Hello! I’m a junior planning on applying early action to Michigan this fall. Umich is my absolute top choice of colleges, despite the allegedly crappy weather. I visited during late March and it was rainy and windy the entire time I was there. I tried looking up data about the year round weather, but I’m having trouble finding good info. So, could someone describe to me in detail how Ann Arbor’s weather is?
When does it start to get rainy/cold, how much does it usually snow, when does it start to snow, etc?
Thanks for your help!
http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/ann-arbor/michigan/united-states/usmi0028
You probably could have found this link. And with global warming …
@wayneandgarth I have looked at multiple websites like that, but they don’t even have accurate info for my hometown. Thanks though! I just wanted to hear from an actual person, because, you know- that’s why forums exist.
Ann Arbor is one of the coldest places in the country. It is nice for about a month from September into early October, but by mid October it is already winter. Doesn’t heat up until last week or two of school in mid April if you are on a lucky year. If you are looking for a warm school/environment, I suggest looking elsewhere. They try to downplay how cold it really is.
The weather in Michigan is rather erratic. Always has been, always will be. However, it generally starts to get cold around mid to late September. The coldest months are around January and February. Like gametime7 said, it gets warm in April, if we’re lucky as high as 70 degrees. But above all, don’t let the weather discourage you from attending! You’ll learn to love it.
@gametime7 I don’t actually mind the cold, I just was curious if it was as harsh as I’ve heard. Thanks for the info!
@whizkid98 At least I won’t be tempted to go outside instead of study, if I end up attending! Would you be able to tell me if it gets much snow? If there’s one thing I love more than sunny weather, it’s snow. Does it stick a lot or just turn into slush right away? Thanks for your reply!
@Ashdew77 Usually we can get a fair bit of snow around January. Sometimes we’d have periods of snow, then slush, than snow again. How long the snow sticks around depends on the cold. During winter it can get from the teens to the single digits. It rarely goes negative, but it can happen. At that point it actually hurts to go outside, and everyone would stay indoors.
Temps in the winter rarely fall below 20deg in the daytime. It is often windy and because of the high humidity it can be bitter. As a student, especially if you live on Central Campus, you are not affected as much as a commuter. University sidewalks are well cleared and salted, the university transport system runs full time, and the U has only shuts down a few times per decade for weather. On the good side you can go sledding in the arb on snow days. Sidewalk clearing varies a lot on residential streets, but the campus areas are generally clear.
Single snowfall amounts rarely exceed a few inches. There may be 1-2 8-10" storms per season. A few years ago we had an exceptionally snowy winter (3 foot accumulation) , but they are pretty rare. I’d invest in a pair of sturdy boots and many wool socks. If you wear sneakers it’s common to get slush or puddled water in them.
The snowbelt in Michigan begins about 2 hours north of Ann Arbor, and along the west coast where there is lots of lake effect snow.
The outer limits of 50 degree daytime high weather is the major league baseball season. There are short periods of warmer weather before and after, but there can also be cold weather, like last May 10th. But nights go below freezing in April and after October 15th.
Fall is wonderful there. With all the trees, the slight chill in the air. It’s just great. Summer is also very nice, all green. Spring is great too, but too short. Winter is winter. Now I found it cozy and the snow looks great against the buildings. But it’s not UCLA. It is a long winter. The winter semester is winter. It’s not one of the coldest places in the country as one person wrote here. But it’s cold and snowy. However, buildings are close together on campus and you don’t have to be outside all the much. If you hate the cold, forget it. But if you can embrace the four seasons, enjoy wearing different sets of clothes, and like the change, as I do, then it’s fine. Remember something else, regions with cold winters tend to have nicer people and more organized societies. All in all, I prefer A2 weather to that of my native NY. It’s less humid in summer, less blistering in winter.
It most definitely does not start getting cold in september… maybe if you live in the desert, In reality if you have ever lived in a place where it snows every winter then do not worry about the weather its not that bad an is very overstated.
@michmaybe Definitely agree. Last year it didn’t really start to get cold until November/early December