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Climate and Average Weather Year Round at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Michigan, United States

At Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, the summers are warm; the winters are freezing, snowy, and windy; and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 19°F to 83°F and is rarely below 3°F or above 91°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport for warm-weather activities is from mid June to mid September.

Climate at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

very coldcoldcoolwarmcoolcoldvery coldJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNowNow68%68%37%37%clearovercastprecipitation: 2.9 inprecipitation: 2.9 in1.2 in1.2 inmuggy: 36%muggy: 36%0%0%drydrytourism score: 6.9tourism score: 6.90.00.0
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport weather by month. Click on each chart for more information.

The warm season lasts for 3.7 months, from May 25 to September 17, with an average daily high temperature above 73°F. The hottest month of the year at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is July, with an average high of 83°F and low of 65°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.3 months, from November 30 to March 7, with an average daily high temperature below 42°F. The coldest month of the year at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is January, with an average low of 20°F and high of 32°F.

Average High and Low Temperature at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Average High and Low Temperature at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportwarmcoldcoldJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°F90°F90°F100°F100°FJan 2932°FJan 2932°FJul 1883°FJul 1883°F19°F19°F65°F65°FMay 2573°FMay 2573°FSep 1773°FSep 1773°FNov 3042°FNov 3042°FMar 742°FMar 742°F54°F54°F56°F56°F30°F30°F27°F27°FNowNow
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.
AverageJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High 32°F35°F46°F59°F70°F79°F83°F81°F73°F61°F48°F37°F
Temp. 25°F27°F37°F49°F60°F69°F74°F72°F64°F52°F41°F31°F
Low 20°F22°F30°F41°F51°F60°F65°F63°F56°F45°F35°F26°F

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Average Hourly Temperature at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMNowNowfreezingvery coldvery coldcoldcoldcoolcoolcomfortablewarmfreezing
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Odessa, Ukraine (5,104 miles away); Baksanenok, Russia (5,661 miles); and Soleh Bon, Iran (6,379 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (view comparison).

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At Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport begins around June 2 and lasts for 5.0 months, ending around November 3.

The clearest month of the year at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 67% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 3 and lasts for 7.0 months, ending around June 2.

The cloudiest month of the year at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 63% of the time.

Cloud Cover Categories at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Cloud Cover Categories at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportclearercloudiercloudierJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%Aug 2268%Aug 2268%Jan 1037%Jan 1037%Jun 252%Jun 252%Nov 353%Nov 353%NowNowclearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercast
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.
FractionJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Cloudier 63%60%55%52%50%43%36%33%35%42%52%60%
Clearer 37%40%45%48%50%57%64%67%65%58%48%40%

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 6.5 months, from March 26 to October 11, with a greater than 26% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is June, with an average of 10.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 5.5 months, from October 11 to March 26. The month with the fewest wet days at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is February, with an average of 5.3 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is June, with an average of 10.2 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 35% on June 14.

Daily Chance of Precipitation at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Daily Chance of Precipitation at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportwetdrydryJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Jun 1435%Jun 1435%Feb 216%Feb 216%Mar 2626%Mar 2626%Oct 1126%Oct 1126%NowNowsnowrainmixed
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).
Days ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rain 2.8d2.4d5.4d8.6d10.2d10.2d10.5d9.9d8.9d7.5d6.3d4.5d
Mixed 1.0d1.1d1.1d0.3d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.1d0.5d1.2d
Snow 2.2d1.8d0.8d0.1d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.2d1.5d
Any 6.0d5.3d7.3d9.0d10.2d10.2d10.5d9.9d8.9d7.6d6.9d7.2d

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. The month with the most rain at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is June, with an average rainfall of 2.8 inches.

