Climate and average weather in Jackson

In Jackson, the summers are warm, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are very cold, snowy, and mostly cloudy.

Best: mid May to mid October

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Jackson typically varies from 18°F to 81°F, and is rarely below -1°F or above 89°F. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Jackson for warm-weather activities is from mid May to mid October.

Hottest
Jul
81°
Coldest
Jan
18°
Wettest
May
4.0 in
Driest
Feb
2.0 in
Rain / yr
35.6 in
123 wet days
Daylight
8.9–15.1 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
932 ft
42.2°N
Clearest
Sep
55% cloud

Jackson is seat of Jackson County, Michigan, United States.

Density
1,165/km²
people per km²
Founded
1829

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Jackson weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around mid May to mid October.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Jackson, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 4.3 months, from May 18 to September 25, with daily high temperatures above 69°F. The hottest month of the year in Jackson is July, with an average high of 81°F and low of 64°F.

The cool season lasts 3.2 months, from December 1 to March 6, with daily high temperatures below 40°F. The coldest month of the year in Jackson is January, with an average low of 18°F and high of 31°F.

Days typically run about 16°F warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 18°F) in May.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
Jan3118
Feb3420
Mar4528
Apr5739
May6850
Jun7860
Jul8164
Aug7962
Sep7254
Oct6043
Nov4633
Dec3524

How hot and cold Jackson really feels

Feels-like highFeels-like lowactual air temp

The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.

On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about 6°F (around January 22), with roughly 164 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 32°F) 77 of them bitterly cold — worst in January.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels-like high (°F)Air high (°F)Feels-like low (°F)Air low (°F)
Jan3131718
Feb3434920
Mar45452028
Apr57573339
May68684850
Jun78786060
Jul82816464
Aug79796262
Sep72725454
Oct60603843
Nov46462633
Dec35351524

Average hourly temperature in Jackson

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 81°F, and coldest before dawn in January, near 18°F.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Jackson weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 18°2.510.37.99.30.0
Feb34° / 20°2.08.15.910.30.0
Mar45° / 28°2.5103.611.61.0
Apr57° / 39°3.611.81.413.13.9
May68° / 50°4.012.8014.45.8
Jun78° / 60°3.711.60156.4
Jul81° / 64°3.410.6014.86.4
Aug79° / 62°3.410.4013.76.6
Sep72° / 54°2.89012.36.9
Oct60° / 43°2.99.70.210.84.7
Nov46° / 33°2.69.32.59.61.3
Dec35° / 24°2.29.66.190.0

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Jackson gets about 35.6 in of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 3.4 months, from around Mar 24 to Jul 3, peaking in May at about 42% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Feb 8.

May is the wettest month by volume, with 4.0 in over about 13 wet days; February is the driest, with 2.0 in. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetMay 10 · 42%Feb 8 · 27%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan3210
Feb298
Mar3310
Apr3912
May4113
Jun3912
Jul3511
Aug3410
Sep309
Oct3110
Nov319
Dec3210

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Jackson collects about 35.6 in of rain across 123 wet days — roughly 3.0 in in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. May is the wettest month with 4.0 in, while February is the driest at just 2.0 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 32% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

012345JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec2.52.02.53.64.03.73.43.42.82.92.62.2
Rainfall (in)Rain daysSnow days
Jan2.5108
Feb2.086
Mar2.5104
Apr3.6121
May4.0130
Jun3.7120
Jul3.4110
Aug3.4100
Sep2.890
Oct2.9100
Nov2.693
Dec2.2106

Snow in Jackson

Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.

Jackson averages about 28 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Oct 29 to Apr 25 — about 5.9 months.

January is snowiest, with roughly 8 days of snow and an estimated 12 in of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 46 in of snow.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonsnow seasonJan 15
Snow daysSnowfall (in)
Jan812
Feb610
Mar46
Apr12
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct00
Nov34
Dec611

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Jackson, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around May 12 and lasts for 5.3 months, ending around October 20. The clearest month is July, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 54% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 21 and lasts for 6.7 months, ending around May 11. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 81% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecSep 2 · 56%Jan 4 · 17%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan1981
Feb2674
Mar3367
Apr3565
May3961
Jun4852
Jul5446
Aug5347
Sep5248
Oct4258
Nov3070
Dec2080

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 14, brings about 15 h 06 min of light; the shortest, around December 14, only 8 h 54 min — a swing of roughly 6 h 12 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan9.38:105:24
Feb10.37:436:01
Mar11.66:586:37
Apr13.16:047:12
May14.45:227:46
Jun15.05:068:10
Jul14.85:198:07
Aug13.75:507:33
Sep12.36:246:40
Oct10.86:585:48
Nov9.67:365:10
Dec9.08:065:02

