2000

A bigger shift than in 76% of U.S. towns.

Winter+3.0°now 21°, was 18°
Spring+1.5°now 42°, was 40°
Summer+1.2°now 66°, was 65°
Fall+1.3°now 47°, was 45°

Change by month

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.

Compared with other towns

How Grayling Township compares

Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Grayling Township’s place among Michigan’s.

Summer heat80° July high
Cooler July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns77th coolest of 726 in Michigan
Winter cold11° January low
Colder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns39th coldest of 726 in Michigan
Precipitation33" a year
Drier than 83% of U.S. towns82nd driest of 726 in Michigan
Snow88" a winter
More snow than 96% of U.S. towns89th snowiest of 717 in Michigan
Hot days6 days at 90°+
Fewer 90° days than 88% of U.S. towns128th fewest of 726 in Michigan
Freezing nights185 a year
More freezing nights than all but 193 U.S. towns14th most of 726 in Michigan
Growing season124 frost-free days
A shorter frost-free season than all but 155 U.S. towns10th shortest of 726 in Michigan
Month by month

Grayling Township weather by month

Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Grayling Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Grayling, MI. 1991–2020 normals.

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet daysSnow on ground30-yr range
January26°11°1.9"25.8"19308° – 29°
February29°11°1.5"18.9"14285° – 31°
March40°19°1.8"10.8"122220° – 43°
April53°30°3.2"4.2"12433° – 48°
May67°41°3.2"0.1"14046° – 61°
June76°51°3.5"0.0"13059° – 69°
July80°55°2.9"0.0"12061° – 72°
August78°54°3.2"0.0"12061° – 70°
September70°46°3.2"0.0"14052° – 63°
October57°37°3.7"1.4"17142° – 53°
November42°28°2.7"6.9"16827° – 43°
December32°19°2.1"20.2"172315° – 35°
Year54°33°32.7"88.3"171116
Year to year

How much a month can swing

A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 5° to 31°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Sources

Where Grayling 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 Grayling Township’s center.
  • Snow: Grayling, MI.
  • Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Grayling, MI, 3 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 Grayling Township’s climate

What is the weather like in Grayling Township?

A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 88 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.

How cold does it get in Grayling Township in winter?

February nights average 11°. About 185 nights a year reach 32° or below and 24 reach 0° or below. In the coldest February of the last 30 years the month averaged 5°.

How much snow does Grayling Township get?

About 88 inches in a normal winter at Grayling, MI, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 116 days a year.

How hot does it get in Grayling Township?

July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 55°. About 6 days a year reach 90° (Grayling, MI).

When is the first and last frost in Grayling Township?

In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 23 and the first fall frost by September 27, about 124 frost-free days, at Grayling, MI.

What growing zone is Grayling Township 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 Grayling 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 Grayling Township getting warmer?

Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 76% of U.S. towns.

Neighbors talk weather

Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Grayling Township.

Town Square →
Ask your neighbors

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.