Richard and Mary Woodward Gregory House · Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0Ross Township’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 65 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Ross Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ross Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ross Township’s place in Michigan beside it.
What a year in Ross Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 158 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 6 and the first by October 12. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Battle Creek 5nw, MI, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ross Township’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 65 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Battle Creek 5nw, MI, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 37 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 Ross Township
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 Battle Creek 5nw, MI.
Living with Ross Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
158 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 6 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 12.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 37 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ross Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (61%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ross Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Ross Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Ross 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.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ross Township, MI | 17° | 83° | 37" | 65" |
| Ithaca, NY | 17° | 83° | 36" | 63" |
| Medina, OH | 20° | 83° | 39" | 65" |
| Clearfield, PA | 18° | 83° | 41" | 63" |
| West Chicago, IL | 15° | 84° | 38" | 46" |
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 Ross Township averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 56% 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 Ross Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ross Township’s place among Michigan’s.
Ross Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ross Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Battle Creek 5nw, MI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 17° | 2.4" | 18.1" | 14 | 21 | 15° – 34° |
| February | 34° | 18° | 1.9" | 15.6" | 11 | 18 | 13° – 35° |
| March | 45° | 26° | 2.2" | 6.0" | 10 | 7 | 26° – 50° |
| April | 59° | 36° | 3.4" | 2.1" | 12 | 0 | 40° – 54° |
| May | 70° | 47° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 51° – 64° |
| June | 79° | 57° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| July | 83° | 60° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 77° |
| August | 81° | 59° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| September | 74° | 51° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| October | 61° | 41° | 3.7" | 0.5" | 13 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| November | 47° | 31° | 2.7" | 5.9" | 11 | 3 | 31° – 46° |
| December | 36° | 23° | 2.2" | 16.4" | 14 | 13 | 18° – 39° |
| Year | 58° | 39° | 37.0" | 64.6" | 138 | 62 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 26° to 50°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Ross 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 Ross Township’s center.
- Snow: Battle Creek 5nw, MI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Battle Creek 5nw, MI, 5 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 Ross Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Ross Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 65 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 77% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 71% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ross Township in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 142 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Ross Township get?
About 65 inches in a normal winter at Battle Creek 5nw, MI, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 62 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ross Township?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 60°. About 10 days a year reach 90° (Battle Creek 5nw, MI).
When is the first and last frost in Ross Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 6 and the first fall frost by October 12, about 158 frost-free days, at Battle Creek 5nw, MI.
What growing zone is Ross Township 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 Ross 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 Ross Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 56% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ross Township.
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.