Climate · Wells

Wells, MI climate

Wells has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 43 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
80°
412th coolest of 1,983 Michigan towns
January low
9°
178th coldest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Rain + melted snow
30 in
41st driest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Snow a winter
43 in
572nd least snowy of 1,918 Michigan towns
A normal year

What a year in Wells feels like

Winter

29° / 12°
Typical high / low · 17 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

51° / 29°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 19

Summer

77° / 53°
Typical high / low · 6 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

56° / 37°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 1
Best months to be outsideJunJulAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Wells weather by month

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

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet days30-yr range
January26°9°1.5" 10.3"8 6° – 27°
February29°10°1.1" 8.4"6 7° – 31°
March39°19°1.7" 7.9"6 19° – 41°
April51°29°2.6" 3.1"8 33° – 46°
May65°40°3.1" 0.1"11 46° – 58°
June75°50°3.3" 011 59° – 67°
July80°55°3.4" 012 61° – 72°
August78°54°2.9" 010 62° – 70°
September70°47°3.4" 013 53° – 63°
October56°37°3.4" 0.4"13 41° – 52°
November42°27°2.2" 3.7"8 26° – 42°
December31°16°1.7" 8.7"8 14° – 33°
Year53°33°30.1"42.6"114

“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 Wells

Wells gets 30 inches of rain and melted snow a year. October is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 114 days a year.

30 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 75% of U.S. towns
43 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 73% of U.S. towns
114 days
With rain or snow (0.01"+)

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
3.4"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
10"
Frost & the growing season

About 133 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 19 and the first one by October 1. That leaves about 133 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 93% of U.S. towns.

181
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
22
nights below 0° in a normal year
6
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 Wells

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Wells, 96% of that work is heating and 4% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

96%heating
8,040 heating degree daysMore heating than 87% of U.S. towns
366 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 87% 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 Wells

Wells and its neighbors

Wells borders 4 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 2.4°. Bark River has both the coldest January nights (9°) and the hottest July afternoons (80°). Wells’s January low is 9° and its July high 80°.

Gladstone: January low 11°, July high 76°Cornell: January low 8°, July high 80°Brampton: January low 10°, July high 78°Harris: January low 8°, July high 81°Baldwin: January low 9°, July high 79°Gourley: January low 9°, July high 80°Cedarville: January low 11°, July high 78°Escanaba: January low 11°, July high 77°Escanaba: January low 9°, July high 79°Ford River: January low 11°, July high 77°Bark River: January low 9°, July high 80°Wells: January low 9°, July high 80° WellsEscanabaEscanabaFord RiverBark River
ColderMilder8° to 11°
Bark River8.5° −0.8°
Escanaba9.1° −0.2°
Wells9.3°
Escanaba10.9° +1.6°
Ford River10.9° +1.6°

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

Compared with other towns

How Wells compares

Summer heat80° July high
Cooler than 90% of U.S. towns412th coolest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Winter cold9° January low
Colder than 82% of U.S. towns178th coldest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Precipitation30" a year
Drier than 75% of U.S. towns41st driest of 1,983 Michigan towns
Snow43" a winter
Snowier than 73% of U.S. towns572nd least snowy of 1,918 Michigan towns
Growing season133 frost-free days
Shorter than 93% of U.S. towns319th 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 Wells averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.6°). The shift is larger than in 82% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+2.4° now 20°, was 18°
🌷 Spring+1.4° now 40°, was 39°
☀️ Summer+1.6° now 65°, was 64°
🍂 Fall+1.4° now 46°, was 45°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Wells’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 7° to 31°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Wells’s climate

What is the coldest month in Wells?

January, with a typical high of 26° and a low of 9°.

What is the hottest month in Wells?

July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 55°. About 6 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Wells get?

About 43 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.

When is the first frost in Wells?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 1, and the last spring frost by May 19.

What is the rainiest month in Wells?

October, with 3.4 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 30 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Wells itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Cornell 5se, MI (3 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.

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