Michigan Has Among the Nation’s Most Difficult to Forecast Weather

It's no slam on any Michigan meteorologist if they don't get a weather forecast entirely accurate. They are forecasting weather in the nation's most inexact weather region.

And it's not just a lame, overused meme about not liking Michigan's weather and waiting five minutes — or needing the heater in the morning and the air conditioning in the afternoon.

There's data to back up the region's temperamental weather.

The Nation's Toughest Forecasting Challenge

According to a map compiled and shared by the Facebook page Information is Beautiful based on data from the National Digital Forecast Database, much of the Midwest has weather forecasts that are not accurate more than two days out from when they are made.

Much of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and near-coastal regions are in the two-day accuracy range. Michigan's interior Lower Peninsula and eastern Upper Peninsula can offer three-to-four days of forecast accuracy.

READ MORE: These Are the National Weather Service Offices That Forecast All of Michigan's Weather

Compare that to South Florida and the desert Southwest, where temperature predictions can be reliably made at least seven days out.

Long-Range Forecasts: A Grain of Salt for Michigan

Here's how Michigan looks. The yellow regions are the two day forecast range and the green is the three to four day accurate forecast range.

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So you should likely question any seven-day, ten-day or longer forecast and take those highs and lows with a bit of caution and perhaps firm up outdoor plans little more than a few days out.