St. Clair Shores, MI climate
St. Clair Shores has chilly winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 28 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in St. Clair Shores feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
St. Clair Shores 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 | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 20° | 2.3" | 9.4" | 11 | 18 | 16° – 35° |
| February | 34° | 21° | 1.9" | 7.4" | 8 | 16 | 14° – 37° |
| March | 44° | 28° | 2.4" | 3.5" | 8 | 7 | 27° – 49° |
| April | 56° | 38° | 3.2" | 0.3" | 11 | 0 | 41° – 53° |
| May | 68° | 49° | 3.7" | 0 | 12 | 0 | 51° – 65° |
| June | 78° | 59° | 3.2" | 0 | 11 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| July | 82° | 64° | 3.3" | 0 | 10 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| August | 80° | 63° | 3.4" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| September | 74° | 56° | 3.3" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 59° – 69° |
| October | 61° | 45° | 2.7" | 0 | 10 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| November | 47° | 35° | 2.6" | 0.4" | 10 | 1 | 35° – 48° |
| December | 37° | 26° | 2.2" | 6.9" | 11 | 8 | 20° – 41° |
| Year | 58° | 42° | 34.3" | 27.9" | 120 | 50 |
“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 St. Clair Shores
St. Clair Shores gets 34 inches of rain and melted snow a year. May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 120 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 50 days of the year.
About 190 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first one by October 31. That leaves about 190 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 64% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in St. Clair Shores
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In St. Clair Shores, 88% of that work is heating and 12% 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.
St. Clair Shores and its neighbors
St. Clair Shores borders 4 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.9°. Clinton has both the coldest January nights (19°) and the hottest July afternoons (83°). St. Clair Shores’s January low is 20° and its July high 82°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How St. Clair Shores 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 St. Clair Shores averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.0°). The shift is larger than in 84% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at St. Clair Shores’s spot on NOAA’s grid
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 14° to 37°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Common questions about St. Clair Shores’s climate
What is the coldest month in St. Clair Shores?
January, with a typical high of 32° and a low of 20°.
What is the hottest month in St. Clair Shores?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 64°. About 13 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does St. Clair Shores get?
About 28 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.
When is the first frost in St. Clair Shores?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 31, and the last spring frost by April 21.
What is the rainiest month in St. Clair Shores?
May, with 3.7 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 34 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for St. Clair Shores itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Grosse Pointe Farms, MI (6 mi, snow) and Detroit City Airport, MI (8 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.