Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0Pelkie gets about 121 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 134 U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 78°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.7° more than in 1901–2000, led by December. Radiators earn their keep from October to April, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Pelkie at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Pelkie’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Pelkie’s place in Michigan beside it.
What a year in Pelkie feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 119 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 25 and the first by September 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Baraga 7nw, MI, 1.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Pelkie’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −17°. 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 121 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Watton 2wsw, MI, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 30 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 172 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Pelkie
97% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Baraga 7nw, MI.
Living with Pelkie’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
119 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 25 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 47% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Pelkie from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Pelkie and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Pelkie yet.
Climates most like Pelkie’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pelkie, MI | 8° | 78° | 30" | 121" |
| Woodland Park, CO | 11° | 77° | 22" | 134" |
| Hermantown, MN | 2° | 77° | 31" | 90" |
| Beekmantown, NY | 9° | 80° | 35" | 80" |
| Lyndon, VT | 5° | 79° | 41" | 142" |
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 Pelkie averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.2°).
A bigger shift than in 69% 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 Pelkie compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Pelkie’s place among Michigan’s.
Pelkie weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Pelkie’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Watton 2wsw, MI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 8° | 1.8" | 24.8" | 20 | 31 | 4° – 26° |
| February | 27° | 7° | 1.3" | 20.9" | 16 | 29 | 3° – 30° |
| March | 38° | 16° | 1.5" | 13.6" | 11 | 28 | 17° – 42° |
| April | 50° | 28° | 2.4" | 15.6" | 13 | 15 | 31° – 47° |
| May | 64° | 40° | 2.8" | 1.0" | 13 | 1 | 46° – 58° |
| June | 74° | 49° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 58° – 66° |
| July | 78° | 55° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 59° – 71° |
| August | 77° | 54° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 60° – 69° |
| September | 69° | 47° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| October | 55° | 36° | 3.3" | 3.8" | 16 | 2 | 40° – 51° |
| November | 41° | 26° | 2.2" | 16.9" | 16 | 16 | 24° – 42° |
| December | 29° | 15° | 1.7" | 24.7" | 19 | 29 | 12° – 30° |
| Year | 52° | 32° | 29.5" | 121.3" | 172 | 149 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 3° to 30°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Pelkie’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 Pelkie’s center.
- Snow: Watton 2wsw, MI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Baraga 7nw, MI, 1.7 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 Pelkie’s climate
What is the weather like in Pelkie?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 121 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Pelkie in winter?
February nights average 7°. About 195 nights a year reach 32° or below and 32 reach 0° or below. In the coldest February of the last 30 years the month averaged 3°.
How much snow does Pelkie get?
About 121 inches in a normal winter at Watton 2wsw, MI, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 149 days a year.
How hot does it get in Pelkie?
July, with a typical high of 78° and a low of 55°. About 7 days a year reach 90° (Baraga 7nw, MI).
When is the first and last frost in Pelkie?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 25 and the first fall frost by September 23, about 119 frost-free days, at Baraga 7nw, MI.
What growing zone is Pelkie in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −17°.
What is the best time of year to visit Pelkie?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Pelkie getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 69% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Pelkie.
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.