Santa Fe Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Santa Fe, New Mexico has snow.

There are data and descriptions here of how many days it snows and the total amount of snowfall that Santa Fe usually gets. There are also monthly and yearly counts of how many days the city normally has heavy snowstorms and deep snow accumulated on the ground. Plus there's information on when Santa Fe 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 in Santa Fe.

How Often it Snows in Santa Fe

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 Santa Fe, 2010 to 2019
Days   Inches Centi­metres
1.8 January 4.5 11.3
1.3 February 2.9 7.4
1.2 March 3.5 8.9
0.2 April 0.2 0.5
0.2 October 0.2 0.4
0.4 November 1.1 2.7
1.5 December 4.6 11.6
8.5 Year 27.2 69.0
30-year snowfall averages at Santa Fe, 1991 to 2020
Days   Inches Centi­metres
1.7 January 3.7 9.4
1.2 February 2.4 6.1
1.2 March 3.9 9.9
0.5 April 0.4 1.0
0.4 October 1.3 3.3
0.6 November 1.7 4.3
1.9 December 6.8 17.3
7.5 Year 20.2 51.3

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

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 7.3 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 7 inches or more, while the lightest years get none.

New snow for February ranges from 4.6 inches or more in heavy snowfall years to no snow in light years.

When Santa Fe Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

During any month of the year it's possible for Santa Fe to not get any new snow. December and January are the only months which are most likely to receive fresh snow.

How Many Snowstorms Santa Fe Gets

Most days of snowfall in Santa Fe leave at least an inch of fresh snow on the ground. For two days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least three inches.

Snowstorms of over five inches a day occur about once a year. But major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day are rare events that happen only once a decade.

Number of days per month and year on average in Santa Fe 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
1.4 0.4 January 0.1 0.0
1.0 0.2 February 0.0 0.0
1.0 0.5 March 0.3 0.0
0.3 0.0 April 0.0 0.0
0.3 0.2 October 0.1 0.0
0.6 0.2 November 0.1 0.0
1.4 0.6 December 0.3 0.1
6.0 2.1 Year 0.9 0.1

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Santa Fe

For about nine days a year, Santa Fe has at least an inch of snow on the ground.

Snow mostly accumulates during January. Typically, on one or two days in January, the snow covering Santa Fe amounts to ten or more inches deep.

Average total days per month and year in Santa Fe 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
2.9 2.1 January 1.9 1.3
1.8 0.7 February 0.2 0.0
0.8 0.3 March 0.3 0.1
0.1 0.0 April 0.0 0.0
0.4 0.2 October 0.1 0.0
0.5 0.2 November 0.1 0.0
2.6 1.4 December 0.6 0.1
9.1 4.9 Year 3.2 1.5
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.

New Mexico Snowfall
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