Photo: kennethaw88 · CC BY 4.0St. Johns is drier than 79% of U.S. towns: 34 inches of precipitation a year
Deep winter brings January lows near 16°. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 66°. Its January nights bite harder than in 79% of U.S. towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to April, when means dip under 50°.
A year in St. Johns at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about St. Johns’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with St. Johns’ place in Michigan beside it.
What a year in St. Johns feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 179 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 28 and the first by October 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Saint Johns, MI, 0.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts St. Johns’ center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −6°. 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 34 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 St. Johns
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 Saint Johns, MI.
Living with St. Johns’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
179 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 28 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 1.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in St. Johns from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (42%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →St. Johns and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around St. Johns yet.
Climates most like St. Johns’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Johns, MI | 16° | 83° | 34" | 50" |
| Geneseo, NY | 18° | 82° | 34" | 52" |
| Franklin, WI | 14° | 82° | 35" | 49" |
| Beach Park, IL | 16° | 82° | 36" | 43" |
| Chesterton, IN | 17° | 83° | 38" | 40" |
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 St. Johns averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.1°).
A bigger shift than in 52% 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 St. Johns compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with St. Johns’ place among Michigan’s.
St. Johns weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at St. Johns’ 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° | 1.7" | 12.9" | 11 | 19 | 11° – 34° |
| March | 44° | 25° | 2.0" | 5.9" | 11 | 9 | 25° – 48° |
| April | 57° | 35° | 3.4" | 1.7" | 13 | 1 | 39° – 52° |
| May | 69° | 47° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 50° – 64° |
| June | 79° | 57° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| July | 83° | 61° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| August | 81° | 59° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| September | 73° | 51° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 56° – 66° |
| October | 60° | 41° | 3.2" | 0.2" | 12 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| November | 47° | 31° | 2.6" | 3.9" | 12 | 3 | 31° – 46° |
| December | 35° | 23° | 2.0" | 11.3" | 14 | 13 | 17° – 38° |
| Year | 57° | 39° | 34.1" | 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 34°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where St. Johns’ 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 St. Johns’ center.
- Snow: Lansing Capital City Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Saint Johns, MI, 0.7 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 St. Johns’ climate
What is the weather like in St. Johns?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, 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 76% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in St. Johns in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 144 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 14°.
How much snow does St. Johns 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 St. Johns?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 61°. About 11 days a year reach 90° (Saint Johns, MI).
When is the first and last frost in St. Johns?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 28 and the first fall frost by October 24, about 179 frost-free days, at Saint Johns, MI.
What growing zone is St. Johns in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −6°.
What is the best time of year to visit St. Johns?
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 St. Johns getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in St. Johns.
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.