Climate · Monitor

Monitor, MI climate

Monitor has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 49 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
82°
756th hottest of 1,983 Michigan towns
January low
16°
834th mildest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Rain + melted snow
32 in
326th driest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Snow a winter
49 in
836th least snowy of 1,918 Michigan towns
+4°

4° warmer than normal today. The forecast high is 70°, and a typical Sep 30 in Monitor peaks around 67°.Live forecast: National Weather Service · Normal: NOAA 1991–2020

A normal year

What a year in Monitor feels like

Winter

33° / 19°
Typical high / low · 17 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

56° / 35°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Apr 26

Summer

80° / 59°
Typical high / low · 9 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

60° / 41°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 17
Best months to be outsideMayJunJulAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Monitor 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
January30°16°1.9" 13.9"1321 12° – 32°
February33°17°1.6" 11.4"1019 11° – 34°
March43°25°1.8" 6.0"109 24° – 48°
April56°35°3.3" 2.4"121 39° – 51°
May69°46°3.5" 0120 49° – 63°
June79°56°3.5" 0100 63° – 72°
July82°61°3.0" 0100 66° – 76°
August80°59°3.6" 0110 64° – 74°
September73°51°2.7" 0100 56° – 67°
October60°41°3.0" 0.2"120 46° – 57°
November47°31°2.3" 3.3"123 31° – 46°
December35°23°1.9" 11.8"1213 18° – 39°
Year57°38°32.2"49.0"13365

“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 Monitor

Monitor gets 32 inches of rain and melted snow a year. August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 133 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 65 days of the year.

32 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 72% of U.S. towns
49 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 81% of U.S. towns
65 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
More than 75% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
3.6"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
14"
Frost & the growing season

About 172 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first one by October 17. That leaves about 172 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 58% of U.S. towns.

139
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
7
nights below 0° in a normal year
9
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 Monitor

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Monitor, 91% of that work is heating and 9% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

91%heating
6,781 heating degree daysMore heating than 70% of U.S. towns
631 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 67% 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 Monitor

Monitor and its neighbors

Monitor borders 5 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 1.4°. Frankenlust has both the coldest January nights (16°) and the hottest July afternoons (83°). Monitor’s January low is 16° and its July high 82°.

Fraser: January low 17°, July high 81°Beaver: January low 16°, July high 82°Kochville: January low 16°, July high 83°Portsmouth: January low 16°, July high 82°Tittabawassee: January low 16°, July high 83°Essexville: January low 17°, July high 82°Hampton: January low 17°, July high 81°Midland: January low 16°, July high 83°Kawkawlin: January low 17°, July high 82°Frankenlust: January low 16°, July high 83°Bangor: January low 17°, July high 81°Williams: January low 16°, July high 82°Bay City: January low 16°, July high 82°Monitor: January low 16°, July high 82° MonitorKawkawlinFrankenlustBangorWilliamsBay City
ColderMilder16° to 17°
Frankenlust16.0° −0.1°
Williams16.0° −0.1°
Monitor16.1°
Bay City16.4° +0.3°
Kawkawlin16.6° +0.5°
Bangor17.4° +1.3°

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

Compared with other towns

How Monitor compares

Summer heat82° July high
Cooler than 72% of U.S. towns756th hottest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Winter cold16° January low
Colder than 66% of U.S. towns834th mildest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Precipitation32" a year
Drier than 72% of U.S. towns326th driest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Snow49" a winter
Snowier than 81% of U.S. towns836th least snowy of 1,918 Michigan towns
Growing season172 frost-free days
Shorter than 58% of U.S. towns292nd longest 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

+1.9°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Monitor averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+3.2°). The shift is larger than in 91% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+2.9° now 26°, was 23°
🌷 Spring+1.7° now 46°, was 44°
☀️ Summer+1.4° now 69°, was 68°
🍂 Fall+1.6° now 50°, was 49°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Monitor’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 24° to 48°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Monitor’s climate

What is the coldest month in Monitor?

January, with a typical high of 30° and a low of 16°.

What is the hottest month in Monitor?

July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 61°. About 9 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Monitor get?

About 49 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.

When is the first frost in Monitor?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 17, and the last spring frost by April 26.

What is the rainiest month in Monitor?

August, 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 Monitor itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Saginaw Mbs Intl Airport, MI (7 mi) away. 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 Monitor, MIBay CountyView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01