Fruit Trees for Petoskey, Charlevoix, Harbor Springs and Gaylord, Michigan

On the morning of January 21, 2019, under an arctic high, the National Weather Service office in Gaylord logged −23°F at the Gaylord airport, −16°F at Petoskey and −5°F at the Charlevoix airport, out on the neck of land between Lake Michigan and Lake Charlevoix. That 18°F spread is the first thing to know about fruit trees for Petoskey, Charlevoix, Harbor Springs and Gaylord. Open Lake Michigan keeps the shore mild; the plateau and the river bottoms that drain it give those degrees back.

This map covers the Tip of the Mitt and the high country behind it: Little Traverse Bay, Lake Charlevoix from Charlevoix to Boyne City and East Jordan, Walloon Lake, Alanson and Indian River on the Inland Waterway, the Antrim Chain of Lakes, and Mancelona, Boyne Falls, Gaylord, Vanderbilt and Wolverine. Type your address in the box on the map to get the number for your own place, and the list of what we sell that has come through it.

How to read this map

The big number is the 30-year planning low, the same number our cold hardiness calculator uses, built from NOAA station records since the 1995-96 winter. It leans cold, so it's a safe number to plan around, not the record. The MFTC zone is that number in half zones. The typical winter is an average year's coldest night, the kind of average USDA's zones are built on, which is why theirs read warmer. The spring layer shows how many degrees warmer or colder a spot runs than Petoskey on a still, clear night at bloom.

Downtown Petoskey plans for −25°F (MFTC 4b). The middle of the growing ground plans for −30°F, right on the line between 3b and 4a, and half of it falls between −32°F and −28°F. The warm end is Charlevoix at −21°F (4b); the cold end is the Sturgeon River country, where Wolverine plans for −38°F (3a) and Green Timbers −39°F.

Why the map looks the way it does

Start with the water. The Tip of the Mitt has water on three sides, and the winter wind comes mostly out of the northwest across Lake Michigan. Big, deep, open water is a heat source on a winter night: a 1997 Great Lakes study put it at about 7.2°F on mean winter lows near Lakes Michigan and Huron, and a 1936 Michigan State bulletin found the state's best fruit sites within 3 or 4 miles of Lake Michigan. But lakes shelter their shores only when they're relatively free of ice (the Wisconsin State Climatology Office's line), and much of the water here freezes. NWS reports found 24 to 26 inches of ice on Lake Charlevoix on March 3, 1958, and inner Little Traverse Bay has held an ice-fishing village off the Petoskey waterfront. The Charlevoix station averages a yearly low of −7°F; East Jordan, 13 miles away at the head of the South Arm and about the same height, averages −18°F.

Then the drainage. The lowest ground is the water itself at 581 ft, and the central plateau stands 1,200 to 1,700 ft about 20 to 30 miles inland. On a clear, calm night the ground radiates its heat to the sky and the chilled air slides down the river valleys: the Jordan falls about 600 ft from its springs northeast of Mancelona to East Jordan, the Boyne runs from Boyne Falls (722 ft) to Boyne City (594 ft), and the Sturgeon runs north through Wolverine to Burt Lake. We haven't found a published cold-air study for these valleys, but the stations fit cold collecting in the bottoms: Boyne Falls runs a median 12°F colder than Charlevoix for the year's low, and the old Wolverine State Forest station ran 14°F colder than Petoskey.

On the plateau the cold gets made in place. Much of Otsego County is the Grayling outwash plain, sand with more than 370 lakes, many of them kettles, and on a still night each hollow fills with cold air up to its lowest notch. Height above the nearest low ground matters more than height above the sea. The Gaylord airport (1,332 ft) runs a median 9°F to 11°F colder for the year's low than the two Gaylord 9SSW stations on higher ground 8 miles south, and in the February 2015 cold snap the Gaylord station bottomed out at −35°F and Gaylord 9SSW at −15°F. NWS Gaylord's Jeff Lutz has said places like Vanderbilt sit in valleys that collect cold air, and the Vanderbilt 11ENE station holds Michigan's record low, −51°F on February 9, 1934.

