Benzie County Area Climate Information

Never too hot, never too cold, but "just right!"
 

TEMPERATURE
 
               Average   Average 
               Minimum   Maximum   Mean
      __________________________________
      January:   16 F      29 F    22 F
      April:     34 F      54 F    44 F
      July:      59 F      80 F    70 F
      October:   42 F      59 F    51 F

      Winter:    17 F      31 F    24 F   
      Spring:    33 F      54 F    43 F   
      Summer:    55 F      78 F    67 F   
      Fall:      42 F      59 F    50 F   

      Annual     37 F      55 F    46 F
      __________________________________

      Days where minimum is below  0 F:   5     
      Days where minimum is below 32 F: 142     
      Days where maximum is below 32 F:  57     
      Days where maximum is above 90 F:   6      

      Growing Season: 159 days


PRECIPITATION and SNOWFALL

      Days per year with at least 1.0" precipitation:  5
      Days per year with at least 0.5" precipitation: 18   
      Days per year with at least 0.1" precipitation: 73

      Average Annual Rainfall:  32 inches

      ANNUAL SNOWFALL

          Average Annual Snowfall: 128 inches (1978-2000)
          Average Annual Snowfall: 133 inches (1974-2008)
          Average Annual Snowfall: 133 inches (1990-2009)
          Average Annual Snowfall: 141 inches (1993-2008)
          Average Annual Snowfall: 137 inches (1998-2008)
          Average Annual Snowfall: 141 inches (2000-2009)
          Average Annual Snowfall: 139 inches (2005-2009)

          Total Annual Snowfall 
          (reported by the Benzie County Road Commission)

1966-1967    88.4"
1967-1968   128.8"
1968-1969    97.6"
1969-1970   131.2"
1970-1971   142.7"
1971-1972   143.4"
1972-1973    76.9"
1973-1974    33.5"
1974-1975   101.4"
1975-1976   144.9"
1976-1977   158.5"
1977-1978   147.7"
1978-1979   170.4"
1979-1980   114.8"
1980-1981   128.1"
1981-1982   123.4"
1982-1983    73.0"
1983-1984   115.2"
1984-1985   150.6"
1985-1986   141.3"
1986-1987    76.2"
1987-1988   104.6"
 
1988-1989   169.0"
1989-1990   197.0"
1990-1991    99.7"
1991-1992    98.5"
1992-1993    83.7"
1993-1994   138.0"
1994-1995    81.0"
1995-1996   192.0"
1996-1997   213.5"
1997-1998   115.5"
1998-1999   123.5"
1999-2000   100.0"
2000-2001   175.5"
2001-2002   145.0"
2002-2003   166.5
2003-2004   114.5
2004-2005   110.5"
2005-2006   141.0"
2006-2007   144.0"
2007-2008   187.5"
2008-2009   190.3"
2009-2010    75.3"
 

         Map of the Average Annual Snowfall for northern lower Michigan
         Based on this map, the rough annual snowfall average for the county is 
         130". Notice how the west coast of Benzie County (Point Betsie, Frankfort
         and south), and the southeast corner tends to get less than average (in
         the middle of the county, and there's a small area in the northern central
         part of the count that tends to get more than average.

NOTE: Most of this information comes from data reported by weather stations at Manistee and Thompsonville, or interpolated from Manistee, Thompsonville, and Traverse City climatic information. It might be a fun project for the schools to collect actual data for the Frankfort-Elberta and/or Beulah-Benzonia area, and to compare the results of both areas, and offer explanations for the differences.

See also: Frankfort and Manistee Climate Data - For Average Rainfall (for 3 different local areas), Average Maximum Temperature, Average Temperature, Average Minimum Temperature, Heating Degree Days, and Cooling Degree Days.

Compared with coastal areas, inland areas are usually warmer in the summer, cooler in the winter, and have different levels of precipitation and snowfall.


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