Providence Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Providence, Rhode Island has snow.

There are data and descriptions here of how many days it snows and the total amount of snowfall that the Providence – Warwick metropolitan area usually gets. There are also monthly and yearly counts of the days that the cities normally have heavy snowstorms and deep snow accumulated on the ground. Plus there's information on when the region 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 long-term historical averages based on weather data gathered from 1991 to 2020 at the Theodore Francis Green Memorial State Airport International Airport in Warwick.

How Often it Snows in Providence

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 Providence, 2010 to 2019
Days   Inches Centi­metres
2.9 January 14.0 35.5
3.3 February 13.8 35.1
1.8 March 6.2 15.8
0.3 April 1.1 2.7
0.2 October 0.2 0.6
0.3 November 0.9 2.3
1.5 December 4.7 11.9
10.3 Year 40.9 103.9
30-year snowfall averages at Providence, 1991 to 2020
Days   Inches Centi­metres
5.7 January 10.3 26.2
5.4 February 10.5 26.7
3.7 March 6.4 16.3
0.4 April 0.6 1.5
0.1 October 0.2 0.5
0.6 November 1.0 2.5
3.4 December 7.6 19.3
19.3 Year 36.6 93.0

These averages don't show how much the snowfall in Providence varies from year to year.

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 10.2 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 1.2 inches for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 15 inches, while the lightest years get 3.8 inches or less.

New snow for February ranges from over 13.3 inches in heavy snowfall years to under 4.9 inches in light years.

When Providence Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

The first snowfall of winter for Providence usually arrives in December. One in every three or four years also receives snow in November. Less commonly, some snow lands in October.

The season's last snowfall most often happens in March. About one-quarter of Aprils also see a dusting of snow.

Providence is normally free of snow every year from May to October.

How Many Snowstorms Providence Gets

Half the days of snowfall in Providence amount to just a skiff, leaving less than an inch of fresh snow on the ground. For ten 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 that dump ten inches or more in one day are rare events, that historically have happened a few times a decade.

Number of days per month and year on average in Providence 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 0.9 January 0.5 0.2
2.5 1.1 February 0.4 0.1
2.0 0.8 March 0.3 0.0
0.2 0.0 April 0.0 0.0
0.1 0.0 October 0.0 0.0
0.3 0.2 November 0.1 0.0
1.9 0.8 December 0.4 0.0
9.8 3.8 Year 1.7 0.3

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Providence

For about one-quarter of winter days, Providence has at least an inch of snow on the ground.

Typically, on three of those days, the snow covering Providence builds up to five or more inches deep.

Average total days per month and year in Providence 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
8.3 4.4 January 2.4 0.8
7.9 5.1 February 3.3 1.9
3.9 1.8 March 0.9 0.4
0.1 0.0 April 0.0 0.0
0.1 0.0 October 0.0 0.0
0.5 0.2 November 0.0 0.0
3.9 2.1 December 1.6 0.3
24.7 13.6 Year 8.2 3.4
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.

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