Grand Rapids in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Grand Rapids sees average daytime highs around 33°F and overnight lows near 21°F, with 6.7 in of precipitation over about 29 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 33°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Grand Rapids's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Grand Rapids's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 33°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 21°F
- Precipitation
- 6.7 in
- 29 wet days
- Avg wind
- 9 mph
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Grand Rapids in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 33°F.
A typical winter day in Grand Rapids reaches about 33°F and drops to 21°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Grand Rapids
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 90 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Grand Rapids weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31° / 19° | 2.4 | 10.5 | 10.1 | 9.2 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 33° / 19° | 1.9 | 8.1 | 6.5 | 10.2 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 44° / 28° | 2.5 | 9.4 | 4 | 11.6 | 0.9 |
| Apr | 57° / 38° | 4.0 | 12.1 | 1.7 | 13.1 | 3.7 |
| May | 68° / 49° | 4.3 | 11.9 | 0 | 14.4 | 6.0 |
| Jun | 77° / 59° | 3.8 | 11.3 | 0 | 15.1 | 6.6 |
| Jul | 81° / 63° | 3.8 | 10.9 | 0 | 14.8 | 6.5 |
| Aug | 79° / 61° | 3.6 | 10.5 | 0 | 13.8 | 6.7 |
| Sep | 72° / 54° | 3.1 | 9.3 | 0 | 12.3 | 6.8 |
| Oct | 59° / 43° | 3.4 | 11.4 | 0.2 | 10.8 | 4.4 |
| Nov | 46° / 34° | 2.7 | 10 | 2.7 | 9.5 | 1.2 |
| Dec | 35° / 25° | 2.3 | 10.8 | 8.1 | 8.9 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Grand Rapids gets around 6.7 in of rain and snow over 29 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 9 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 06 min in early December to 10 h 54 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 1.9 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Grand Rapids?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Grand Rapids.
What to pack for Grand Rapids in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Grand Rapids sees daytime highs around 33°F and nights near 21°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 29 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Grand Rapids in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 40°F across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 36 mi away) is warmest in August at about 71°F and coldest in March near 36°F.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 20 to Sep 8 — about 1.7 months when the water holds above 68°F.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 39 | 37 | 36 | 38 | 44 | 56 | 68 | 71 | 67 | 58 | 49 | 43 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Refreshing | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | Bracing |
| Feb | 37 | Bracing |
| Mar | 36 | Bracing |
| Apr | 38 | Bracing |
| May | 44 | Bracing |
| Jun | 56 | Bracing |
| Jul | 68 | Cool |
| Aug | 71 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 67 | Cool |
| Oct | 58 | Bracing |
| Nov | 49 | Bracing |
| Dec | 43 | Bracing |
UV index in Grand Rapids in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Grand Rapids peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Low |
| Feb | 2 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 5 | High |
| May | 7 | Very high |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 7 | Very high |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2 | Moderate |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Where is Grand Rapids?
Grand Rapids sits at 43.0°N, 85.7°W, 640 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Wyoming, 3.7 mi away.
Topography around Grand Rapids
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Grand Rapids.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Grand Rapids has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 203 ft around an average of 679 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 364 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 810 ft.
The land around Grand Rapids is covered by artificial surfaces (59%) and trees (31%) within 2 miles, trees (50%), grassland (22%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (47%) and cropland (25%) within 50 miles.
United States travel facts
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 120 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 100% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $90,027
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 98%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 5.8
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 12.7
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Grand Rapids (42.9634°, -85.6681°, elevation 640 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.