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Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Detroit Michigan, United States

In Detroit, 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 20°F to 83°F and is rarely below 6°F or above 91°F.

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

Climate in Detroit

very coldcoldcoolwarmcoolcoldvery coldJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNowNow68%68%37%37%clearovercastprecipitation: 2.7 inprecipitation: 2.7 in1.2 in1.2 inmuggy: 37%muggy: 37%0%0%drydrytourism score: 7.0tourism score: 7.00.00.0
Detroit weather by month. Click on each chart for more information.

The warm season lasts for 3.7 months, from May 26 to September 16, with an average daily high temperature above 73°F. The hottest month of the year in Detroit is July, with an average high of 83°F and low of 66°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.3 months, from November 30 to March 9, with an average daily high temperature below 42°F. The coldest month of the year in Detroit is January, with an average low of 21°F and high of 32°F.

Average High and Low Temperature in Detroit

Average High and Low Temperature in DetroitwarmcoldcoldJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°F90°F90°F100°F100°FJan 2931°FJan 2931°FJul 1883°FJul 1883°F20°F20°F67°F67°FMay 2673°FMay 2673°FSep 1673°FSep 1673°FNov 3042°FNov 3042°FMar 942°FMar 942°F55°F55°F57°F57°F31°F31°F28°F28°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°F45°F58°F70°F79°F83°F80°F73°F61°F48°F37°F
Temp. 26°F28°F36°F48°F60°F70°F74°F72°F65°F53°F42°F31°F
Low 21°F23°F30°F41°F52°F62°F66°F65°F57°F46°F36°F27°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 in Detroit

Average Hourly Temperature in DetroitJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 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 (5,088 miles away); Damāvand, Iran (6,353 miles); and Kakunodatemachi, Japan (6,159 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Detroit (view comparison).

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Compare Detroit to another city:

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In Detroit, 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 in Detroit begins around June 1 and lasts for 5.0 months, ending around November 3.

The clearest month of the year in Detroit 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 1.

The cloudiest month of the year in Detroit is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 63% of the time.

Cloud Cover Categories in Detroit

Cloud Cover Categories in DetroitclearercloudiercloudierJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%Aug 968%Aug 968%Jan 1037%Jan 1037%Jun 152%Jun 152%Nov 352%Nov 352%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%53%50%43%36%33%35%42%52%60%
Clearer 37%40%45%47%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 in Detroit varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 6.4 months, from March 26 to October 6, with a greater than 26% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Detroit is June, with an average of 10.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 5.6 months, from October 6 to March 26. The month with the fewest wet days in Detroit 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. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation in Detroit changes throughout the year.

Rain alone is the most common for 12 months, from February 7 to January 26. The month with the most days of rain alone in Detroit is June, with an average of 10.2 days.

Snow alone is the most common for 1.7 weeks, from January 26 to February 7. The month with the most days of snow alone in Detroit is January, with an average of 2.1 days.

Daily Chance of Precipitation in Detroit

Daily Chance of Precipitation in DetroitrainrainJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Jun 1236%Jun 1236%Feb 316%Feb 316%Mar 2626%Mar 2626%Oct 626%Oct 626%NowNowrainsnow
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 2.7d2.3d5.3d8.6d10.1d10.2d10.4d10.0d9.0d7.4d6.3d4.6d
Mixed 1.0d1.0d1.0d0.3d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.1d0.4d1.0d
Snow 2.1d2.0d1.0d0.1d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.1d1.3d
Any 5.8d5.3d7.2d8.9d10.1d10.2d10.4d10.0d9.0d7.4d6.8d6.8d

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 experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Detroit. The month with the most rain in Detroit is June, with an average rainfall of 2.7 inches.

The month with the least rain in Detroit is January, with an average rainfall of 0.8 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall in Detroit

Average Monthly Rainfall in DetroitJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in1 in1 in2 in2 in3 in3 in4 in4 in5 in5 inJun 12.7 inJun 12.7 inJan 290.7 inJan 290.7 inSep 92.7 inSep 92.7 inAug 22.6 inAug 22.6 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 0.8″0.8″1.4″2.3″2.6″2.7″2.5″2.6″2.6″2.1″1.9″1.3″

Snowfall

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

The snowy period of the year lasts for 4.4 months, from November 23 to April 6, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Detroit is February, with an average snowfall of 4.9 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 7.6 months, from April 6 to November 23. The least snow falls around July 19, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

Average Monthly Snowfall in Detroit

Average Monthly Snowfall in DetroitsnowsnowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in2 in2 in4 in4 in6 in6 in8 in8 in10 in10 in12 in12 inFeb 144.9 inFeb 144.9 inJul 190.0 inJul 190.0 inNov 231.0 inNov 231.0 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 4.4″4.9″2.8″0.5″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.4″3.4″

The length of the day in Detroit 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, 17 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in Detroit

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in DetroitJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hr12 hr, 8 minMar 1912 hr, 8 minMar 1915 hr, 17 minJun 2015 hr, 17 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 9.5h10.6h12.0h13.4h14.6h15.2h14.9h13.8h12.4h11.0h9.8h9.1h

