When is the first average snowfall across the Midwest?
Snow in Minneapolis in 2023 ((Photo by Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
Detroit (FOX 2) - Fall might have just begun, but snow is just around the corner for many areas in the Midwest. Just when you might see your first snowflakes and measurable snowfall depends on where in the Midwest you live.
Detroit's snowfall averages and records
Local perspective:
The first measurable amount of snow usually falls in metro Detroit around Nov. 16, according to the National Weather Service. Here are some other dates involving snow records and averages in the Detroit area.
Detroit's average date for first snowfall:
- Measurable snowfall (0.1 inch): Nov. 16
- 1 inch or more: Nov. 30
- 3 inches or more: Dec. 26
Earliest dates on record:
- Measurable snowfall: Oct. 12, 2006
- 1 inch or more: Oct. 19, 1989
- 3 inches or more: Nov. 2, 1966
Latest date of first occurrence on record:
- Measurable snowfall: Dec. 29, 1998
- 1 inch or more: Feb. 17, 1919
Last snowfall of the season averages:
- Measurable snowfall: April 7
- 1 inch or more: March 24
- 3 inches or greater: Feb 27
Earliest date of last occurrence on record:
- Measurable snowfall: Feb. 25, 1878
- 1 inch or more: Jan. 22, 1966
Latest date on record of last snowfall of the season:
- Measurable snowfall: May 22, 1883
- 1 inch or greater: May 22, 1883
- 3 inches or greater: May 9, 1923
The average amount of annual snowfall Detroit gets a year between 2000 and 2020 was 43.4 inches.
Twin Cities' snowfall averages and records
What we know:
The average date for first measurable snowfall in the Twin Cities, according to the 30-year average, is Nov. 5.
In the year's past, measurable snowfall has come around this average date, with some outliers:
- 2025: Nov. 25
- 2024: Oct. 31
- 2023: Oct. 30
- 2022: Oct. 14
- 2021: Nov. 13
- 2020: Oct. 16
The median first snowfall of an inch or greater, based on records from 1884 to 2023, is Nov. 15.
The earliest 1 inch or greater snowfall on record, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, is Sept. 26, 1942, and the latest is Jan. 21, 2005.
Minneapolis receives an average of 51 inches of snow every season. The snowiest winters on record for the Twin Cities are:
- 1983 to 1984: 98.6 inches of snow
- 1981 to 1982: 95 inches of snow
- 2022 to 2023: 89.7 inches of snow
- 1950 to 1951: 88.9 inches of snow
- 2010 to 2011: 86.6 inches of snow
Milwaukee's snowfall averages and records
Timeline:
The average first snowfall in Milwaukee comes on Nov. 2, according to the NWS.
Milwaukee's average first snowfall
- First measurable snowfall: Nov. 2
- First snowfall over 0.1 inches: Nov. 14
- First snowfall over 1 inch: Dec. 2
Milwaukee's earliest snowfall of the season
- Earliest trace of snowfall on record: Sept. 23, 1942
- Earliest snowfall over 0.1 inches: Oct. 6, 1889 (0.1 inch)
- Earliest snowfall over an inch on record: Oct. 17, 1896 (1 inch)
Milwaukee's latest first snowfalls of the season
- Latest first trace of snowfall of the season on record: Dec. 5, 1999
- Latest first snowfall accumulating at least 0.1 inches on record: Dec. 26, 1888
- Latest first snowfall accumulating at least 1 inch on record: Jan. 20, 1889 (3.5 inches)
Milwaukee's latest final snowfalls of the season
- Average date for last snowfall: April 16
- Earliest on record latest snowfall: March 21, 2017
- Latest snowfall on record: May 31, 1889
Milwaukee's latest final snowfall of the season over an inch
- Average date for last snowfall over an inch: March 22
- Earliest on record: Feb. 2, 1968 (1.6 inch)
- Latest on record: May 10, 1990 (3.2 inch)
The record for the most snowfall in one day, according to the University of Wisconsin, is 17.9 inches, which occurred on March 3, 1881.
The record snow depth in a storm is 33 inches, which happened on Jan. 25-27, 1979.
The record seasonal snowfall was 109.8 inches in the 1885-1886 season.
Chicago's snowfall averages and records
By the numbers:
The average first date of snow for Chicago is Oct. 31, according to the NWS.
Chicago's first snowfall averages
- Average first snowfall date: Oct. 31
- Average first snowfall over 0.1 inches: Nov. 18
- Average first snowfall over an inch: Dec. 7
Chicago's earliest snowfall
- Earliest first snowfall trace on record: Sept. 25, 1928 and Sept. 25, 1942
- Earliest first snowfall over 0.1 inches on record: Oct. 12, 2006
- Earliest first snowfall on record, over an inch: Oct. 19, 1989
Chicago's latest first snowfall
- Latest first snowfall trace on record: Dec. 5, 1999
- Latest first snowfall over 0.1 inches on record: Dec. 28, 2021
- Latest first snowfall over 1 inch on record: Jan. 25, 2013
Chicago's last snowfall of the season averages
- Average last snowfall trace: April 14
- Average last snowfall over 0.1 inches: April 2
- Average last snowfall over an inch: March 20
Chicago's latest last snowfalls of the season
- Latest final snowfall of the season on record: May 25, 1924
- Latest final snowfall of the season on record over 0.1 inches: May 11, 1966
- Latest final snowfall of the season on record over an inch: May 3-4, 1907
Chicago's earliest final snowfalls of the season
- Earliest final snowfall of the season on record: March 4, 2012
- Earliest final snowfall over 0.1 inches on record: Feb. 28, 1994
- Earliest final snowfall over 1 inch on record: Jan. 18, 1927
Chicago receives an average annual snowfall of about 25 to 40 inches, according to Skydeck.
The snowiest months in Chicago are January and February, and the most snowfall a season has seen on record is about 90 inches during the 1978-1979 season.
The Source: Information for this article comes from the National Weather Service, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, previous Fox Television Stations reporting, and the Chicago Skydeck. This story was reported from Eden Prairie, Minnesota.