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Jackson averages about 7 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 3 and 11 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 5.3 months, from around May 16 to Oct 24. The sunniest month is September, with roughly 11 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is January, down near 3 sunny days — about 72% fewer than the September peak.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedSep 411 daysJan 103 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan3Gloomy
Feb5Gloomy
Mar7Gloomy
Apr7Gloomy
May7Gloomy
Jun9Mixed
Jul10Mixed
Aug10Mixed
Sep11Mixed
Oct9Mixed
Nov5Gloomy
Dec4Gloomy

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Jackson, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 4.0 months, from around May 24 to September 22. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 56% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 23 to May 23, and March is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecMar 7 · 100%Jul 21 · 41%oppressivemuggyhumiddrycomfortablecomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
Jan1000000
Feb1000000
Mar991000
Apr963100
May7811830
Jun402222151
Jul212327237
Aug232725215
Sep56211491
Oct907210
Nov991000
Dec1000000

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in Jackson is typically light breeze, near 8 mph, and varies little with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 7.3 months, from around Oct 7 to May 17. The windiest month is January, averaging about 9 mph (light breeze).

The calmer part of the year runs from around May 18 to Oct 6, with August the calmest month at about 6 mph.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezebreezyJan 9 · 9 mphAug 8 · 6 mph
Wind speed (mph)Feels
Jan9light breeze
Feb9light breeze
Mar9light breeze
Apr9light breeze
May8light breeze
Jun7calm
Jul6calm
Aug6calm
Sep7calm
Oct8light breeze
Nov9light breeze
Dec9light breeze

Best time to visit Jackson

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Jackson throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around late May, Jackson is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 64°F and 82°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Jackson for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid May to early October, with a peak score in the first week of September.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationSep 6 · 7.1

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan0.0poor
Feb0.0poor
Mar1.0poor
Apr3.9fair
May5.8good
Jun6.4good
Jul6.4good
Aug6.6good
Sep6.8good
Oct4.7fair
Nov1.3poor
Dec0.0poor

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 75°F and 93°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Jackson for hot-weather activities is from early June to mid September, with a peak score in the second week of July.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJul 9 · 6.7

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Jackson, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 81°F), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 31°F), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In July, Jackson sees daytime highs around 81°F and nights near 64°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

UV index (midday) in Jackson by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Jackson 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 20UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Average hourly UV index in Jackson

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in June the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 5.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan00
Feb00
Mar4.50
Apr60
May7.53.5
Jun8.55.5
Jul8.55
Aug73.5
Sep60
Oct20
Nov00
Dec00

Air quality in Jackson by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.

Air quality in Jackson is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1315 µg/m³Oct 228 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayTypical season (≥50%)

The growing season in Jackson typically lasts about 239 days, from around March 26 to November 19 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 24 to October 18.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonMar 2650%Apr 2490%Oct 1890%Nov 1950%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1331
Feb1428
Mar3731
Apr8021
May980
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep990
Oct919
Nov5530
Dec2331

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 50°F)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 50°F: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Jackson banks about 2,655 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.

01,0002,0003,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°F·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr19
May282
Jun563
Jul695
Aug630
Sep395
Oct70
Nov0
Dec0

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Jackson receives about 4.0 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — moderate — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.4 and 6.4 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.3 months, from around Mar 15 to Sep 23. The brightest month is July, averaging about 6.2 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is December, down near 1.4 kWh/m² — roughly 77% less than the July peak.

012345678JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJul 16.4 kWhDec 171.4 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan1.8Dim
Feb2.8Moderate
Mar4.0Moderate
Apr4.9Bright
May5.7Bright
Jun6.3Intense
Jul6.2Intense
Aug5.3Bright
Sep4.3Bright
Oct2.9Moderate
Nov1.9Dim
Dec1.4Dim

Where is Jackson?

Jackson sits at 42.2°N, 84.4°W, 932 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Holt, 28 mi away.

Topography around Jackson

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Jackson.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Jackson has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 194 ft around an average of 974 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 331 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 761 ft.

The land around Jackson is covered by trees (51%) and artificial surfaces (34%) within 2 miles, trees (56%) within 10 miles, and cropland (44%) and trees (40%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
194 ft
10 miles
331 ft
50 miles
761 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
Nearby: Holt 28 mi · Adrian 30 mi · Okemos 33 mi · Ann Arbor 34 mi · East Lansing 34 mi · Lansing 35 mi · Haslett 35 mi · Waverly 36 mi

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
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

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 Jackson (42.2459°, -84.4013°, elevation 932 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).