About the Area



© Copyright
2000-2005
by the Frankfort-
Elberta Area Chamber
of Commerce
  

FRANKFORT-ELBERTA AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

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
      Average Annual Snowfall: 128 inches (-55 +76, 1978-2000)
.
      Total Annual Snowfall (from the Benzie County Road Commission)

          1978-79   170.5"         1993-94   138.0" 
          1979-80   114.8"         1994-95    81.0"
          1980-81   128.1"         1995-96   176.5"
          1981-82   123.4"         1996-97   204.5"
          1982-83    73.0"         1997-98   115.5"
          1983-84   115.2"         1998-99   122.5"
          1984-85   150.6"       1999-2000    95.5"
          1985-86   141.3"       2000-2001    ??
          1986-87    76.2"       2001-2002    ??
          1987-88   104.6"       2002-2003    ??
          1988-89   169.0"       2003-2004    ??
          1989-90   197.0"       2004-2005    ??
          1990-91    99.7"
          1991-92    98.5"
          1992-93    83.7"

      Map of the Average Annual Snowfall for norther 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. Therefore it might be a fun project for the schools to collect actual data for the Frankfort/Elberta area. And also to compare the results with Beulah/Benzonia area data, 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.