Snowiest Cities in United States

Of the 56 largest American cities, two are shovelling far more snow than any of the rest. Rochester, New York gets the most snow among major cities in the United States, with a yearly average of over 100 inches (over 255 centimetres). Nearly eight feet of snow also buries nearby Buffalo in a typical year.

The third-ranking major US city for snow doesn't even come close to Buffalo and Rochester. Grand Rapids, Michigan receives a foot and a half less snow than Buffalo. For 17 of the 56 largest US cities, the annual snowfall normally adds up to over two feet (60 centimetres).

Major cities included in these snowfall rankings represent the 56 metropolitan areas in the United States with the biggest populations, all those with over one million people in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau. A complete list of America's 56 largest urban centers is available here.

There are some smaller cities that get even more snow than Rochester. Most notable is Syracuse New York with an average of 128 inches of snow a year, and Erie Pennsylvania which receives 104 inches of snow annually.

The snowfall totals are averages based on weather data collected from 1991 to 2020 for the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. You can also view a summary of snow averages for all major US cities and recent snowfall amounts.

Average annual snowfall for the snowiest large US cities:
City Yearly Snowfall
Inches Cen­ti­me­tres
Rochester, New York 102.0 259.1
Buffalo, New York 95.4 242.3
Grand Rapids, Michigan 77.6 197.1
Cleveland, Ohio 63.8 162.1
Salt Lake City, Utah 51.9 131.8
Hartford, Connecticut 51.7 131.3
Minneapolis, Minnesota 51.2 130.0
Boston, Massachusetts 49.2 125.0
Denver, Colorado 49.0 124.5
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 48.7 123.7
Detroit, Michigan 45.0 114.3
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 44.1 112.0
Chicago, Illinois 38.8 98.6
Providence, Rhode Island 36.6 93.0
New York, New York 29.8 75.7
Columbus, Ohio 28.2 71.6
Indianapolis, Indiana 25.5 64.8

City links take you to more detailed information on snowfall, snowstorms and snow accumulation for that location.

Most Days With Fresh Snow

These major US cities receive at least 0.1 inches (0.25 centimetres) of new snow for an average of 25 days or more a year.

Number of days a year with
City Days
Rochester, New York 65
Buffalo, New York 60
Grand Rapids, Michigan 51
Cleveland, Ohio 46
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 40
Minneapolis, Minnesota 38
Detroit, Michigan 38
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 35
Denver, Colorado 31
Salt Lake City, Utah 31
Columbus, Ohio 28
Chicago, Illinois 28
Reference

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Climate Normals.

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