Buffalo Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages
This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Buffalo, New York has snow.
There are data and descriptions here of how many days it snows and the total amount of snowfall that Buffalo usually gets. There are also monthly and yearly counts of the days that the city normally has heavy snowstorms and deep snow accumulated on the ground. Plus there's information on when Buffalo can expect the first and last snowfalls of the season.
The first set of monthly snow totals are averages for 2010 to 2019. All the other numbers are averages, based on climate data gathered from 1991 to 2020 at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
How Often it Snows in Buffalo
The next two tables list 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.3 | January | 29.2 | 74.1 |
| 5.9 | February | 20.8 | 52.8 |
| 3.2 | March | 11.9 | 30.3 |
| 0.7 | April | 2.1 | 5.2 |
| 0.0 | May | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 0.0 | October | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| 1.8 | November | 6.2 | 15.6 |
| 5.7 | December | 19.0 | 48.4 |
| 24.6 | Year | 89.2 | 226.6 |
| Days | Inches | Centimetres | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16.4 | January | 26.7 | 67.8 |
| 13.5 | February | 18.1 | 46.0 |
| 9.1 | March | 14.1 | 35.8 |
| 3.2 | April | 2.5 | 6.4 |
| 0.0 | May | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 0.4 | October | 0.9 | 2.3 |
| 4.7 | November | 7.8 | 19.8 |
| 12.2 | December | 25.3 | 64.3 |
| 59.5 | Year | 95.4 | 242.3 |
These averages don't show how much Buffalo's snowfall varies from year to year.
In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 31.3 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 14.1 inches for the month.
Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 35.6 inches, while the lightest years get less than 15.8 inches.
Snow in February ranges from over 22.2 inches in heavy snowfall years to under 10.3 inches in light years.
When Buffalo Has Its First & Last Snowfalls
Buffalo's first snowfall of winter usually arrives in November, Although an exceptionally early snow can appear in October. The season's last snowfall typically happens in April.
Buffalo is normally free of snow every year from May to September.
How Many Snowstorms Buffalo Gets
Most days of snowfall in Buffalo result in just a skiff of less than an inch left on the ground. For 26 days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least an inch.
Snowstorms of over five inches a day normally occur four times a year. But major blizzards that dump ten inches or more only happen on average once a year.
| 1 inch 2.5 cm |
3 inches 7.6 cm |
5 inches 12.7 cm |
10 inches 25.4 cm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 | 2.8 | January | 1.3 | 0.2 |
| 5.5 | 1.8 | February | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| 3.6 | 1.3 | March | 0.6 | 0.2 |
| 0.8 | 0.1 | April | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 0.1 | 0.1 | October | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| 2.1 | 0.7 | November | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| 6.0 | 2.3 | December | 1.4 | 0.4 |
| 25.6 | 9.1 | Year | 4.4 | 0.9 |
How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Buffalo
For most of winter days, Buffalo has at least an inch of snow on the ground.
Buffalo averages eight days a year with snow amounting to ten or more inches deep. Typically on two of those days, the snowpack builds up to over twenty inches.
| 1 inch 2.5 cm |
3 inches 7.6 cm |
5 inches 12.7 cm |
10 inches 25.4 cm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.3 | 14.7 | January | 10.6 | 3.8 |
| 18.5 | 12.2 | February | 7.4 | 1.7 |
| 11.9 | 7.0 | March | 4.1 | 1.0 |
| 1.1 | 0.1 | April | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| 0.1 | 0.0 | October | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 3.7 | 2.0 | November | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| 14.4 | 8.6 | December | 5.9 | 1.4 |
| 71.0 | 44.6 | Year | 29.3 | 8.3 |
References
Jay Lawrimore, Ron Ray, Scott Applequist, Bryant Korzeniewski, Matthew Menne. 2016. Global Summary of the Month and Year, Version 1.0. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Climate Normals.