Photo: OmidGul · CC BY-SA 4.0Precipitation in Orchard Lake Village trails that of 81% of U.S. towns: 33 inches a year
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 83°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 80% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.6° more than in 1901–2000, led by February. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from May to September, with highs of 69–83°.
A year in Orchard Lake Village at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Orchard Lake Village’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Orchard Lake Village’s place in Michigan beside it.
What a year in Orchard Lake Village feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 172 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first by October 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Pontiac Oakland Co International Airport, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Orchard Lake Village’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 Orchard Lake Village
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 Pontiac Oakland Co International Airport.
Living with Orchard Lake Village’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
172 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 29 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 8.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Orchard Lake Village from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (53%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Orchard Lake Village and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Orchard Lake Village in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Orchard Lake Village’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orchard Lake Village, MI | 16° | 83° | 33" | 36" |
| North Dansville, NY | 17° | 82° | 33" | 36" |
| Pleasant Prairie, WI | 16° | 82° | 35" | 36" |
| Zion, IL | 16° | 82° | 36" | 36" |
| Sayre, PA | 17° | 84° | 37" | 35" |
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 Orchard Lake Village averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.8°).
A bigger shift than in 65% 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 Orchard Lake Village compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Orchard Lake Village’s place among Michigan’s.
Orchard Lake Village weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Orchard Lake Village’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 | 31° | 16° | 2.1" | 12.1" | 13 | 22 | 14° – 33° |
| February | 34° | 18° | 1.7" | 9.0" | 10 | 18 | 12° – 35° |
| March | 44° | 26° | 2.2" | 4.1" | 10 | 7 | 26° – 49° |
| April | 57° | 36° | 3.0" | 0.9" | 11 | 1 | 40° – 53° |
| May | 69° | 47° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 50° – 64° |
| June | 79° | 57° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| July | 83° | 61° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| August | 80° | 60° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| September | 73° | 52° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 56° – 67° |
| October | 61° | 41° | 2.8" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 47° | 31° | 2.4" | 1.7" | 10 | 1 | 32° – 46° |
| December | 35° | 23° | 2.1" | 8.1" | 12 | 13 | 17° – 39° |
| Year | 58° | 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 12° to 35°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Orchard Lake Village’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 Orchard Lake Village’s center.
- Snow: Pontiac Wwtp, MI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Pontiac Oakland Co International Airport, 6 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 Orchard Lake Village’s climate
What is the weather like in Orchard Lake Village?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 80% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 76% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Orchard Lake Village in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 136 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 14°.
How much snow does Orchard Lake Village 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 Orchard Lake Village?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 61°. About 10 days a year reach 90° (Pontiac Oakland Co International Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Orchard Lake Village?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 29 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 172 frost-free days, at Pontiac Oakland Co International Airport.
What growing zone is Orchard Lake Village 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 Orchard Lake Village?
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 Orchard Lake Village getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Orchard Lake Village.
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.