Forest Hills, MI climate
Forest Hills has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 66 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeRight about normal today. The forecast high is 65°, and a typical Oct 2 in Forest Hills peaks around 66°.Live forecast: National Weather Service · Normal: NOAA 1991–2020
What a year in Forest Hills feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Forest Hills weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 17° | 2.5" | 21.3" | 15 | 14° – 33° |
| February | 34° | 17° | 2.0" | 16.1" | 11 | 12° – 34° |
| March | 44° | 25° | 2.3" | 7.2" | 10 | 26° – 50° |
| April | 58° | 35° | 3.7" | 1.3" | 13 | 39° – 52° |
| May | 69° | 46° | 3.9" | 0 | 12 | 50° – 64° |
| June | 79° | 56° | 3.6" | 0 | 11 | 63° – 72° |
| July | 83° | 60° | 3.3" | 0 | 9 | 66° – 78° |
| August | 81° | 59° | 3.5" | 0 | 10 | 64° – 75° |
| September | 74° | 50° | 3.2" | 0 | 10 | 56° – 66° |
| October | 61° | 40° | 3.8" | 0.2" | 11 | 47° – 57° |
| November | 47° | 31° | 3.0" | 4.0" | 12 | 32° – 47° |
| December | 36° | 23° | 2.4" | 15.8" | 13 | 19° – 39° |
| Year | 58° | 38° | 37.4" | 65.9" | 135 |
“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 and snow in Forest Hills
Forest Hills gets 37 inches of rain and melted snow a year. May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 135 days a year.
About 174 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first one by October 20. That leaves about 174 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 56% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Forest Hills
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Forest Hills, 90% of that work is heating and 10% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
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.
Forest Hills and its neighbors
Forest Hills borders 9 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 1.4°. Cannon has the coldest January nights (16°) and Cascade the hottest July afternoons (83°). Forest Hills’s January low is 17° and its July high 83°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How Forest Hills compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Forest Hills averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.9°). The shift is larger than in 69% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Forest Hills’s spot on NOAA’s grid
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 26° to 50°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Common questions about Forest Hills’s climate
What is the coldest month in Forest Hills?
January, with a typical high of 31° and a low of 17°.
What is the hottest month in Forest Hills?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 60°. About 10 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Forest Hills get?
About 66 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.
When is the first frost in Forest Hills?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 20, and the last spring frost by April 29.
What is the rainiest month in Forest Hills?
May, with 3.9 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 37 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Forest Hills itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Lowell, MI (8 mi, snow) and Grand Rapids, MI (5 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.