Sterling Heights, MI climate
Sterling Heights has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 32 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Sterling Heights feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Sterling Heights 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° | 18° | 2.2" | 10.6" | 14 | 18 | 16° – 35° |
| February | 35° | 20° | 1.9" | 8.5" | 10 | 12 | 13° – 36° |
| March | 45° | 27° | 2.3" | 5.2" | 12 | 5 | 27° – 49° |
| April | 58° | 37° | 3.1" | 0.7" | 13 | 0 | 41° – 53° |
| May | 70° | 48° | 3.7" | 0 | 12 | 0 | 52° – 65° |
| June | 79° | 58° | 3.2" | 0 | 10 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| July | 84° | 63° | 3.4" | 0 | 10 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| August | 81° | 62° | 3.3" | 0 | 10 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| September | 74° | 54° | 3.2" | 0 | 10 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| October | 62° | 43° | 2.7" | 0 | 11 | 0 | 49° – 59° |
| November | 48° | 33° | 2.5" | 1.3" | 11 | 1 | 34° – 47° |
| December | 37° | 25° | 2.1" | 5.9" | 12 | 7 | 20° – 40° |
| Year | 59° | 41° | 33.6" | 32.2" | 134 | 43 |
“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 Sterling Heights
Sterling Heights 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 134 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 43 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 Sterling Heights
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Sterling Heights, 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.
Sterling Heights and its neighbors
Sterling Heights borders 5 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 1.1°. Troy has the coldest January nights (18°) and Warren the hottest July afternoons (84°). Sterling Heights’s January low is 18° and its July high 84°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How Sterling Heights 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 Sterling Heights averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.0°). The shift is larger than in 82% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Sterling Heights’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 13° to 36°. August is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Common questions about Sterling Heights’s climate
What is the coldest month in Sterling Heights?
January, with a typical high of 32° and a low of 18°.
What is the hottest month in Sterling Heights?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 63°. About 13 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Sterling Heights get?
About 32 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.
When is the first frost in Sterling Heights?
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 Sterling Heights?
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 Sterling Heights itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI (11 mi, snow) and Detroit City Airport, MI (12 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.