Photo: Andrew Martin · CC BY 3.0Lansing has colder winter nights than 79% of U.S. towns
July afternoons average 82°. A year here swings 66° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 77% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 1, with the first autumn frost due around October 13.
A year in Lansing at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lansing’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lansing’s place in Michigan beside it.
What a year in Lansing feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 162 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 1 and the first by October 13. Frost and day counts come from Lansing Capital City Airport, Lansing’s official weather station (the one in National Weather Service reports), 5 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lansing’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −8°. 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 50 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lansing Capital City Airport, is heaviest from January through February, about 14 inches a month. 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 138 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lansing
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 Lansing Capital City Airport.
Living with Lansing’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
162 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 1 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 13.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 38 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lansing from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 12%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lansing and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Lansing in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Lansing’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lansing, MI | 16° | 82° | 35" | 50" |
| Corning, NY | 15° | 82° | 35" | 47" |
| Beach Park, IL | 16° | 82° | 36" | 43" |
| Franklin, WI | 14° | 82° | 35" | 49" |
| Ashland, OH | 19° | 83° | 39" | 49" |
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 Lansing averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.9°).
A smaller shift than in 51% 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 114,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Lansing compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lansing’s place among Michigan’s.
Lansing weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lansing’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lansing Capital City Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 16° | 2.2" | 14.3" | 14 | 22 | 14° – 33° |
| February | 33° | 17° | 1.9" | 12.9" | 11 | 19 | 11° – 35° |
| March | 44° | 25° | 2.2" | 5.9" | 11 | 9 | 26° – 49° |
| April | 57° | 36° | 3.4" | 1.7" | 13 | 1 | 40° – 52° |
| May | 69° | 47° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 49° – 64° |
| June | 79° | 57° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| July | 82° | 60° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 77° |
| August | 80° | 59° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| September | 73° | 51° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 57° – 66° |
| October | 60° | 40° | 3.4" | 0.2" | 12 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| November | 47° | 31° | 2.6" | 3.9" | 12 | 3 | 32° – 47° |
| December | 35° | 23° | 2.0" | 11.3" | 14 | 13 | 16° – 39° |
| Year | 58° | 38° | 35.0" | 50.2" | 138 | 66 |
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 35°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Lansing’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 Lansing’s center.
- Snow: Lansing Capital City Airport (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lansing Capital City Airport, 5 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the city’s official station.
- 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 Lansing’s climate
What is the weather like in Lansing?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 50 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 79% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 77% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lansing in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 143 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 14°.
How much snow does Lansing get?
About 50 inches in a normal winter at Lansing Capital City Airport, heaviest from January through February, about 14 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 66 days a year.
How hot does it get in Lansing?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 60°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Lansing Capital City Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Lansing?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 1 and the first fall frost by October 13, about 162 frost-free days, at Lansing Capital City Airport.
What growing zone is Lansing in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Lansing?
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 Lansing getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 51% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Lansing.
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.