Toronto Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages
This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Toronto, Ontario has snow.
There are data and descriptions here of how many days it snows and the total amount of snowfall that Toronto usually gets. There are also monthly and yearly counts of the days that Toronto normally has heavy snowstorms and deep snow accumulated on the ground. Plus there's information on when the city can expect its first and last snowfalls of the season.
The first set of monthly snow totals are averages for 2010 to 2019 recorded at Toronto's Pearson International Airport. All the other numbers are long-term historical averages based on weather data gathered from 1981 to 2010 in downtown Toronto.
How Often it Snows in Toronto
| Inches | Centimetres | |
|---|---|---|
| January | 9.4 | 24 |
| February | 13.3 | 34 |
| March | 4.4 | 11 |
| April | 1.8 | 5 |
| October | 0.2 | 0 |
| November | 2.3 | 6 |
| December | 7.9 | 20 |
| Year | 39.3 | 100 |
| Days | Inches | Centimetres | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12.0 | January | 14.6 | 37 |
| 8.7 | February | 10.6 | 27 |
| 6.5 | March | 7.8 | 20 |
| 2.2 | April | 2.0 | 5 |
| 0.1 | October | 0.0 | 0 |
| 3.1 | November | 3.3 | 8 |
| 8.4 | December | 9.5 | 24 |
| 40.9 | Year | 47.8 | 122 |
When Toronto Has Its First & Last Snowfalls
The first snowfall of winter for Toronto usually arrives in November, but can show up as early as October.
The season's last snowfall typically happens in March or April, although in some years a late snow flurry arrives in May.
Toronto is normally free of snow every year from June to September.
How Many Snowstorms Toronto Gets
Most days of snowfall in Toronto leave less than five centimetres (2 inches), of fresh snow on the ground. For eight days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least five cm.
Big snowstorms of over ten cm a day normally occur two or three times a year. But major blizzards that dump 25 cm or more in one day are rare events. Storms that severe happen about once a decade, most often in January.
| 5 cm 2.0 inches |
10 cm 3.9 inches |
25 cm 9.8 inches | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| February | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
| March | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| April | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| December | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Year | 7.7 | 2.7 | 0.1 |
How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Toronto
For about 65 days a year, Toronto has at least a centimetre of snow on the ground. In mid-winter the snowpack averages around seven cm deep.
Generally the snow cover first appears in December. A light snow cover remains through most of January and February. By the end of March the snow has often melted.
| 1 cm 0.4 inches |
5 cm 2.0 inches |
10 cm 3.9 inches |
20 cm 7.9 inches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20.0 | 15.0 | January | 9.8 | 1.9 |
| 19.4 | 14.1 | February | 7.2 | 1.6 |
| 11.4 | 7.2 | March | 4.1 | 0.8 |
| 1.2 | 0.4 | April | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| 1.9 | 0.8 | November | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| 10.7 | 5.8 | December | 2.8 | 0.9 |
| 64.5 | 43.3 | Year | 24.5 | 5.2 |
References
Environment Canada. Meteorological Service of Canada. Canadian Climate Normals. 1981-2010 Climate Normals & Averages.
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.