The hills are the other half. Avalanche Mountain, Boyne Mountain, Deadman's Hill, Watson Hills and the Chandler Hills stand 330 to 480 ft above their floors and read 6°F to 7°F warmer than Petoskey on a still spring night, while Boyne Falls, under a mile and a half from Boyne Mountain, reads 11°F colder. That 1936 bulletin found Michigan orchard ridges only 25 to 30 ft above the surrounding plain could be nearly as frost-free as high hills. Snow matters too. Gaylord gets about 140 inches, around 70 percent of it lake effect; snow chills the air over it but blankets roots (NDSU measured soil a foot under snow at 31°F with the air at 4°F). On windy or cloudy nights the pattern flattens; the spring layer shows the still, clear night, the one that does the damage at bloom.

Charlevoix, Round Lake and the Lake Michigan shore

Charlevoix sits on an isthmus between Lake Michigan and Lake Charlevoix, with the Pine River and Round Lake running through downtown. It plans for −21°F (MFTC 4b) with a typical winter of −4°F, the warmest town on the map, and reads 3°F colder than Petoskey at bloom. Within 3 miles the warmest tenth of the growing ground plans for −21°F, the floor −25°F and the coldest tenth −26°F; the Belvedere and Chicago clubs on Round Lake sit inside that circle. The station hasn't gone below −18°F since 1995, so −21°F is colder than anything it has recorded in that stretch, though the airport's has reached −21°F. Its 176-day frost-free season is the longest of any station on the map.

The weak spot is the low ground behind town. The Charlevoix soil series is somewhat poorly drained till on flats and low spots, and Phelps, 7 miles south, plans for −27°F and reads 10°F colder than Petoskey at bloom. Mount McSauba, the dune just north of downtown and 140 ft above its floor, plans for −20°F and reads 6°F warmer. At −21°F you have the longest list of any town on this map: Lapins and Gold sweet cherries (−35°F), Stella and Skeena (−30°F), and Siberian C (−35°F) and Contender (−30°F) peaches. Raker's Cherry Orchard on Richardson Road runs u-pick black sweet cherries from early July.

Petoskey, Harbor Springs and Little Traverse Bay

Petoskey, Bay View and Bay Harbor

Petoskey climbs from the bay at the mouth of the Bear River up through the Gaslight District and the East Mitchell Street neighborhood. The center, 80 ft above its floor, plans for −25°F (MFTC 4b) with a typical winter of −9°F; within 3 miles the benches run −26°F, the floor −29°F and the coldest tenth −30°F. The town's two NOAA stations, a mile apart, don't agree. The old Petoskey station, about 18 ft above the bay, has 99 years on file and a record of −35°F on February 9, 1934, and hasn't gone below −21°F since 1995. The North Central Michigan College station, up the hill at 748 ft, runs a median 7°F colder and hit −27°F in February 2014. Higher and colder runs backward from the usual still-night pattern, and we haven't found a published explanation. Near the campus I'd plant to the college station's own 30-year number, −29°F, rather than the bay station's −24°F.

Bay View, the 1875 Methodist camp meeting on the east side of town, is 340 acres of wooded terraces rising about 200 ft above the bay. Its map point, 40 ft above its floor on a 10 percent slope, plans for −26°F and reads 1°F colder than Petoskey at bloom. Bay Harbor, west of town and only 20 ft above its floor, plans for −26°F (4a) and reads 5°F colder. The Emmet soil series around Petoskey carries apple and cherry orchards where air drainage is good (NRCS's own description says so). Blushingstar peach (−25°F) came through −25°F at our place on January 13, 2024 without damage; it's right at Petoskey's number, so give it a south wall.

Harbor Springs, Harbor Point and Wequetonsing

Harbor Springs sits in a sheltered bay behind the Harbor Point peninsula, with downtown below a bluff. The town point, on steep ground 80 ft above the floor, plans for −26°F (MFTC 4a) with a typical winter of −11°F and reads 2°F warmer than Petoskey at bloom. Height above the floor makes the spring difference. Forest Beach, 90 ft up, plans for −25°F and reads 4°F warmer than Petoskey, while Wequetonsing, the old summer resort right on the floor, plans for −27°F and reads 6°F colder. Harbor Point, 30 ft above its floor, plans for −28°F and reads the same as Petoskey. On the bluff, Lapins, Gold, Stella and Rainier (−30°F) sweet cherries and Harlayne apricots (−30°F) clear the number with bloom nights on their side. Down by the beach, lean on apples, haskap and tart cherries.

