Michigan Climate
Top 5 Cities: Detroit, Grand Rapids, Warren, Sterling Heights, and Ann Arbor
This month in numbers
Michigan experienced its 3rd wettest March on record in 77 years, with precipitation totalling 97.54 mm, an anomaly of +42.6 mm compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. The average temperature for March 2026 was 1.17°C, ranking as the 14th warmest March on record. Globally, April 2026 saw the second warmest land temperature on record, at 14.96°C, an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
Over the past three months (January–March 2026), Michigan recorded its 6th wettest period on record, with 66.63 mm of precipitation, an anomaly of +21.7 mm. The average temperature for this period was -3.94°C, ranking as the 24th warmest. This period also saw Michigan experience significant flooding in mid-April due to heavy rainfall and rapid snowmelt, leading to evacuations and emergency declarations in several counties. This follows a period of drought conditions that affected nearly two-thirds of Michigan at the start of 2026, which have since largely eased due to recent rainfall. Michigan's March 1-month anomaly of +2.42°C placed it 95th out of 234 regions globally, while the broader NOAA Upper Midwest US climate region, to which Michigan belongs, experienced a 1-month anomaly of +3.18°C.
What’s driving change?
The current climate is influenced by a Neutral ENSO state, with a weekly Niño 3.4 SST anomaly of +0.9°C. However, forecasts indicate a strong likelihood of El Niño developing by May-July, with probabilities rising to 87% by July-September. El Niño typically brings warmer winters and less precipitation to the Midwest, though its impact can vary. In early March, Michigan experienced a severe weather event with multiple tornadoes, including an EF3 tornado in Union City, which was the earliest EF3-or-stronger tornado on record for Michigan. Additionally, there have been two drought events and one flood event in Michigan over the past 12 months, with the recent events representing 100% of the annual total for both categories, indicating an unusual concentration of these extreme weather occurrences. More information on active extreme weather events can be found at Extreme Weather tracker.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Michigan
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Michigan changing?
Michigan is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Michigan come from?
Climate data for Michigan comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Michigan climate data cover?
The Michigan climate profile covers Detroit, Grand Rapids, Warren, Sterling Heights and surrounding areas. Michigan climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance
How often is the Michigan climate update refreshed?
The Michigan climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.