‹ Mackinac Island weather by month

Typical December weather

Mackinac Island

Michigan · December

Ice in the harbor and the whole island to yourself.

33° days
18° nights

about 15 rainy or snowy days · 8½ hours of daylight · lake 36°

What to pack

What December feels like

The winter community keeps a school, a church, and not a great deal else running, and once there is snow on the ground snowmobiles do the work bikes do in summer. If you are picturing Christmas on Mackinac, understand you would be visiting a very small town in the middle of a very large lake, not a resort.

Expect about 15 days with something falling — rain, snow, or the sloppy mix in between. The air runs dry — whatever the thermometer says, it wears easy. Nearly every night dips below freezing.

Can you swim?

The lake runs about 36° — frigid — locals in wetsuits only.

The numbers

Typical high33°
Typical low18°
Days with rain or snow15
Rain or melted snow1.9 in
Humiditydry air
Water temperature36°
Sunrise / sunset (mid-month)8:13 am / 4:54 pm

How December compares

See the whole year in Mackinac Island ›