Durango Snowfall Totals & Snowstorm Averages
This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Durango, Colorado has snow.
There are data and descriptions of how many days it snows and the total amount of snowfall that Durango usually gets. There are also monthly and yearly counts of the days that the mountain resort normally has heavy snowstorms. Plus there's information on when Durango can expect the first and last snowfalls of winter.
All the numbers are averages, based on weather data gathered from 1991 to 2020 in Durango.
How Often it Snows in Durango
This first table lists monthly and yearly totals for amount of snow and how many days it snows at least 0.1 inches (0.25 centimetres).
| Days | Inches | Centimetres | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.9 | January | 19.4 | 49.3 |
| 6.5 | February | 15.4 | 39.1 |
| 3.8 | March | 5.3 | 13.5 |
| 2.2 | April | 3.8 | 9.7 |
| 0.2 | May | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| 0.7 | October | 1.1 | 2.8 |
| 3.4 | November | 5.5 | 14.0 |
| 6.0 | December | 13.0 | 33.0 |
| 29.7 | Year | 63.7 | 161.8 |
These averages don't show how much the snowfall in Durango varies from year to year.
In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 18.6 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive five inches or less for the month.
Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 26 inches, while the lightest years get less than 7.5 inches.
New snow for February ranges from over 23.4 inches in heavy snowfall years to no more than six inches in light years.
When Durango Has Its First & Last Snowfalls
The first snowfall of winter for Durango usually arrives in November, but sometimes shows up in October.
The season's last snowfall typically happens in April, although some years see the snow end as early as March or as late as May.
Durango is normally free of snow every year from June to September.
How Many Snowstorms Durango Gets
Most days of snowfall in Durango leave at least an inch of fresh snow on the ground. For eight days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals three inches or more.
Snowstorms of over five inches a day normally occur three or four times a year. But major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day are rare events that don't happen every year.
| 1 inch 2.5 cm |
3 inches 7.6 cm |
5 inches 12.7 cm |
10 inches 25.4 cm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.3 | 2.4 | January | 1.3 | 0.2 |
| 4.5 | 2.0 | February | 1.0 | 0.2 |
| 1.9 | 0.7 | March | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| 1.2 | 0.5 | April | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| 0.1 | 0.0 | May | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 0.4 | 0.1 | October | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| 1.6 | 0.8 | November | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| 3.4 | 1.6 | December | 0.7 | 0.2 |
| 17.4 | 8.1 | Year | 3.7 | 0.6 |
Reference
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Climate Normals.