The climate is a hemiboreal humid continental (Köppen: "Dfb") with four distinct seasons that is strongly moderated by Lake Superior and is located in Plant Hardiness zone 5b. Winters are long and cold with a January average of . Winter temperatures are slightly warmer than inland locations at a similar latitude due to the release of the heat stored by the lake, which moderates the climate. On average, there are 11.6 days annually where the minimum temperature reaches and 73 days with a maximum at or below freezing, including a majority of days during meteorological winter (December thru February).