The month with the least rain at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is January, with an average rainfall of 0.9 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Average Monthly Rainfall at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in1 in1 in2 in2 in3 in3 in4 in4 in5 in5 in6 in6 inJun 12.9 inJun 12.9 inJan 290.7 inJan 290.7 inAug 22.8 inAug 22.8 inNowNow
The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rainfall 0.9″0.9″1.5″2.4″2.7″2.8″2.6″2.8″2.7″2.2″2.0″1.4″

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 4.5 months, from November 22 to April 6, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is February, with an average snowfall of 5.1 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 7.5 months, from April 6 to November 22. The least snow falls around July 21, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

Average Monthly Snowfall at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Average Monthly Snowfall at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportsnowsnowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in2 in2 in4 in4 in6 in6 in8 in8 in10 in10 in12 in12 inFeb 125.1 inFeb 125.1 inJul 210.0 inJul 210.0 inNov 221.0 inNov 221.0 inApr 61.0 inApr 61.0 in
The average snowfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average rainfall.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Snowfall 4.7″5.1″2.9″0.5″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.5″3.7″

The length of the day at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 9 hours, 5 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 15 hours, 16 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Hours of Daylight and Twilight at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hr12 hr, 8 minMar 1912 hr, 8 minMar 1915 hr, 16 minJun 2015 hr, 16 minJun 2012 hr, 11 minSep 2212 hr, 11 minSep 229 hr, 5 minDec 219 hr, 5 minDec 21nightnightdayNowNow
The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.
Hours ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight 9.5h10.6h12.0h13.4h14.6h15.2h14.9h13.8h12.4h11.0h9.8h9.2h

The earliest sunrise is at 5:56 AM on June 14, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 12 minutes later at 8:08 AM on November 2. The earliest sunset is at 5:01 PM on December 8, and the latest sunset is 4 hours, 13 minutes later at 9:13 PM on June 26.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 3.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMJun 145:56 AMJun 145:56 AM9:13 PMJun 269:13 PMJun 26Dec 85:01 PMDec 85:01 PM8:08 AMNov 28:08 AMNov 2Mar 10DSTMar 10DSTDSTNov 3DSTNov 3daynightnightnightnightSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunsetNowNow
The solar day over the course of the year 2024. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray. The transitions to and from daylight saving time are indicated by the 'DST' labels.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Solar Elevation and Azimuth at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AM0001010101020202030303040405050606000010101020202020303040405050602471NowNow
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of the year 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport experiences significant seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 3.7 months, from May 30 to September 20, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 9% of the time. The month with the most muggy days at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is July, with 10.4 days that are muggy or worse.

The least muggy day of the year is February 15, when muggy conditions are essentially unheard of.

Humidity Comfort Levels at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Humidity Comfort Levels at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportmuggyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Feb 150%Feb 150%Jul 3136%Jul 3136%May 309%May 309%Sep 209%Sep 209%NowNowmuggymuggycomfortablecomfortabledrydryoppressiveoppressivehumidhumid
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Muggy days 0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d1.3d5.7d10.4d9.3d3.8d0.3d0.0d0.0d

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 7.1 months, from October 4 to May 7, with average wind speeds of more than 10.7 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 13.2 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 4.9 months, from May 7 to October 4. The calmest month of the year at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.2 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Average Wind Speed at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportwindywindyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 mph0 mph2 mph2 mph4 mph4 mph6 mph6 mph8 mph8 mph10 mph10 mph12 mph12 mph14 mph14 mph16 mph16 mph18 mph18 mph20 mph20 mphJan 1513.3 mphJan 1513.3 mphAug 38.0 mphAug 38.0 mphOct 410.7 mphOct 410.7 mphMay 710.7 mphMay 710.7 mphNowNow
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wind Speed (mph) 13.212.712.411.910.39.18.48.29.511.212.312.7

The predominant average hourly wind direction at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the south for 3.9 weeks, from August 23 to September 19, with a peak percentage of 31% on September 13. The wind is most often from the west for 11 months, from September 19 to August 23, with a peak percentage of 47% on January 1.

