Climateby Month

Detroit, MI climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 598 ft elevation

Summers in Detroit are warm; winters are cold and snowy. Highs peak at 84°F in July and fall to 32°F in January. Wet days are spread through the year, from about 10 to 13 a month. Normal snowfall is about 45 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is May, June and September.

Warmest month
84°F
July normal high
Coldest month
20°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
136
34.3 in of precipitation
Snow a year
45.0 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Detroit?

Normal highs range from 32°F in January to 84°F in July.

20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 32°F (0°C), low 20°F (-7°C) 32° 20° February: normal high 35°F (2°C), low 21°F (-6°C) March: normal high 45°F (7°C), low 28°F (-2°C) April: normal high 58°F (14°C), low 39°F (4°C) May: normal high 70°F (21°C), low 50°F (10°C) June: normal high 79°F (26°C), low 60°F (16°C) July: normal high 84°F (29°C), low 65°F (18°C) 84° 65° August: normal high 81°F (27°C), low 64°F (18°C) September: normal high 74°F (23°C), low 56°F (13°C) October: normal high 61°F (16°C), low 45°F (7°C) November: normal high 48°F (9°C), low 34°F (1°C) December: normal high 37°F (3°C), low 26°F (-3°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is Detroit?

January has the most wet days (about 13); the year brings about 34 in of precipitation.

January: 13 wet days 13 February: 11 wet days March: 11 wet days April: 13 wet days May: 13 wet days June: 11 wet days July: 11 wet days August: 10 wet days September: 10 wet days 10 October: 11 wet days November: 11 wet days December: 13 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How much does it snow?

Normal snowfall is 45.0 in a year, most of it in January.

January: 14.0 in of snow 14.0 February: 12.5 in of snow March: 6.2 in of snow April: 1.5 in of snow May: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 June: 0.0 in of snow July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.0 in of snow October: 0.0 in of snow November: 1.9 in of snow December: 8.9 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Detroit?

Muggy days peak in July, at about 9 days.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 1 muggy days June: 4 muggy days July: 9 muggy days 9 August: 9 muggy days September: 3 muggy days October: 0 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Detroit City Airport, 5.5 mi NNE of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.1 hours in December to 15.2 hours in June.

January: 9.5 hours of daylight February: 10.6 hours of daylight March: 11.9 hours of daylight April: 13.4 hours of daylight May: 14.6 hours of daylight June: 15.2 hours of daylight 15.2 July: 14.9 hours of daylight August: 13.8 hours of daylight September: 12.5 hours of daylight October: 11.1 hours of daylight November: 9.8 hours of daylight December: 9.1 hours of daylight 9.1 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Detroit, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 32°F20°F 2.2 in13 14.0 in 0 9.5 h
February 35°F21°F 2.1 in11 12.5 in 0 10.6 h
March 45°F28°F 2.4 in11 6.2 in 0 11.9 h
April 58°F39°F 3.3 in13 1.5 in 0 13.4 h
May 70°F50°F 3.7 in13 0.0 in 1 14.6 h
June 79°F60°F 3.3 in11 0.0 in 4 15.2 h
July 84°F65°F 3.5 in11 0.0 in 9 14.9 h
August 81°F64°F 3.3 in10 0.0 in 9 13.8 h
September 74°F56°F 3.2 in10 0.0 in 3 12.5 h
October 61°F45°F 2.5 in11 0.0 in 0 11.1 h
November 48°F34°F 2.6 in11 1.9 in 0 9.8 h
December 37°F26°F 2.3 in13 8.9 in 0 9.1 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit Detroit

By our comfort score, the best months are May, June and September.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 260625
Feb 300520
Mar 432611
Apr 58772
May 721581
Jun 691263
Jul 59666
Aug 61963
Sep 691561
Oct 591060
Nov 40267
Dec 280520

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in Detroit

The last spring frost typically comes around Apr 21, and the first fall frost around Oct 31, leaving 190 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Detroit
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Apr 21after May 6
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 31before Oct 17
Last hard freeze (28°F)Apr 8after Apr 22
First hard freeze (28°F)Nov 9before Oct 29
Frost-free season190 daysunder 171 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Detroit City Airport (USW00014822), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Michigan.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 103°F (July 14, 1995); the lowest was -17°F (January 19, 1994).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near Detroit

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, frost dates and humidity and wind by hour: Detroit City Airport (USW00014822), 5.7 mi NNE of the city center, 626 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Rain, snowfall and snow depth: Detroit Metro Airport (USW00094847), 16 mi WSW of the city center, 631 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Cloud cover: Flint Bishop Intl Airport (USW00014826), 57 mi NW of the city center, 770 ft (172 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Detroit City Airport (725375-14822), 5.5 mi NNE of the city center, 623 ft . Hourly observations, 1991-2020.

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error