St. Catharines Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages
This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often St. Catharines, Ontario has snow.
There are data and descriptions here of how many days it snows and the total amount of snowfall that St. Catharines usually gets. There are also monthly and yearly counts of the days that St. Catharines normally has heavy snowstorms and deep snow accumulated on the ground. Plus there's information on when the city can expect its first and last snowfalls of the season.
All the numbers are long-term historical averages based on weather data gathered from 1981 to 2010 at the Niagara District Airport.
How Often it Snows in St. Catharines
This first table lists monthly and yearly totals for amount of snow and how many days it snows at least 0.2 centimetres (0.08 inches).
| Days | Inches | Centimetres | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12.3 | January | 15.2 | 39 |
| 9.1 | February | 11.5 | 29 |
| 6.5 | March | 9.1 | 23 |
| 2.4 | April | 2.3 | 6 |
| 0.1 | May | 0.2 | 0 |
| 0.1 | October | 0.0 | 0 |
| 3.0 | November | 3.8 | 10 |
| 9.4 | December | 11.8 | 30 |
| 42.7 | Year | 54.0 | 137 |
When St. Catharines Has Its First & Last Snowfalls
The first snowfall of winter for St. Catharines often arrives in November, but can show up as early as October.
The season's last snowfall typically happens in March or April, although a late snow can land in May.
St. Catharines is normally free of snow every year from June to September.
How Many Snowstorms St. Catharines Gets
Most days of snowfall in St. Catharines leave less than five centimetres (2 inches) of fresh snow on the ground. For nine days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least five cm.
Big snowstorms of over ten cm a day normally occur three times a year. But major blizzards that dump 25 cm or more in one day are rare events that happen about twice a decade. Storms this severe are most likely to appear in January or February.
| 5 cm 2.0 inches |
10 cm 3.9 inches |
25 cm 9.8 inches | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| February | 2.0 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| March | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 |
| April | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| May | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| December | 2.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
| Year | 9.0 | 3.1 | 0.2 |
How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in St. Catharines
For about 56 days a year, St. Catharines has at least a centimetre of snow on the ground. In mid-winter the snowpack averages three to five cm deep.
| 1 cm 0.4 inches |
5 cm 2.0 inches |
10 cm 3.9 inches |
20 cm 7.9 inches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18.7 | 13.2 | January | 6.2 | 1.7 |
| 14.5 | 8.1 | February | 4.4 | 1.0 |
| 8.6 | 4.8 | March | 2.6 | 0.5 |
| 1.2 | 0.3 | April | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| 0.1 | 0.1 | May | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 2.1 | 1.0 | November | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| 11.0 | 5.7 | December | 1.8 | 0.2 |
| 56.1 | 33.1 | Year | 15.5 | 3.4 |
Reference
Environment Canada. Meteorological Service of Canada. Canadian Climate Normals. 1981-2010 Climate Normals & Averages.