Climate · Center

Center, MI climate

Center has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 80 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
78°
193rd coolest of 1,983 Michigan towns
January low
12°
385th coldest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Rain + melted snow
33 in
610th driest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Snow a winter
80 in
473rd snowiest of 1,918 Michigan towns
A normal year

What a year in Center feels like

Winter

29° / 14°
Typical high / low · 25 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

51° / 30°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 15

Summer

76° / 54°
Typical high / low · 90° days are rare

Fall

56° / 39°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 16
Best months to be outsideMayJunJulAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Center 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
January26°12°1.9" 20.9"1329 6° – 28°
February28°11°1.3" 16.9"1028 5° – 30°
March38°19°1.8" 9.7"1022 18° – 41°
April51°30°2.7" 5.7"116 32° – 47°
May64°41°3.0" 0.1"120 46° – 59°
June73°51°3.1" 0110 58° – 68°
July78°56°3.0" 0110 60° – 71°
August76°55°3.1" 0100 61° – 69°
September69°48°3.7" 0120 53° – 63°
October56°38°4.3" 0.1"160 43° – 54°
November43°29°2.8" 5.9"136 29° – 42°
December32°20°2.3" 20.2"1320 17° – 35°
Year53°34°33.1"79.5"141110

“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 Center

Center gets 33 inches of rain and melted snow a year. October is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 141 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 110 days of the year.

33 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 70% of U.S. towns
80 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 95% of U.S. towns
110 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
More than 94% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
4.3"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
21"
Frost & the growing season

About 152 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 15 and the first one by October 16. That leaves about 152 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 79% of U.S. towns.

160
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
14
nights below 0° in a normal year
<1
days that reach 90° in a normal year

Freezing nights by month

Average nights at or below 32°
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Center

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

97%heating
7,998 heating degree daysMore heating than 86% of U.S. towns
218 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 95% 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.

Around Center

Center and its neighbors

Center borders 5 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 3.4°. McKinley has both the coldest January nights (11°) and the hottest July afternoons (79°). Center’s January low is 12° and its July high 78°.

Friendship: January low 12°, July high 77°Carp Lake: January low 12°, July high 77°Maple River: January low 11°, July high 79°Munro: January low 11°, July high 79°Little Traverse: January low 15°, July high 76°West Traverse: January low 13°, July high 76°Littlefield: January low 12°, July high 79°Readmond: January low 12°, July high 77°McKinley: January low 11°, July high 79°Pleasantview: January low 12°, July high 78°Bliss: January low 14°, July high 75°Cross Village: January low 14°, July high 75°Center: January low 12°, July high 78° CenterReadmondMcKinleyPleasantviewBlissCross Village
ColderMilder11° to 15°
McKinley10.7° −1.2°
Pleasantview11.6° −0.3°
Readmond11.8° −0.1°
Center11.9°
Bliss13.6° +1.7°
Cross Village14.1° +2.2°

Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.

Compared with other towns

How Center compares

Summer heat78° July high
Cooler than 96% of U.S. towns193rd coolest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Winter cold12° January low
Colder than 78% of U.S. towns385th coldest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Precipitation33" a year
Drier than 70% of U.S. towns610th driest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Snow80" a winter
Snowier than 95% of U.S. towns473rd snowiest of 1,918 Michigan towns
Growing season152 frost-free days
Shorter than 79% of U.S. towns742nd 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 Center averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+3.4°). The shift is larger than in 89% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+3.0° now 22°, was 19°
🌷 Spring+1.7° now 40°, was 39°
☀️ Summer+1.2° now 65°, was 64°
🍂 Fall+1.5° now 47°, was 46°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Center’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 30°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Center’s climate

What is the coldest month in Center?

February, with a typical high of 28° and a low of 11°.

What is the hottest month in Center?

July, with a typical high of 78° and a low of 56°.

How much snow does Center get?

About 80 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.

When is the first frost in Center?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 16, and the last spring frost by May 15.

What is the rainiest month in Center?

October, with 4.3 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 33 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Center itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Cross Village 1e, MI (6 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.

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