Climate · Custer

Custer, MI climate

Custer has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 79 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
81°
700th coolest of 1,983 Michigan towns
January low
16°
974th mildest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Rain + melted snow
35 in
632nd wettest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Snow a winter
79 in
480th snowiest of 1,918 Michigan towns
A normal year

What a year in Custer feels like

Winter

32° / 18°
Typical high / low · 29 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

55° / 33°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 17

Summer

79° / 55°
Typical high / low · 5 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

58° / 39°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 7
Best months to be outsideMayJunJulAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Custer 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
January29°16°2.3" 26.4"1626 13° – 32°
February32°16°1.7" 20.0"1323 11° – 33°
March42°23°2.1" 5.9"910 23° – 47°
April55°33°3.3" 1.1"121 35° – 50°
May68°43°3.4" 0110 48° – 61°
June77°53°3.4" 0100 60° – 71°
July81°57°3.1" 090 63° – 75°
August79°56°3.1" 080 63° – 72°
September72°49°3.2" 0100 54° – 65°
October58°39°4.1" 0.1"130 44° – 55°
November45°30°3.2" 5.4"134 30° – 44°
December34°22°2.4" 19.6"1419 20° – 37°
Year56°36°35.2"78.5"13782

“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 Custer

Custer gets 35 inches of rain and melted snow a year. October is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 137 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 82 days of the year.

35 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 65% of U.S. towns
79 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 94% of U.S. towns
82 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
More than 83% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
4.1"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
26"
Frost & the growing season

About 144 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 17 and the first one by October 7. That leaves about 144 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 85% of U.S. towns.

149
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
3
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 Custer

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Custer, 95% of that work is heating and 5% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

95%heating
7,239 heating degree daysMore heating than 76% of U.S. towns
363 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 88% 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 Custer compares

Summer heat81° July high
Cooler than 83% of U.S. towns700th coolest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Winter cold16° January low
Colder than 67% of U.S. towns974th mildest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Precipitation35" a year
Drier than 65% of U.S. towns632nd wettest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Snow79" a winter
Snowier than 94% of U.S. towns480th snowiest of 1,918 Michigan towns
Growing season144 frost-free days
Shorter than 85% of U.S. towns594th 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

+1.5°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Custer averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.9°). The shift is larger than in 71% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+2.4° now 25°, was 22°
🌷 Spring+1.6° now 44°, was 42°
☀️ Summer+1.1° now 67°, was 66°
🍂 Fall+0.9° now 49°, was 48°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Custer’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. March swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 23° to 47°. August is the most reliable, staying within 10°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Custer’s climate

What is the coldest month in Custer?

January, with a typical high of 29° and a low of 16°.

What is the hottest month in Custer?

July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 57°. About 5 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Custer get?

About 79 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.

When is the first frost in Custer?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 7, and the last spring frost by May 17.

What is the rainiest month in Custer?

October, with 4.1 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 35 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Custer itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Hart 3 Wsw, MI (22 mi, snow) and Ludington 4 Se, MI (9 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.

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