New Buffalo, Michigan Weather
Fireflies rise from the lawn. Day 77 of spring. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
New Buffalo weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJun 3Overcast——79°50°—
- ThursdayJun 4Overcast——87°57°+8°
- FridayJun 5Heavy Rain71%2.0″78°68°-9°
- SaturdayJun 6Light Showers70%0.04″75°64°-3°
- SundayJun 7Overcast12%—82°65°+7°
- MondayJun 8Drizzle18%—80°66°-2°
- TuesdayJun 9Light Drizzle28%—76°69°-4°
PM2.5 at 7.4 µg/m³, PM10 at 8.7 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature. AQI up 16 in the last 6 hours — air quality is degrading.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 39. Overcast through the UV peak window (cloud cover ~67%) — afternoon ozone should stay flat.
- Present
- AQI 39
- UV peak
- 0.0 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- overcast
- Projected peak
- AQI 5
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 7.4 µg/m³, PM10 at 8.7 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.85
- Wind
- light
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- background
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
A summer fog for fair, a winter fog for rain.
- Moonrise
- 4:22 AM
- Moonset
- 1:42 PM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Fireflies rise from the lawn
New Buffalo at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 10°F below the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: April 27 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jun 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest spring lettuce before it bolts. Sow heat-tolerant greens.
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of June 4, the growing season is at its peak — frost is months away. Continue succession-planting beans and summer squash. Start fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) from seed indoors for transplanting in late summer.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — New Buffalo
SPC has placed New Buffalo in the General Thunderstorms category for severe thunderstorms day after tomorrow.
- TODAYNONENo severe risk
- TOMORROWNONENo severe risk
- DAY 3TSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
Thunderstorms possible. Not severe, but capable of producing lightning and brief heavy rain.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook. Outlooks are re-issued multiple times per day; this page reflects the most recent SPC polygons covering the city’s coordinates.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | — | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | — | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
New Buffalo's warmest month is July (~73°F mean) and its coldest is January (~24°F). Rainfall peaks in June (4.4 inches) and bottoms out in February (2.5 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 3.0″ | 8 |
| February | 28° | 2.5″ | 6 |
| March | 37° | 2.7″ | 7 |
| April | 49° | 3.8″ | 8 |
| May | 60° | 4.3″ | 9 |
| June | 69° | 4.4″ | 8 |
| July | 73° | 4.0″ | 7 |
| August | 72° | 4.2″ | 7 |
| September | 65° | 3.4″ | 6 |
| October | 53° | 4.1″ | 7 |
| November | 40° | 3.2″ | 7 |
| December | 30° | 2.9″ | 7 |
Regional context
New Buffalo's baseline climate, derived from NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals at the nearest reporting station, swings from a January mean of 24°F to a July mean of 73°F — a 49°F seasonal arc typical of the mid-latitude bands. Annual precipitation runs about 42.6 inches spread across roughly 87 days with measurable rain or snow each year.
Precipitation runs summer-dominant here: June averages 4.4 inches across 7.7 days with measurable rain, driven mostly by warm-season storms and thunderstorm activity, while February drops to just 2.5 inches across 6.2 rainy days under drier cool-season air. The warm-season-wet rhythm lines New Buffalo up with places like Grand Beach, MI, Michiana, MI and Three Oaks, MI, where the May-September stretch delivers the bulk of the year's precipitation.
The frost-sensitive growing window opens around mid-April, when overnight lows reliably clear freezing for cool-season crops like kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips. Heat-loving transplants like tomatoes, peppers, and squash generally hold off for another 10-14 days to clear the last spring frost risk window. The window closes around mid-November, when overnight lows resume dipping below freezing and frost-tender plants need protection or harvest. Those dates are 30-year averages; the actual frost-free window in a given year can vary by 10-14 days at either end. Neighborhood-scale variation in elevation and cold-air pooling means the practical last-frost date inside New Buffalo can lag the regional mean by 5-10 days in low spots, and a bench position with good cold-air drainage can run a week ahead.
Similar climates: Grand Beach, MI, Michiana, MI, Three Oaks, MI, Shorewood-Tower Hills-Harbert, MI, New Troy, MI.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in New Buffalo?
- New Buffalo's last spring frost typically falls around mid-April, and the first fall frost arrives around mid-November.
- What is the rainy season in New Buffalo?
- June is the wettest month with about 4.4 inches of rain on average; the city receives roughly 43 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in New Buffalo?
- July is typically warmest, averaging about 73°F.
- What is the coldest month in New Buffalo?
- January is typically coldest, averaging about 24°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in New Buffalo?
- Cool-season crops (peas, lettuce) can be sown around the last spring frost (mid-April); warm-season crops (tomatoes, peppers) wait until 1–2 weeks after.
- How many rainy days does New Buffalo get?
- New Buffalo averages about 87 rainy days per year.
- What hardiness zone is New Buffalo?
- New Buffalo's USDA hardiness zone is determined by its lowest average winter temperature; check the USDA's online lookup with the city ZIP for the current zone designation.
Climate
New Buffalo, Michigan sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate zone. January means hover near 24°F while July averages 73°F — a 49°F seasonal swing.
Across the year, New Buffalo receives about 43 inches of precipitation spread over roughly 87 rainy days.
The rhythm of the year is set by latitude (41.8°N), proximity to large water bodies, and elevation — all of which shape what grows here, when frost is likely, and what the weather story looks like day to day.