Columbus Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

How Often it Snows in Columbus

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 Columbus, 2010 to 2019

Days		Inches	Centi­metres
2.7	January	9.2	23.4
3.4	February	10.6	26.9
1.0	March	3.6	9.0
0.0	April	0.4	1.1
0.0	October	0.1	0.2
0.4	November	1.4	3.6
1.7	December	5.2	13.2
9.2	Year	30.4	77.2

30-year snowfall averages at Columbus, 1991 to 2020

Days		Inches	Centi­metres
9.0	January	9.5	24.1
6.7	February	7.6	19.3
4.0	March	4.1	10.4
1.0	April	0.5	1.3
0.1	October	0.2	0.5
1.9	November	1.2	3.0
5.6	December	5.1	13.0
28.3	Year	28.2	71.6

These averages don't show how much Columbus's snowfall varies from year to year.

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over eight inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 1.7 inches for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 13.2 inches, while the lightest years get less than 4.8 inches.

Snow in February ranges from over 10.4 inches in heavy snowfall years to 2.6 inches or less in light years.

When Columbus Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

Columbus's first snowfall of winter usually arrives in November. Less commonly, it starts snowing as early as October, or holds off until December.

The season's last snowfall in most years happens in March. About once every four years April also receives some snow.

Columbus is normally free of snow every year from May to September.

How Many Snowstorms Columbus Gets

Most days of snowfall in Columbus result in just a skiff of less than an inch left on the ground. For nine days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least an inch.

Snowstorms of over five inches a day are rare events that don't appear every winter. Major blizzards that dump ten inches or more are not at all normal for Columbus.

Number of days per month and year on average in Columbus 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
2.8	1.0	January	0.2	0.0
2.6	0.5	February	0.2	0.0
1.0	0.3	March	0.1	0.0
0.2	0.0	April	0.0	0.0
0.1	0.0	October	0.0	0.0
0.4	0.1	November	0.0	0.0
1.7	0.3	December	0.1	0.0
8.8	2.2	Year	0.6	0.0

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Columbus

For just a small fraction of winter days, Columbus has at more than inch of snow on the ground.

Typically on five days a year the snow covering Columbus gets to over five inches deep, but usually builds up to no more than ten inches.

Average total days per month and year in Columbus 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
10.7	5.6	January	2.6	0.4
7.5	3.7	February	1.9	0.3
2.5	0.8	March	0.3	0.1
0.1	0.0	April	0.0	0.0
0.6	0.1	November	0.0	0.0
5.1	1.7	December	0.2	0.0
26.5	11.9	Year	5.0	0.8