Detroit, Michigan Records and Averages

      Detroit and the immediate suburbs, including nearby urban areas in Canada, occupy an area approximately 25 miles in radius. The waterway, consisting of the Detroit and St. Clair Rivers, Lake St. Clair, and the west end of Lake Erie, lies at an elevation of 568 to 580 feet above sea level. Nearly flat land slopes up gently from the waters edge northwestward for about 10 miles and then gives way to increasingly rolling terrain. The Irish Hills, parallel to and about 40 miles northwest of the waterway, have tops 1,000 to 1,250 feet above sea level. On the Canadian side of the waterway the land is relatively level.

Northwest winds in winter bring snow flurry accumulations to all of Michigan except in the Detroit Metropolitan area while summer showers moving from the northwest weaken and sometimes dissipate as they approach Detroit. 

The climate of Detroit is influenced by its location with respect to major storm tracks and the influence of the Great Lakes. Normal wintertime storm tracks pass south of the city, which bring an average of 3-inch snowfalls. Winter storms can bring combinations of rain, snow, freezing rain and sleet with heavy snowfall accumulations possible. In summer, most storms pass to the north allowing for intervals of warm, humid, sunny skies with occasional thunderstorms followed by days of mild, dry and fair weather. Temperatures of 90 degrees or higher are reached an average of twelve times each summer.

The most pronounced lake-effect weather occurs during the winter when arctic air moving across the lakes is warmed and moistened. This produces an excess of cloudiness but a moderation of cold wave temperatures.

Local climatic variations are due largely to the immediate effect of Lake St. Clair and the urban heat island. On warm days in late spring or early summer, lake breezes often lower temperatures by 10 to 15 degrees in the eastern part of the city and the northeastern suburbs. The urban heat island effect shows up mainly at night where minimum temperatures at the Metropolitan Airport average 4 degrees lower than downtown Detroit. On humid summer nights or on very cold winter nights, this difference can exceed 10 degrees.

Temperature + Precipitation 

Precipitation

Michigan averages and extremes in precipitation and temperature and Top 10 U.S climate extremes.

Data period is 1958 - 2010, Detroit Metro Airport. Source: Western Regional Climate Center