Thunderstorms, wildfire smoke, and heavy rain shape Alpena’s July weather
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ALPENA – July brought warmer-than-normal temperatures and significantly above-average rainfall to the Alpena area, according to data from the National Weather Service (NWS) and comments from Meteorologist Eleanor Delizio of the NWS Gaylord office.
The average temperature for the month settled at 70.4 degrees, 2.2 degrees above the long-term normal. That marked a slight increase from last year's average of 69.3 degrees. The average low temperature stood at 56 degrees.
The hottest day of the month arrived July 14, when the thermometer reached 96 degrees. That high fell well short of the all-time July record of 102 degrees set in 1983. The coolest reading of the month was 48 degrees on July 7. The record low for any July day remains 36 degrees, established in 1969.
Precipitation totals told a wetter story. Alpena recorded 5.21 inches of rain during the month, 2.01 inches above normal. The total ranked as the ninth-wettest July on record. By comparison, the area received 3.35 inches in July 2025 and 4.98 inches in July 2024.
"Definitely above normal with precipitation, it was the ninth wettest July on record. Last year we received 3.35 inches of precipitation," Delizio said.
A single day accounted for a large share of the rainfall. On July 18, 2.60 inches of rain fell, establishing a new record for the wettest day in any July. The previous single-day July record stood at 1.19 inches.
Storms early in the month produced localized wind damage, Delizio said.
"With a couple of the stronger storms on the first and second days of the month we did have reports of trees knocked down from thunderstorm wind damage. That occurred towards the west of Alpena, in areas like Maple Ridge Township and Cathro Road," he said.
Smoke from distant wildfires also influenced the weather pattern midway through the month. The haze contributed to a sharp cooldown after the peak heat.
"As the smoke started to subside on the fifteenth of the month, temperatures did drop quite a bit. Our highest temperature of 96 degrees was on the 14th, then it dropped to 77 degrees on the 15th, and it remained in the 70s for a stretch of time," Delizio said.
The combination of early-month storms, mid-month heat moderated by smoke, and the record daily rainfall on July 18 produced an eventful July for Northeast Lower Michigan.
While temperatures ran only modestly above average overall, the excess precipitation stood out as the dominant theme, ranking among the wetter Julys in the local climate record.
Residents and visitors experienced a mix of humid conditions, occasional severe weather, and improved moisture for lawns, gardens and waterways after what had been a drier start to the summer season in parts of the state. Lake Huron's influence continued to moderate extremes along the shoreline, though the inland and western portions of the Alpena County area felt the effects of the stronger thunderstorms more directly.
Delizio noted that the early storms and the heavy mid-month downpour were the standout events that shaped the month's character for many residents. The smoke episode, while temporary, offered a clear example of how distant wildfires can alter local temperature trends even in the middle of summer.