Grand Rapids climate
Grand Rapids (Michigan, United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 9 °C48 °F, and about 967 mm38 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Grand Rapids climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −130 | −817 | −523 | 622.4 | 30 |
| Feb | 032 | −817 | −424 | 602.4 | 27 |
| Mar | 643 | −425 | 134 | 632.5 | 26 |
| Apr | 1356 | 235 | 846 | 963.8 | 13 |
| May | 2068 | 847 | 1457 | 1044.1 | 1 |
| Jun | 2577 | 1457 | 1967 | 893.5 | 0 |
| Jul | 2781 | 1762 | 2272 | 793.1 | 0 |
| Aug | 2780 | 1661 | 2171 | 873.4 | 0 |
| Sep | 2374 | 1254 | 1864 | 793.1 | 0 |
| Oct | 1560 | 642 | 1051 | 1094.3 | 3 |
| Nov | 846 | 032 | 439 | 722.9 | 16 |
| Dec | 135 | −523 | −229 | 662.6 | 28 |
| Year | 2781 | −817 | 948 | 96738 | 144 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 89% | 80% | 1.4 | 9:20 |
| Feb | 86% | 75% | 2.2 | 10:28 |
| Mar | 80% | 67% | 3.5 | 11:48 |
| Apr | 76% | 63% | 4.7 | 13:20 |
| May | 77% | 64% | 5.5 | 14:38 |
| Jun | 76% | 56% | 6.3 | 15:20 |
| Jul | 75% | 49% | 6.3 | 15:03 |
| Aug | 74% | 49% | 5.4 | 13:55 |
| Sep | 74% | 49% | 4.3 | 12:26 |
| Oct | 78% | 64% | 2.7 | 10:57 |
| Nov | 82% | 71% | 1.7 | 9:39 |
| Dec | 88% | 82% | 1.1 | 9:01 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Grand Rapids is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 27 °C81 °F and a low of 17 °C62 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −1 °C30 °F and lows −8 °C17 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 26.9 °C48.4 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 967 mm38 in. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is October (109 mm4.3 in), the driest is February (60 mm2.4 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 74% in September to 89% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 49%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in August to 14 km/h (9 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 9.0 hours in December to 15.3 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–March, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 17 cm).
Best time to visit Grand Rapids
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June–September: average highs of 23 °C74 °F to 27 °C81 °F with 79 mm3.1 in to 89 mm3.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −1 °C30 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Grand Rapids
- Winter (December–February) — highs −130 to 1 °C35 °F, lows −817 to −5 °C23 °F, about 63 mm2.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 643 to 20 °C68 °F, lows −425 to 8 °C47 °F, about 88 mm3.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2577 to 27 °C81 °F, lows 1457 to 17 °C62 °F, about 85 mm3.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 846 to 23 °C74 °F, lows 032 to 12 °C54 °F, about 87 mm3.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
How Grand Rapids compares
Compared with Milwaukee, about 182 km to the west, Grand Rapids has practically the same average temperature and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in January (1.5 °C2.8 °F warmer).
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Grand Rapids is the 211th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 114th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Windsor (Canada, Dfa), Brantford (Canada, Dfa) and Brampton (Canada, Dfa).
Nearby places
- Lansing 94 km · 9 °C48 °F · 885 mm35 in
- South Bend 150 km · 10 °C50 °F · 994 mm39 in
- Ann Arbor 175 km · 9 °C48 °F · 878 mm35 in
- Milwaukee 182 km · 9 °C48 °F · 945 mm37 in
- Chicago 204 km · 10 °C50 °F · 982 mm39 in
- Fort Wayne 209 km · 10 °C51 °F · 966 mm38 in
- Toledo 226 km · 10 °C51 °F · 906 mm36 in
- Windsor 229 km · 9 °C49 °F · 848 mm33 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Grand Rapids?
July is the warmest month in Grand Rapids, with an average high of 27 °C (81 °F) and an average low of 17 °C (62 °F).
What is the coldest month in Grand Rapids?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -1 °C (30 °F) and an average low of -8 °C (17 °F).
When does it rain the most in Grand Rapids?
October is the wettest month with about 109 mm (4.3 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 60 mm (2.4 in).
What is the best time to visit Grand Rapids?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are June–September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.