The Five Coldest Temperatures Recorded in Michigan
It isn't winter yet but why not get ready for it by knowing the coldest days ever recorded in Michigan. You can know that most of the lowest temperatures ever recorded around the state are in January and February so we still have a few months before we have to worry about it. Below you can see the lowest temperatures ever recorded in the state and a little about each of the villages and towns that recorded them.
#5 - Grayling, located if you keep driving north on 127, and named for now extinct fish that once lived in the Au Sable River. They made the list as they recorded a low of -42°F on February 17, 1979.
There is a 3-way tie for #4 as there are three Michigan towns that recorded a low -43°F.
- Cadillac is one of two lower Michigan towns to record this temperature as on January 30th, 1951 people awoke to this frigid temperature.
- Caro is not located too far from Lansing as it between Flint and Saginaw on the Thumb. They recorded the low of -43°F more recent than anyone on this list on February 13, 2001.
- Trout Lake, located right as you cross into the U.P is known as a great camping spot but is also know for their frigid winters. They recorded their record low of -43°F on February 17, 1979.
#3 Stambaugh, which if you never went there it is ok as it is located right on the border of Wisconsin in the U.P. They are known to have cold and windy winters which probably helped them record their record low of -45°F on February 03, 1996.
#2 Bergland, which is another town in the U.P, right on the edge of the Ottawa National Forest, and probably the furthest away from Lansing you can get. It might be a good thing as they have average lows in the negatives half of the year, so them recording -48°F on February 03, 1912, might not seem to crazy to locals.
#1 Vanderbilt, named after the Vanderbilt family whom owned some land nearby and when the Michigan Central Railroad (which the family also owned) came through in 1880, the village of Vanderbilt was set up there. Only about 500 people live in the village but they also have the recognition of having the all time Michigan low of −51 °F on February 9, 1934.
You can see an entire interact map showing the record lows here.