Here's When The First Accumulating Snow Of The Season Typically Arrives

With that in mind, we've researched National Weather Service 30-year average data (1991-2020) to find the date by which the season's first measurable snow – defined as 0.1 inch or more – typically occurs to compile the map below.

Keep in mind, these are averages of the season's first snow. Any given season can produce the season's first snowfall either very early or very late, depending on the weather pattern at the time.

C​hicago is one such recent example since it saw its first measurable snow on Nov. 15 this year, but waited until Dec. 28 last year.

Much of the Midwest and Northeast see their first measurable snow of the season in November or December.

The month of October usually ushers in the first measurable snow from the Rockies to the Northern Plains and northern Great Lakes.

The South doesn't see accumulating snow every year, but on average, January and February are the most favored months for at least a coating of snow.

H​ere's a closer look at what's typical for each region, along with the specific average first snow date for a few cities.

Northeast

October is typically the month's first snow in the mountains of northern New England and the Adirondacks.

Most of the rest of the interior Northeast joins in during November, while the Interstate 95 corridor from New York City to Virginia typically waits until December to see its first accumulating snowfall of the season.

Midwest

The season's first snow in the Midwest typically occurs in October along the northern tier of states, from northern Michigan to the western Dakotas.

In November, much of the Ohio Valley, the rest of the Great Lakes, the mid-Mississippi Valley and the Central Plains join the ranks.

W​est

Snow can fall over the highest peaks of the Rockies even in summer.

September snow is considered average from the higher elevations of western Montana into the Colorado Rockies.

Otherwise, October typically heralds the arrival of the season's first flakes in lower elevations of Montana, Wyoming, the Wasatch, Colorado's foothills and mountain valleys, and the mountains of northern New Mexico.

November first snow is typical from the plains of southeast Colorado into the rest of northern New Mexico, northeast Arizona (Flagstaff), portions of the Great Basin and the interior Northwest.

The threat of snow is not usually a factor in places like Seattle and Portland, Oregon, until late December.

South

Yes, parts of the South do occasionally see snow, but not necessarily every year.

The Texas Panhandle and the highest elevations of the southern Appalachians are exceptions. Those areas can expect their first snow in November or December.

Valley locations of the southern Appalachians, parts of northern and Middle Tennessee, northern Arkansas, central and eastern Oklahoma will see their first dusting of snow sometime in December, if at all.

For more southern locations, such as Atlanta and Dallas, instead of mentioning an average first date of measurable snow, we specify an average timeframe during which you can expect the "best chance" of measurable snow each year, defined by the average first and last dates of measurable snow. This is typically in January and February from the Carolinas to north Texas.

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