Three Lakes gets about 118 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 147 U.S. towns
July afternoons average 76°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 98% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.7° more than in 1901–2000, led by December. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from June to September, with highs of 66–76°.
A year in Three Lakes at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Three Lakes’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Three Lakes’ place in Michigan beside it.
What a year in Three Lakes feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 218 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 49 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Champion Van Riper Park, MI, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Three Lakes’ center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −27°. 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 118 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Clarksburg, MI, is heaviest from January through February, about 25 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 33 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 166 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Three Lakes
98% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from September 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 Champion Van Riper Park, MI.
Living with Three Lakes’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 4a, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 96 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 4.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 47% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Three Lakes from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Three Lakes and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Three Lakes yet.
Climates most like Three Lakes’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three Lakes, MI | 2° | 76° | 33" | 118" |
| Hermantown, MN | 2° | 77° | 31" | 90" |
| Caribou, ME | 2° | 77° | 41" | 118" |
| Tupper Lake, NY | 5° | 78° | 43" | 105" |
| 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 Three Lakes 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 Three Lakes compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Three Lakes’ place among Michigan’s.
Three Lakes weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Three Lakes’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Clarksburg, MI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19° | 2° | 1.7" | 25.1" | 17 | 31 | −1° – 22° |
| February | 24° | 2° | 1.4" | 23.9" | 13 | 29 | −1° – 27° |
| March | 35° | 11° | 1.7" | 14.5" | 10 | 29 | 13° – 38° |
| April | 48° | 24° | 2.7" | 14.7" | 12 | 14 | 27° – 44° |
| May | 62° | 36° | 3.3" | 0.8" | 15 | 0 | 43° – 55° |
| June | 72° | 46° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 55° – 64° |
| July | 76° | 51° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| August | 74° | 49° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 57° – 66° |
| September | 66° | 43° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| October | 52° | 32° | 3.7" | 2.7" | 16 | 2 | 36° – 48° |
| November | 36° | 21° | 2.4" | 15.0" | 16 | 15 | 19° – 38° |
| December | 25° | 10° | 1.9" | 21.1" | 17 | 28 | 8° – 26° |
| Year | 49° | 27° | 33.1" | 117.8" | 166 | 147 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -1° to 27°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Three Lakes’ 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 Three Lakes’ center.
- Snow: Clarksburg, MI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Champion Van Riper Park, MI, 9 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 Three Lakes’ climate
What is the weather like in Three Lakes?
A typical July afternoon reaches 76°, a January night drops to 2°, and about 118 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 87 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 98% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Three Lakes in winter?
February nights average 2°. About 218 nights a year reach 32° or below and 49 reach 0° or below. In the coldest February of the last 30 years the month averaged −1°.
How much snow does Three Lakes get?
About 118 inches in a normal winter at Clarksburg, MI, heaviest from January through February, about 25 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 147 days a year.
How hot does it get in Three Lakes?
July, with a typical high of 76° and a low of 51°. About 2 days a year reach 90° (Champion Van Riper Park, MI).
When is the first and last frost in Three Lakes?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Champion Van Riper Park, MI, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 218 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 96 days.
What growing zone is Three Lakes in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −27°.
What is the best time of year to visit Three Lakes?
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 Three Lakes 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 Three Lakes.
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.