Wind Direction at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Wind Direction at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportWSWJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%NowNowwestsoutheastnorth
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 3.1 months, from June 20 to September 23, with an average temperature above 66°F. The month of the year at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 74°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 4.3 months, from December 5 to April 15, with an average temperature below 42°F. The month of the year at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 33°F.

Average Water Temperature at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Average Water Temperature at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportwarmcoolcoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°FAug 375°FAug 375°F33°FFeb 1433°FFeb 14Jun 2066°FJun 2066°FSep 2366°FSep 2366°FDec 542°FDec 542°FApr 1542°FApr 1542°FNowNow
The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
WaterJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Temperature 35°F33°F35°F42°F53°F65°F73°F74°F69°F58°F48°F39°F

To characterize how pleasant the weather is at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid June to mid September, with a peak score in the third week of August.

Tourism Score at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Tourism Score at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airportbest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810106.96.90.00.0NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationtourism score
The tourism score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport for hot-weather activities is from late June to mid August, with a peak score in the third week of July.

Beach/Pool Score at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Beach/Pool Score at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airportbest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810105.65.60.00.0NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationbeach/pool score
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport typically lasts for 6.2 months (189 days), from around April 17 to around October 23, rarely starting before March 31 or after May 6, and rarely ending before October 5 or after November 11.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airportgrowing seasonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%50%Apr 1750%Apr 1750%Oct 2350%Oct 2390%May 690%May 690%Oct 590%Oct 510%Mar 3110%Mar 3110%Nov 1110%Nov 110%Feb 60%Feb 6Jul 23100%Jul 23100%frigidfreezingvery coldcoolcomfortablewarmcold
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport should appear around April 16, only rarely appearing before April 2 or after April 29.

Growing Degree Days at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Growing Degree Days at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F500°F500°F1,000°F1,000°F1,500°F1,500°F2,000°F2,000°F2,500°F2,500°F3,000°F3,000°F3,500°F3,500°FApr 1689°FApr 1689°FJun 22900°FJun 22900°FJul 311,800°FJul 311,800°FDec 313,112°FDec 313,112°F
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of the year, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.6 months, from May 2 to August 21, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.9 kWh. The brightest month of the year at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is June, with an average of 6.8 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.4 months, from November 2 to February 12, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 2.6 kWh. The darkest month of the year at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is December, with an average of 1.5 kWh.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportbrightdarkdarkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWh9 kWh9 kWhJun 307.0 kWhJun 307.0 kWhDec 191.5 kWhDec 191.5 kWhMay 25.9 kWhMay 25.9 kWhAug 215.9 kWhAug 215.9 kWhNov 22.6 kWhNov 22.6 kWhFeb 122.6 kWhFeb 122.6 kWhNowNow
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Solar Energy (kWh) 1.82.74.05.26.26.86.76.04.83.32.11.5

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport are 42.222 deg latitude, -83.351 deg longitude, and 633 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is essentially flat, with a maximum elevation change of 36 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 632 feet. Within 10 miles is essentially flat (249 feet). Within 50 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (797 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is covered by artificial surfaces (86%), within 10 miles by artificial surfaces (73%) and cropland (18%), and within 50 miles by cropland (36%) and artificial surfaces (23%).

This report illustrates the typical weather at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport has a weather station that reported reliably enough during the analysis period that we have included it in our network. When available, historical temperature and dew point measurements are taken directly from this weather station. These records are obtained from NOAA's Integrated Surface Hourly data set, falling back on ICAO METAR records as required.

In the case of missing or erroneous measurements from this station, we fall back on records from nearby stations, adjusted according to typical seasonal and diurnal intra-station differences. For a given day of the year and hour of the day, the fallback station is selected to minimize the prediction error over the years for which there are measurements for both stations.

The stations on which we may fall back include but are not limited to Willow Run Airport, Grosse Ile Municipal Airport, Custer Airport, Oakland-Troy Airport, Detroit City Airport, Windsor Airport, Oakland County International Airport, and Harrow Auto.

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page.