Boyne City, East Jordan and the Jordan Valley

Lake Charlevoix's far ends don't get Charlevoix's weather. Boyne City, at the east end where the Boyne River comes in, plans for −31°F (MFTC 3b), 10°F colder than Charlevoix, and reads 5°F colder than Petoskey at bloom; within 3 miles the floor runs −32°F and the benches −28°F. Avalanche Mountain, just south of downtown and 370 ft above the floor, plans for −29°F and reads 7°F warmer than Petoskey on a spring night.

East Jordan sits at the head of the South Arm where the Jordan comes in. The town point, 60 ft above the floor, plans for −31°F (3b) and reads only 1°F colder than Petoskey at bloom; the floor within 3 miles runs −32°F. The East Jordan station, near lake level, has 87 years on file, a record of −41°F on February 17, 1979, and a 30-year number of −32°F. Its median last spring frost comes May 28, a month after Charlevoix's, and its frost-free season is 123 days to Charlevoix's 176.

On the terrain, the Jordan Valley is the obvious cold-air route into the South Arm: more than 18,000 acres of state forest along Michigan's first river designated wild and scenic. Below Deadman's Hill, named for a logger killed hauling logs down the slope in 1910, the land drops more than 400 ft to the valley floor. The hill plans for −29°F and reads 6°F warmer than Petoskey at bloom; Chestonia, right on the floor south of East Jordan, plans for −33°F and reads 11°F colder.

The north shore rises fast and is the better side. Horton Bay, 100 ft above its floor, and Ironton, on the South Arm narrows, both plan for −26°F, and Horton Bay reads 3°F warmer than Petoskey at bloom. In Boyne City and East Jordan, Lapins, Gold and Siberian C (−35°F) clear the number; Contender and the −30°F apricots belong around Horton Bay and Ironton. For town lots, think Honeycrisp and Haralson apples (−45°F), Luscious pear (−40°F), Toka plum (−45°F), Evan's Bali tart cherry (−45°F) and bush fruit; on the Jordan floor, keep to the apples, the tart cherry and bush fruit.

Walloon Lake, Boyne Falls and the Bear River

Walloon Lake sits at 686 ft, more than 100 ft above Lake Michigan though its West Arm ends under a mile from it, and its ice usually goes out in April. The village, at the southeast end where the Bear River flows out toward Petoskey, plans for −29°F (MFTC 4a) but reads 10°F colder than Petoskey at bloom, and Wildwood, on the floor 3 miles west, reads 13°F colder. The Chandler Hills south of the lake plan for −30°F, about the same as the village, but read 7°F warmer than Petoskey at bloom, 17°F better. That's where the plums, apricots and sweet cherries go around Walloon.

Boyne Falls, on the Boyne River near where its branches join, plans for −34°F (3b) and reads 11°F colder than Petoskey at bloom. The station there has a record of −35°F on February 17, 1979, runs a median 9°F colder than Petoskey over 59 years, and has a 127-day frost-free season. In the village plant from the −40°F list: Haralson, Honeycrisp and Frostbite apples and Meteor tart cherry (−40°F). Boyne Mountain, 420 ft above the floor, plans for −29°F; the early bloomers, like Cold Snap® pear (−40°F) and Toka plum, go up there.

Gaylord, Otsego Lake and the high plains

Gaylord sits at 1,348 ft, on some of the highest ground in northern Lower Michigan, in the Snow Belt. The center, 90 ft above its floor, plans for −32°F (MFTC 3b) with a typical winter of −15°F and reads 8°F colder than Petoskey at bloom; within 3 miles the floor runs −34°F and the coldest tenth −35°F. The Gaylord station holds the town's record of −37°F (February 17, 1979), and on February 20, 2015 a volunteer observer there read −35°F while the airport read −31°F. The season is short, from a median last frost of May 21 to a first fall frost of September 30, and Michigan State geographer Randy Schaetzl puts the state's shortest growing season around Gaylord, where a July 19, 2000 frost froze the low part of a corn field.

Otsego Lake, south of town, averages about 8 ft deep, the kind of lake that freezes early. The village plans for −26°F (4a), its winter number leaning on the warm-running 9SSW stations nearby, but the flat shore reads as cold in spring as any named place on the map: Arbutus Beach reads 15°F colder than Petoskey at bloom and the village 10°F. Redner Hill, east of the lake and 180 ft up, reads 4°F warmer. West of Gaylord, Elmira plans for −34°F and Mancelona, near the Jordan headwaters, −33°F; Mancelona's old station hit −43°F on February 11, 1899. The Mancelona soil series is sandy, gravelly outwash that drains very fast, so use drip irrigation and mulch.

