The days are getting shorter, and temperatures are falling. Now that we’re heading toward winter, many parts of the country are going to begin to see snow in the forecast for the first time in months.
Even though winter doesn’t begin until December, the first snow can arrive much earlier depending on where you live.
What You Need To Know
- The Mountain West usually gets snow before anywhere else
- Interior New England and the Great Lakes also see snowfall earlier than most areas
- If it snows in the Southeast, it normally comes after New Year’s
The primary factors that influence your local snowfall climatology are elevation and latitude. High elevations, like the Rockies, are much more favorable environments for wintry weather than anywhere else in the continental U.S. Some parts of the Rockies could receive snow in all 12 months of the year.
Of course, that’s not the case for everyone else. Aside from elevation, how far north do you live? Do you live off the eastern shores of the Great Lakes and get lake-effect snow? Do you see a milder maritime air mass from the Pacific, or a continental polar air mass from Canada?
The map below gives a good idea of when you can expect the first measurable (>0.1″) snow where you live based on the 1981-2020 U.S. climate normals.
The map shows the ‘median,’ or average date of the first snowfall. This is when you could expect the first snow to arrive during a ‘normal’ year. Of course, every year is different, but this should give you a good idea of when to get the winter clothes ready. For an even better idea, you can check your local forecast.
Snow in the Northeast usually arrives before winter does on the calendar, especially in the mountains. Interior New England the Adirondacks, usually sees the first snowflakes falling around early November, with the rest of New England seeing snow before Thanksgiving.
Coastal areas might lag a little behind the rest of the Northeast since the temperatures run a bit warmer, but it only takes one Nor’easter to deliver the first snow for everybody.
Great Lakes
Aside from the Rockies and some other high elevations, the Great Lakes are among the earlier areas to see snow, especially near Lake Superior. When you combine arctic air and moisture over the warm Great Lakes early in the season, the lake-effect machine can pump some big snow totals onto the southern and eastern shores of the Great Lakes.
Parts of Michigan, Wisconsin, Upstate New York and northwest Pennsylvania are the lucky recipients of lake-effect snow that can arrive as early as October or November.
Midwest
The Upper Midwest and Northern Plains see strong cold fronts move in from Canada during the late fall and winter with bitter cold Arctic air that can dump feet of snow, but that’s not usually until later in the season. The first snow? The Dakotas and Minnesota usually get some snowfall in early November.
Further south, in states like Iowa, Illinois, Ohio and Missouri, it can be a bit later, around or after Thanksgiving as we get into December.
Northwest/Rockies
The Rocky Mountains, Cascades and other high elevations across the Mountain West are the snowiest places in the U.S., some of which could see snow year-round. This is why some of the best ski resorts in the world are in states like Colorado, Utah and Montana. Snow usually starts falling by October, with the foothills and lower elevations seeing snow by November.
The coastal parts of Washington and Oregon in the Pacific Northwest don’t see much snow until later, usually by December. The Pacific Ocean keeps areas west of the mountains much warmer, and much wetter with rain lasting into winter.
Southwest
If you’re expecting snow in the Southwest, elevation is an important factor. There are parts of Southern California, northern Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada where the high elevations and mountains see plenty of snowfall, some as early as late November or December. But a lot of the Southwest doesn’t see any, especially in California outside of the mountains.
In Texas, the Panhandle could get some wild weather by late November or December, but further south into central Texas and the Gulf Coast, the snow chances are few and far between.
Southeast
Parts of the Southeast, especially in the Appalachians, could get snow in late November or December. States like Kentucky, North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia and North Carolina usually get a few good snows per winter, maybe even before changing your calendar.
If you live anywhere else in the Southeast, especially Florida and along the Gulf Coast, the first time you see snow depends on when you buy a plane ticket! Big snows are much rarer once you get south of I-10. Other parts of the Deep South are lucky to see one or two snows per year, but it usually arrives in January or February.
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