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Detroit weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Detroit's weather is classic Great Lakes country: cold and snow-blown in winter, warm and thundery in summer, with Lake Erie and Lake Huron softening both. Detroit weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, extremes and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+9.1°Fhigh well above average

67° / 38°Today
57° / 45°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+3.4°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–4993frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 120 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 120 in the 1940s17days above 86°F a year now (2016–2025) · 11 in the 1940sdays above 86°F · 11 in the 1940s+3.4°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 2.5 incheshigh 31°low 19°February, rain 2.3 incheshigh 33°low 20°March, rain 2.9 incheshigh 42°low 28°April, rain 3.6 incheshigh 55°low 40°May, rain 3.5 incheshigh 68°low 52°June, rain 3.4 incheshigh 78°low 62°July, rain 3.1 incheshigh 82°low 67°August, rain 3.0 incheshigh 80°low 65°September, rain 2.7 incheshigh 72°low 58°October, rain 2.7 incheshigh 60°low 47°November, rain 3.0 incheshigh 47°low 36°December, rain 2.8 incheshigh 35°low 25°wettest month April, 3.6 inches · 35.3 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Clear

Right now

46.4°

42°feels like
80%humidity
40°dew point
6 mphfrom SW
UV index0.0
sunrise07:50sunset18:44day length10h 54m
TodayClear67°38°
TueClear64°40°
WedClear65°51°
ThuClear68°52°
FriClear67°54°
SatPartly cloudy67°53°
SunOvercast66°55°

On this date: October 19

Today (forecast)
67° / 38°
Average for October 19
57° / 45°

High well above average · +9.1°F

  • Highest since 1940: 79.1° · 1953
  • Lowest since 1940: 28.6° · 1972
  • One year ago: 70° / 53°

Every October 19 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 19 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Detroit is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 42.33°N, 83.05°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
42.33°N, 83.05°W
Time zone
America/Detroit
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

20 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +2.4°F.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

Detroit lies in the Great Lakes lowlands of southeastern Michigan, along the strait that links Lake Erie to the south with Lake Huron to the north. Those waters moderate its humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa), holding back the worst of the cold and heat the continental interior would otherwise deliver. Winters are long and cold with regular, occasionally heavy snow; summers run warm to hot and humid, punctuated by frequent thunderstorms.

Spring and autumn pass quickly between the two. The region's most storied weather event is still the Great Blizzard of January 1978, when an explosively deepening storm swept the Great Lakes and brought blizzard conditions and punishing wind. Arctic outbreaks push down most winters, while the surrounding lakes keep summer afternoons from climbing quite as high as they do at the same latitude inland.

The year peaks in July, at around 81.6°F by mid-afternoon, with nights around 66.6°F. In a typical recent year, around 15 days reach 86°F or more. At the other extreme, January brings afternoon highs of about 30.6°F and typical overnight lows of 19.3°F. Around 95 days a year dip below freezing.

In total, Detroit averages about 35.3 inches of precipitation a year; April is usually the wettest month (3.6 inches) and February the driest (2.3 inches).

Comparing the record's first decade with its most recent one, Detroit now averages 3.4°F warmer than it did in the 1940s. That last decade has also been the warmest in the record.

Sources:en.wikipedia.orgbritannica.comweather.gov

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 49°F. Wettest month: April (~3.6 in). Whole year averages ~35.3 inches of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 97 rainy days a year: most in April (~10), fewest in February (~7).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 0.08 in per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Detroit month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Highest and Lowest are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightHighestLowest
January30.6°19.3°2.5 in79.2 h61.8° (1950)−17.5° (1994)
February32.7°20.2°2.3 in710.3 h65.2° (2024)−14.7° (2015)
March42.2°28.3°2.9 in811.7 h74.3° (1986)−14.1° (1948)
April55.4°40.2°3.6 in1013.2 h83.7° (1990)9.5° (1964)
May67.8°52.1°3.5 in914.4 h91.2° (1987)29.8° (1943)
June77.7°62.2°3.4 in915.1 h102.5° (1988)39.6° (1972)
July81.6°66.6°3.1 in814.8 h99.9° (1988)50.2° (1960)
August79.6°65.1°3.0 in813.7 h97.8° (2001)45.5° (1982)
September72.4°57.9°2.7 in712.3 h95.6° (1953)35.7° (1991)
October60.3°46.8°2.7 in710.8 h86.8° (2007)25.2° (1965)
November47.0°36.1°3.0 in89.5 h75.5° (1950)4.3° (1958)
December35.4°25.4°2.8 in88.9 h65.0° (1998)−8.6° (1989)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +3.4°F.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.39°F per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Dec–Feb is warming fastest: +0.56°F per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 86°F per year: 11.3 early in the record → 16.6 recently. Frost days: 120 → 93.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

Hottest day since 1940 in 1988, coldest in 1994: 102.5°F / −17.5°F.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~35.3 in/year on average. Last decade: +2% vs that average. Long-term trend: +0.35 in per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Detroit

Which is the warmest month in Detroit?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Detroit is July (mean daily temperature of about 73.6°F) and the coolest is January (about 24.5°F).
How does today's temperature in Detroit compare to the historical average?
On October 19, 2026, Detroit is forecast to reach a high of 66.6°F and a low of 38.3°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 57.5°F and a low of 44.7°F, so today's high is 9.1°F warmer than that average.
How much has Detroit warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Detroit is about 3.4°F warmer.
How much does it rain in Detroit?
Detroit receives about 35.3 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with April typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Detroit?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Detroit is about 49.6°F. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Detroit by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Detroit (°F, full record since 1940): January 31°/19°, February 33°/20°, March 42°/28°, April 55°/40°, May 68°/52°, June 78°/62°, July 82°/67°, August 80°/65°, September 72°/58°, October 60°/47°, November 47°/36°, December 35°/25°.
What is the weather like in Detroit in summer?
In summer, June through August, Detroit is warm. Afternoons run 78–82°F and nights 62–67°F; July is the warmest month. Rain is steady at around 3.2 inches a month, spread over roughly 8 days.
What is the weather like in Detroit in winter?
December to February is winter in Detroit, and it is cold, with afternoons close to freezing. Expect 31–35°F by day and 19–25°F at night, with January the coldest month. Rain and snow fall on about 7 days a month, adding up to around 2.5 inches.
What is the weather like in Detroit in spring?
Spring in Detroit (March to May) is cool. March is still 42°F in the afternoon and 28°F at night, May already 68°F and 52°F. Rain is steady at around 3.3 inches a month, spread over roughly 9 days.
What is the weather like in Detroit in autumn?
Autumn in Detroit (September to November) is fairly mild. September is still 72°F by day and 58°F at night; by November it is down to 47°F and 36°F. Rain falls on about 7 days a month, adding up to around 2.8 inches.
How many days a year does it rain in Detroit?
On long-term average, Detroit has about 97 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 35.3 inches.

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