Plant Haralson, Honeycrisp, Frostbite and Zestar!® (−40°F) apples, Kerr applecrab (−50°F), Cold Snap® and Summercrisp (−40°F) pears, Toka plum, Evan's Bali tart cherry, and Westcot apricot (−45°F) on the hills. Siberian C clears the winter number but ripens very late, a gamble in a 128-day season.

Vanderbilt, Wolverine and the Sturgeon valley

Vanderbilt, the gateway to the Pigeon River Country, sits on a valley floor 8 miles north of Gaylord. It plans for −34°F (3b) and reads 9°F colder than Petoskey at bloom; Watson Hills, 3 miles west and 330 ft above its floor, plans for −29°F and is 15°F better on a spring night. The famous cold is out east. The Vanderbilt 11ENE station, on the map's east edge, has 95 years on file and was the coldest station, or tied for it, in 10 of the 12 biggest outbreaks here, including −42°F in the February 1996 cold snap (Petoskey −20°F). Its frost-free season runs 99 days, June 6 to September 13. Lutz has also said that in 1934 the clear-cut forests left nothing to shelter the ground.

Wolverine, where the Sturgeon's west branch joins the main river, is the coldest town on the map at −38°F (MFTC 3a). That number leans on an old station: Wolverine State Forest ran from 1929 to 1948 and hit −43°F on February 9, 1934, and NOAA has no long modern record there. This is the −40°F list and colder. Trailman (−60°F) and Kerr applecrabs are the ones I'd plant if you only plant one tree; then Haralson and Frostbite apples, Bolshaya pear and Brookgold plum (both −50°F), Evan's Bali, Honeyberry and Montana Black Currant (−50°F), favoring early and midseason fruit.

Alanson, Indian River and the Inland Waterway

North of Petoskey the Inland Waterway runs from Crooked Lake through Burt Lake and the Indian River to Mullett Lake. We haven't found ice records for these lakes, and the map's shore numbers read like inland ground: Conway and Oden on Crooked Lake plan for −29°F and Alanson, on the Crooked River, −31°F (3b), all 9°F to 10°F colder than Petoskey at bloom. Pellston, just north of the map and sold as the Icebox of the Nation, has hit −37°F on three dates and has a 110-day frost-free season.

Indian River, where the Sturgeon comes into Burt Lake, plans for −32°F (3b) and reads 6°F colder than Petoskey at bloom, and Pittsburg Landing, on the floor by the lake, −34°F and 14°F colder. Get up off the shore and it changes: Grand View, 70 ft above its floor, reads the same as Petoskey at bloom, and Griswold Mountain, 280 ft up, plans for −28°F and reads 6°F warmer. Apples, tart cherries and bush fruit go low; Lapins, pears and the plums go on slopes like those.

Bellaire, Central Lake and the Antrim Chain of Lakes

In the southwest corner the Chain of Lakes (Torch Lake, Lake Bellaire, Intermediate Lake and Clam Lake among them) drains west toward Lake Michigan. Bellaire, split by the Intermediate River, plans for −31°F (MFTC 3b), and the Bellaire airport station's own 30-year number is −32°F; Central Lake and Ellsworth plan for −29°F, and all three read 9°F colder than Petoskey at bloom. The hills between the lakes are the warm ground: Dingle Hill, on a bench 300 ft above its floor, plans for −27°F and reads 5°F warmer. In 2011 Antrim County had 630 acres of sweet cherries, 490 of apples and 30 of peaches, and King Orchards in Central Lake and Friske Orchards and Royal Farms at Atwood grow cherries, peaches and apples. On the hills, Lapins, Gold, Rainier and Stella sweet cherries, Montmorency tart cherry (−30°F) and Tomcot apricot (−30°F) all fit. On Grand Traverse Bay, the Traverse City map covers you.

Spring frost, bloom and the first fall freeze

NOAA station records for 1991 to 2020 put the median last 32°F at April 29 in Charlevoix and May 6 in Petoskey, May 21 at Gaylord, May 28 at East Jordan and June 6 at Vanderbilt 11ENE. The last 28°F, about where open blossoms start dying (Michigan State's fruit people), comes April 13 at Charlevoix, April 19 at Petoskey and May 26 at Vanderbilt 11ENE. On the shore a cold lake holds bloom back, and the Tip of the Mitt wine-grape petition adds that the coarse till and lake sand here warm slowly in spring, holding bud break back until late frost risk passes.

