Climate · Alanson

Alanson, MI climate

Alanson has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 79°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 120 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
79°
387th coolest of 1,983 Michigan towns
January low
12°
399th coldest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Rain + melted snow
32 in
285th driest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Snow a winter
120 in
156th snowiest of 1,918 Michigan towns
A normal year

What a year in Alanson feels like

Winter

30° / 14°
Typical high / low · 38 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

52° / 30°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 31

Summer

78° / 54°
Typical high / low · 5 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

57° / 38°
Typical high / low · First frost around Sep 18
Best months to be outsideMayJunJulAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Alanson weather by month

Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet daysSnow on ground30-yr range
January27°12°1.9" 34.6"1929 7° – 28°
February29°11°1.3" 20.4"1526 5° – 31°
March39°19°1.8" 13.1"1117 18° – 42°
April52°30°2.7" 6.4"135 32° – 48°
May66°41°2.9" 0.2"140 46° – 59°
June75°51°3.0" 0120 59° – 69°
July79°56°2.9" 0110 61° – 71°
August78°55°3.1" 0110 62° – 70°
September70°48°3.5" 0120 53° – 64°
October57°38°4.0" 0.4"180 43° – 54°
November43°29°2.7" 11.5"177 30° – 43°
December33°20°2.2" 33.6"2022 17° – 35°
Year54°34°31.9"120.2"172106

“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.

Rain & snow

Rain and snow in Alanson

Alanson gets 32 inches of rain and melted snow a year. October is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 172 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 106 days of the year.

32 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 73% of U.S. towns
120 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 99% of U.S. towns
106 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
More than 92% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
4.0"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
35"
Frost & the growing season

About 108 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 31 and the first one by September 18. That leaves about 108 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 99% of U.S. towns.

180
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
24
nights below 0° in a normal year
5
days that reach 90° in a normal year

Freezing nights by month

Average nights at or below 32°

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Alanson

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Alanson, 97% of that work is heating and 3% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

97%heating
8,391 heating degree daysMore heating than 90% of U.S. towns
254 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 94% of U.S. towns

Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.

Compared with other towns

How Alanson compares

Summer heat79° July high
Cooler than 91% of U.S. towns387th coolest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Winter cold12° January low
Colder than 78% of U.S. towns399th coldest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Precipitation32" a year
Drier than 73% of U.S. towns285th driest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Snow120" a winter
Snowier than 99% of U.S. towns156th snowiest of 1,918 Michigan towns
Growing season108 frost-free days
Shorter than 99% of U.S. towns41st shortest of 1,980 Michigan towns

Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

+1.8°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Alanson averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.4°). The shift is larger than in 87% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+3.0° now 22°, was 19°
🌷 Spring+1.5° now 41°, was 40°
☀️ Summer+1.2° now 66°, was 64°
🍂 Fall+1.5° now 48°, was 46°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Alanson’s spot on NOAA’s grid

Year to year

How much a month can swing

A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. February swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 5° to 31°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Alanson’s climate

What is the coldest month in Alanson?

February, with a typical high of 29° and a low of 11°.

What is the hottest month in Alanson?

July, with a typical high of 79° and a low of 56°. About 5 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Alanson get?

About 120 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.

When is the first frost in Alanson?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 18, and the last spring frost by May 31.

What is the rainiest month in Alanson?

October, with 4.0 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 32 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Alanson itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Petoskey Ncmc, MI (10 mi, snow) and Pellston Rgnl Airport, MI (8 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.

The door’s open

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Alanson, MIView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map
Loading boundary…

Alanson is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01