Photo: TheKuLeR · CC BY-SA 3.0Lake Orion is drier than 81% of U.S. towns: 33 inches of precipitation a year
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 82°. The seasons are far apart: from a winter night to a summer afternoon the average spans 66°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 81% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around April 26; autumn frost returns near October 22.
A year in Lake Orion at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lake Orion’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lake Orion’s place in Michigan beside it.
What a year in Lake Orion feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 177 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 22. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Pontiac Wwtp, MI, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lake Orion’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −7°. 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 36 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Pontiac Wwtp, MI, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 33 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 130 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lake Orion
90% 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 Pontiac Wwtp, MI.
Living with Lake Orion’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
177 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 26 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 22.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lake Orion from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (49%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 22%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lake Orion and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Lake Orion yet.
Climates most like Lake Orion’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Orion, MI | 16° | 82° | 33" | 36" |
| North Dansville, NY | 17° | 82° | 33" | 36" |
| Somers, WI | 16° | 82° | 35" | 36" |
| Zion, IL | 16° | 82° | 36" | 36" |
| Sayre, PA | 17° | 84° | 37" | 35" |
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 Lake Orion averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 67% 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 Lake Orion compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lake Orion’s place among Michigan’s.
Lake Orion weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lake Orion’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Pontiac Wwtp, MI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 16° | 2.0" | 12.1" | 13 | 22 | 13° – 33° |
| February | 33° | 17° | 1.7" | 9.0" | 10 | 18 | 11° – 34° |
| March | 43° | 25° | 2.1" | 4.1" | 10 | 7 | 25° – 48° |
| April | 57° | 36° | 3.0" | 0.9" | 11 | 1 | 40° – 52° |
| May | 69° | 47° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 49° – 63° |
| June | 78° | 57° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 63° – 71° |
| July | 82° | 61° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| August | 80° | 60° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| September | 73° | 52° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 56° – 67° |
| October | 60° | 41° | 2.8" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| November | 46° | 31° | 2.5" | 1.7" | 10 | 1 | 32° – 46° |
| December | 35° | 23° | 2.0" | 8.1" | 12 | 13 | 17° – 38° |
| Year | 57° | 39° | 33.1" | 36.0" | 130 | 62 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 11° to 34°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Lake Orion’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 Lake Orion’s center.
- Snow: Pontiac Wwtp, MI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Pontiac Wwtp, MI, 10 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 Lake Orion’s climate
What is the weather like in Lake Orion?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 81% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 81% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lake Orion in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 135 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 13°.
How much snow does Lake Orion get?
About 36 inches in a normal winter at Pontiac Wwtp, MI, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 62 days a year.
How hot does it get in Lake Orion?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 61°. About 10 days a year reach 90° (Pontiac Wwtp, MI).
When is the first and last frost in Lake Orion?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 22, about 177 frost-free days, at Pontiac Wwtp, MI.
What growing zone is Lake Orion in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Lake Orion?
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 Lake Orion getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 67% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Lake Orion.
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.