The spring layer splits this map hard: the hills read up to 7°F warmer than Petoskey and the flat shore of Otsego Lake 15°F colder. NC State's fruit people say 3°F to 4°F can separate no crop from a full one.

Only about 15 percent of apple blossoms need to set for a crop, and fully open haskap flowers take 19°F. Our rule of thumb: most fruit can lose half its blossoms or more and still crop fine, though clustered fruit like cherries and grapes forgives less. In 2012 five straight days above 80°F in mid-March were followed by lows in the 20s°F on March 25, and Friske Orchards at Atwood said it was significantly hurt; a Leelanau grower blamed the low spots where cold air settles. In 2026 spring frosts cut Michigan's tart cherry forecast 24 percent, and King Orchards in Central Lake, which normally harvests about 2 million pounds, expected about 60,000.

So site comes first: apricots, peaches and sweet cherries on the ground that reads warm, apples, haskap and bush fruit lower. Through bloom, mow short and water a day or two before a frost night; frost cloth of 0.5, 0.9 and 1.5 ounces per square yard buys about 4°F, 6°F and 8°F (Alabama's extension figures). Fall comes early inland too: the median first 32°F is September 13 at Vanderbilt 11ENE, September 27 at East Jordan and October 29 at Charlevoix. Michigan tart cherry buds that died at about −12°F in November survived about −20°F in January, so we taper water from mid-August in zone 4 and colder to get trees hardened off.

What the weather records say

Coldest readings on file in NOAA station records: Vanderbilt 11ENE −51°F on February 9, 1934, the state record; Wolverine State Forest and Mancelona −43°F; East Jordan −41°F and Gaylord −37°F on February 17, 1979; Pellston −37°F; Petoskey and Boyne Falls −35°F; Charlevoix −32°F on February 11, 1899. In the February 17, 1979 cold snap Vanderbilt 11ENE read −43°F, East Jordan −41°F and Petoskey −25°F; in January 2018 Pellston read −35°F and Charlevoix only −7°F.

USDA's 2023 map puts Charlevoix's ZIP in zone 6a (−10°F to −5°F); Petoskey, Boyne City and East Jordan in 5b (−15°F to −10°F); and Gaylord and Vanderbilt in 5a (−20°F to −15°F). Our MFTC zones for those towns are 4b, 4b, 3b, 3b, 3b and 3b. USDA's zones are built on the average winter's coldest night, like the map's typical winter (−4°F in Charlevoix, −15°F in Gaylord), and NOAA station records show the worst night in about 30 winters runs a median 13°F below a station's average winter low. That's the night we plan for.

What you can grow here

Charlevoix, the Lake Michigan shore and the warm hills: −20°F to −25°F

Lapins, Gold, Rainier, Stella and Skeena sweet cherries; Siberian C, Contender and Veteran (−30°F) peaches, Blushingstar on a south wall; Harlayne, Goldrich (−30°F) and Tomcot apricots on high ground; Bartlett (−35°F) and D'Anjou (−30°F) pears; Italian (−35°F) and Stanley (−30°F) plums; Northern Spy and Liberty (−30°F) apples; Marquette and Frontenac (−35°F) grapes.

Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Lake Charlevoix's north shore and the Chain of Lakes: −26°F to −30°F

Lapins and Gold, with Rainier and Stella at the cold end; Siberian C and Contender peaches; Zard (−35°F), Harlayne and Tomcot apricots where spring reads warm; Bartlett, Seckel (−35°F) and D'Anjou pears; Superior (−35°F) and Italian plums; Honeycrisp, Northern Spy and Liberty apples; Montmorency and Danube (−35°F) tart cherries; Marquette and Frontenac grapes.

Boyne City, East Jordan, Bellaire, Alanson, Indian River, Gaylord and Mancelona: −31°F to −34°F

Honeycrisp, Haralson, Frostbite, Zestar!® and Cortland (−40°F) apples; Kerr and Centennial (−50°F) applecrabs; Cold Snap®, Luscious and Summercrisp pears; Toka, Pipestone (−40°F) and Superior plums; Evan's Bali and Meteor tart cherries; Lapins and Siberian C only where the ground drains at bloom; Westcot and Zard apricots on the hills; Honeyberry, Montana Black Currant, Boyne raspberry (−40°F) and La Crescent grape (−40°F).

