Photo: John Menard from Phoenix, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0July in Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert stays fresher than in 82% of U.S. towns
January nights here settle around 19°. The wettest month is August; the driest is February. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 65% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs November to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert’s place in Michigan beside it.
What a year in Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 164 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 4 and the first by October 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Benton Harbor Airport, 19 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −4°. 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 Laporte, IN, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 39 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 148 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert
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 Benton Harbor Airport.
Living with Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
164 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 4 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 17.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 4.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (65%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert, MI | 19° | 82° | 39" | 65" |
| Broadview Heights, OH | 20° | 82° | 40" | 65" |
| North Tonawanda, NY | 18° | 81° | 37" | 72" |
| Clearfield, PA | 18° | 83° | 41" | 63" |
| Frostburg, MD | 20° | 82° | 44" | 72" |
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 Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 66% 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 Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert’s place among Michigan’s.
Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Laporte, IN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 19° | 2.4" | 23.0" | 17 | 18 | 17° – 37° |
| February | 36° | 22° | 2.1" | 16.0" | 13 | 14 | 16° – 39° |
| March | 46° | 29° | 2.3" | 7.1" | 13 | 5 | 29° – 52° |
| April | 58° | 38° | 3.6" | 1.1" | 13 | 0 | 40° – 54° |
| May | 69° | 49° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 52° – 66° |
| June | 78° | 59° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| July | 82° | 64° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 79° |
| August | 80° | 63° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| September | 75° | 56° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 59° – 69° |
| October | 62° | 45° | 3.9" | 0.2" | 12 | 0 | 50° – 60° |
| November | 49° | 34° | 2.8" | 4.0" | 13 | 2 | 35° – 49° |
| December | 38° | 25° | 2.4" | 13.8" | 15 | 11 | 19° – 41° |
| Year | 59° | 42° | 38.6" | 65.2" | 148 | 50 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 29° to 52°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert’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 Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert’s center.
- Snow: Laporte, IN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Benton Harbor Airport, 19 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 Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert’s climate
What is the weather like in Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 65 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 62% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 82% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 127 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert get?
About 65 inches in a normal winter at Laporte, IN, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 50 days a year.
How hot does it get in Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 64°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Benton Harbor Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 4 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 164 frost-free days, at Benton Harbor Airport.
What growing zone is Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 66% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert.
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.