New York City Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

How Often it Snows in New York City

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).

10-year snowfall averages at New York City, 2010 to 2019

Days		Inches	Centi­metres
2.6	January	12.9	32.6
2.5	February	11.8	29.9
1.5	March	6.0	15.1
0.1	April	0.6	1.4
0.1	October	0.3	0.7
0.2	November	1.1	2.9
1.1	December	4.4	11.0
8.1	Year	36.9	93.7

30-year snowfall averages at New York City, 1991 to 2020

Days		Inches	Centi­metres
3.7	January	8.8	22.4
3.2	February	10.1	25.7
2.0	March	5.0	12.7
0.2	April	0.4	1.0
0.0	October	0.1	0.3
0.2	November	0.5	1.3
2.1	December	4.9	12.4
11.4	Year	29.8	75.7

These averages don't show how much New York City's snowfall varies from year to year.

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 8.6 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive no snow for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 12 inches, while the lightest years get two inches or less.

Snow in February ranges from over 13.3 inches in heavy snowfall years to under three inches in light years.

When New York City Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

New York City's first snowfall of winter usually arrives in December, while in rare years an early snowfall shows up in November. In one exceptional autumn, on October 29, 2011, a record-setting snowstorm blanketed Central Park in 2.9 inches of fresh snow.

The season's last snowfall typically happens in March, although unusually late snow has been known to appear in April.

New York City is normally free of snow every year from May to September.

How Many Snowstorms New York City Gets

About half the days of snowfall in New York City result in just a skiff of less than an inch left on the ground. For seven days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least an inch.

Snowstorms of over five inches a day normally occur once or twice a year. But major blizzards which dump ten inches or more in one day are rare events for NYC. Snowstorms that severe show up every few years on average, usually in December, January or February.

Number of days per month and year on average in New York City with a total snowfall of at least 1, 3, 5 or 10 inches

1 inch 2.5 cm	3 inches 7.6 cm		5 inches 12.7 cm	10 inches 25.4 cm
2.1	1.0	January	0.5	0.1
2.2	1.2	February	0.7	0.2
1.3	0.8	March	0.3	0.0
0.1	0.1	April	0.0	0.0
0.1	0.1	November	0.0	0.0
1.2	0.6	December	0.4	0.1
7.0	3.8	Year	1.9	0.4

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in New York City

Only for a small fraction of winter days does New York City have at least an inch of snow on the ground.

Snow is most likely to accumulate during February. Typically, on four days in a winter, the snow covering Central Park amounts to ten or more inches deep. While the snow can briefly build up to twenty inches, that doesn't happen most years.

Average total days per month and year in New York City with snow depth of at least 1, 3, 5 or 10 inches on the ground

1 inch 2.5 cm	3 inches 7.6 cm		5 inches 12.7 cm	10 inches 25.4 cm
7.9	4.8	January	3.4	0.8
9.1	6.4	February	5.5	2.2
4.0	2.4	March	1.3	0.4
0.1	0.1	April	0.0	0.0
0.2	0.1	November	0.0	0.0
2.9	1.8	December	0.9	0.3
24.2	15.6	Year	11.1	3.7