Vanderbilt's floor, Wolverine and the Sturgeon bottoms: −35°F to −39°F

Trailman, Kerr and Centennial applecrabs; Haralson, Honeycrisp, Frostbite and Wealthy (−50°F) apples; Bolshaya pear and Cold Snap®; Brookgold and Toka plums; Evan's Bali and Meteor tart cherries; Westcot on the hills; Juliet dwarf cherry (−50°F), Honeyberry, Montana Black Currant and Valiant grape (−50°F).

Roots are the weak link. A 1920 study found apple roots seriously hurt near 10°F and Mazzard cherry roots killed at 12°F, while Mahaleb took 5°F, and most of Michigan's tart cherries stand on Mahaleb. Snow is what saves roots here: Bud 118 apple rootstock has seen near −50°F at Ed Schultz's farm in Gallatin Gateway, Montana, with no damage, under snow. Where wind or a plow leaves the ground bare, mulch the root zone. Plant on a slope with an outlet, off the floor and off the windswept crest (Montana State recommends a 4 to 8 percent grade), and test drainage on the Charlevoix series' wet flats: dig 2 ft, fill it, let it drain, fill it again, and under 10 hours is well drained. Most plums, pears and sweet cherries set better with a pollenizer nearby; our pollination maps show which varieties pollenize which.

Fruit history here

Before settlement the Odawa of L'Arbre Croche grew corn, squash and melons here. Today this is the north end of the Lake Michigan fruit belt, where most of the country's tart cherries grow; in 2011 Antrim and Charlevoix counties had 3,400 acres of them, and across the northwest district Gold led the sweet cherries at 1,555 acres. Charlevoix holds an Apple Festival every October, and in 2016 the Tip of the Mitt became a federal wine-grape region growing Minnesota hybrids like Marquette, La Crescent and Frontenac.

Questions people ask

What growing zone is Petoskey, Michigan?

USDA's 2023 map puts Petoskey's ZIP in zone 5b (−15°F to −10°F). Our planning low for downtown Petoskey is −25°F, MFTC zone 4b. USDA's zone is based on an average winter's coldest night; ours is the bad night we plan for, so it reads colder.

What zone is Gaylord, Michigan?

USDA's 2023 map puts Gaylord in zone 5a (−20°F to −15°F). Our planning low for Gaylord is −32°F (MFTC 3b), with the low ground within 3 miles at −34°F to −35°F.

When is the last frost in Petoskey?

NOAA station records for 1991 to 2020 put the median last 32°F at May 6 in Petoskey, one year in ten as late as May 21. It's April 29 at Charlevoix, May 21 at Gaylord and June 6 at Vanderbilt 11ENE.

Can you grow cherries in Charlevoix?

Yes. Charlevoix plans for −21°F, so Lapins and Gold sweet cherries (−35°F) and Stella and Skeena (−30°F) have room to spare. Spring frost is the risk, as 2012 and 2026 showed, so plant on ground that drains at bloom.

Where is the coldest place in Michigan?

The Vanderbilt 11ENE station holds Michigan's record low, −51°F on February 9, 1934, and has a frost-free season of just 99 days. On our map the coldest named place is Green Timbers at −39°F, with Wolverine at −38°F.

Why does Gaylord get so much snow?

Gaylord sits on some of the highest ground in northern Lower Michigan, and about 70 percent of its roughly 140 inches a winter is lake-effect snow, mostly off Lake Michigan. That snow makes the air above it colder, but it insulates roots, the least hardy part of a dormant tree.

Warmer spots, colder spots

Here's the number to plan for at named places on the map, warmest first. Each one is the 1-in-30-year low for that spot: the cold hardiness calculator's number from the same weather stations, sharpened by our microclimate model for the ground right there. Zone is our MFTC zone, set by that one bad night, not by an average.

The weather stations behind it

These are the long-record stations in and around this map, with each one's own numbers since the winter of 1995-96. The last column is this map's 30-year number right at the station, which won't match the station exactly: it's a blend of the stations around it, the way the calculator works everywhere.

Source: NOAA records through ACIS, winters 1995-96 through 2025-26. What the "carried forward," "gaps filled" and AWOS rows mean is explained in how our microclimate maps work.