Climate · Ensign

Ensign, MI climate

Ensign has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 47 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
78°
219th coolest of 1,983 Michigan towns
January low
10°
207th coldest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Rain + melted snow
32 in
237th driest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Snow a winter
47 in
691st least snowy of 1,918 Michigan towns
A normal year

What a year in Ensign feels like

Winter

28° / 13°
Typical high / low · 11 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

50° / 29°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 18

Summer

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

Fall

55° / 38°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 4
Best months to be outsideJunJulAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Ensign weather by month

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

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet days30-yr range
January26°10°2.0" 13.7"9 7° – 28°
February28°11°1.2" 10.2"7 6° – 31°
March38°19°1.7" 6.1"7 18° – 40°
April49°29°2.6" 4.4"10 32° – 45°
May63°40°3.1" 012 45° – 57°
June73°50°3.3" 013 58° – 66°
July78°56°3.4" 010 61° – 71°
August76°55°3.0" 010 61° – 69°
September68°48°3.5" 011 53° – 63°
October55°38°3.6" 013 42° – 53°
November42°28°2.4" 2.3"9 27° – 42°
December31°17°2.0" 10.2"9 15° – 33°
Year52°33°31.6"46.9"120

“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 Ensign

Ensign 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 120 days a year.

32 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 73% of U.S. towns
47 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 78% of U.S. towns
120 days
With rain or snow (0.01"+)

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
3.6"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
14"
Frost & the growing season

About 137 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 18 and the first one by October 4. That leaves about 137 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 91% of U.S. towns.

189
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
31
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°

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Ensign

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Ensign, 98% of that work is heating and 2% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

98%heating
8,555 heating degree daysMore heating than 91% 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 Ensign

Ensign and its neighbors

Ensign borders 5 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 1.9°. Masonville has both the coldest January nights (10°) and the hottest July afternoons (79°). Ensign’s January low is 10° and its July high 78°.

Garden: January low 11°, July high 77°Munising: January low 9°, July high 77°Fairbanks: January low 13°, July high 75°Baldwin: January low 9°, July high 79°Mathias: January low 9°, July high 79°Maple Ridge: January low 8°, July high 80°Escanaba: January low 9°, July high 79°Bay de Noc: January low 11°, July high 78°Nahma: January low 10°, July high 79°Masonville: January low 10°, July high 79°Brampton: January low 10°, July high 78°Gladstone: January low 11°, July high 76°Ensign: January low 10°, July high 78° EnsignBay de NocNahmaMasonvilleBramptonGladstone
ColderMilder8° to 13°
Masonville9.5° −0.9°
Nahma9.8° −0.6°
Brampton9.8° −0.6°
Ensign10.4°
Bay de Noc10.5° +0.1°
Gladstone11.4° +1.0°

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

Compared with other towns

How Ensign compares

Summer heat78° July high
Cooler than 96% of U.S. towns219th coolest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Winter cold10° January low
Colder than 81% of U.S. towns207th coldest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Precipitation32" a year
Drier than 73% of U.S. towns237th driest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Snow47" a winter
Snowier than 78% of U.S. towns691st least snowy of 1,918 Michigan towns
Growing season137 frost-free days
Shorter than 91% of U.S. towns456th 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

+1.7°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Ensign averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.5°). The shift is larger than in 80% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+2.3° now 21°, was 18°
🌷 Spring+1.4° now 40°, was 38°
☀️ Summer+1.6° now 65°, was 63°
🍂 Fall+1.4° now 46°, was 45°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Ensign’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 6° to 31°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Ensign’s climate

What is the coldest month in Ensign?

January, with a typical high of 26° and a low of 10°.

What is the hottest month in Ensign?

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

How much snow does Ensign get?

About 47 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.

When is the first frost in Ensign?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 4, and the last spring frost by May 18.

What is the rainiest month in Ensign?

October, with 3.6 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 32 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Ensign itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Escanaba, MI (15 mi, snow) and Rapid Rvr 4sse, MI (4 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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