The earliest sunrise is at 5:54 AM on June 14, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 13 minutes later at 8:07 AM on November 2. The earliest sunset is at 4:59 PM on December 7, and the latest sunset is 4 hours, 14 minutes later at 9:13 PM on June 26.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Detroit 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 in Detroit

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in DetroitJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMJun 145:54 AMJun 145:54 AM9:13 PMJun 269:13 PMJun 26Dec 74:59 PMDec 74:59 PM8:07 AMNov 28:07 AMNov 2Mar 10DSTMar 10DSTDSTNov 3DSTNov 3daynightnightnightnightSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunset
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 in Detroit

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in DetroitJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 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 in Detroit

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 experiences significant seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 3.7 months, from May 31 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 in Detroit is July, with 10.5 days that are muggy or worse.

The least muggy day of the year is February 16, when muggy conditions are essentially unheard of.

Humidity Comfort Levels in Detroit

Humidity Comfort Levels in DetroitmuggyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Feb 160%Feb 160%Jul 3137%Jul 3137%May 319%May 319%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 0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d1.2d5.5d10.5d9.8d4.0d0.3d0.0d0.0d

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 in Detroit experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 7.0 months, from October 4 to May 6, with average wind speeds of more than 10.9 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Detroit is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 13.5 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 5.0 months, from May 6 to October 4. The calmest month of the year in Detroit is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.3 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed in Detroit

Average Wind Speed in DetroitwindywindyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 mph0 mph2 mph2 mph4 mph4 mph6 mph6 mph8 mph8 mph10 mph10 mph12 mph12 mph14 mph14 mph16 mph16 mph18 mph18 mph20 mph20 mphJan 1213.6 mphJan 1213.6 mphAug 38.1 mphAug 38.1 mphOct 410.9 mphOct 410.9 mphMay 610.9 mphMay 610.9 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) 13.512.912.612.010.49.28.48.39.711.412.613.1

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Detroit varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the south for 1.1 months, from August 16 to September 20, with a peak percentage of 31% on September 13. The wind is most often from the west for 11 months, from September 20 to August 16, with a peak percentage of 47% on January 1.

Wind Direction in Detroit

Wind Direction in DetroitWSWJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%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 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 21 to September 23, with an average temperature above 66°F. The month of the year in Detroit with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 73°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 4.3 months, from December 7 to April 15, with an average temperature below 41°F. The month of the year in Detroit with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 33°F.

Average Water Temperature in Detroit

Average Water Temperature in DetroitwarmcoolcoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°FAug 274°FAug 274°F33°FFeb 1333°FFeb 13Jun 2166°FJun 2166°FSep 2366°FSep 2366°FDec 741°FDec 741°FApr 1541°FApr 1541°FNowNow
The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
WaterJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Temperature 35°F33°F35°F42°F52°F64°F72°F73°F68°F58°F48°F40°F

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Detroit 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 for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid June to mid September, with a peak score in the third week of August.

Tourism Score in Detroit

Tourism Score in Detroitbest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810107.07.00.00.0NowNowtemperaturetemperature 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 for hot-weather activities is from late June to mid August, with a peak score in the third week of July.

Beach/Pool Score in Detroit

Beach/Pool Score in Detroitbest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810105.85.80.00.0NowNowtemperaturetemperature 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 in Detroit typically lasts for 6.6 months (200 days), from around April 14 to around November 1, rarely starting before March 30 or after April 30, and rarely ending before October 13 or after November 19.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in Detroit

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in Detroitgrowing seasonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%50%Apr 1450%Apr 1450%Nov 150%Nov 190%Apr 3090%Apr 3090%Oct 1390%Oct 1310%Mar 3010%Mar 3010%Nov 1910%Nov 190%Feb 50%Feb 5Jul 19100%Jul 19100%NowNowfreezingvery 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 in Detroit should appear around April 18, only rarely appearing before April 4 or after May 1.

Growing Degree Days in Detroit

Growing Degree Days in DetroitJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°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 1889°FApr 1889°FJun 22900°FJun 22900°FJul 311,800°FJul 311,800°FDec 313,155°FDec 313,155°FNowNow
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 1 to August 21, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.9 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Detroit 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 13, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 2.6 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Detroit is December, with an average of 1.5 kWh.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in Detroit

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in DetroitbrightdarkdarkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 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 15.9 kWhMay 15.9 kWhAug 215.9 kWhAug 215.9 kWhNov 22.6 kWhNov 22.6 kWhFeb 132.6 kWhFeb 132.6 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 are 42.331 deg latitude, -83.046 deg longitude, and 597 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Detroit is essentially flat, with a maximum elevation change of 62 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 596 feet. Within 10 miles is essentially flat (105 feet). Within 50 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (797 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Detroit is covered by artificial surfaces (83%) and water (15%), within 10 miles by artificial surfaces (69%), and within 50 miles by cropland (32%) and water (26%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Detroit, 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

There are 4 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Detroit.

For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Detroit according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.

The estimated value at Detroit is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Detroit and a given station.

The stations contributing to this reconstruction are:

To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Detroit and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate. Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data.

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.