Valdez Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages
This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Valdez, Alaska has snow.
There are data and descriptions here of how many days it snows and the total amount of snowfall that Valdez usually gets. There are also monthly and yearly counts of the days that Valdez normally has heavy snowstorms and deep snow accumulated on the ground. Plus there's information on when Valdez can expect the first and last snowfalls of the season.
Valdez, a coastal community located east of Anchorage in southern Alaska, is the snowiest town in the United States. The first set of monthly snow totals are averages for 2010 to 2019. All the other numbers here are long-term historical averages based on weather data gathered from 1991 to 2020 in central Valdez.
How Often it Snows in Valdez
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).
| Days | Inches | Centimetres | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9.8 | January | 68.7 | 174.5 |
| 9.6 | February | 52.3 | 132.9 |
| 8.0 | March | 39.6 | 100.6 |
| 3.7 | April | 21.7 | 55.1 |
| 0.7 | May | 2.8 | 7.1 |
| 0.1 | September | 0.4 | 1.1 |
| 1.9 | October | 5.0 | 12.8 |
| 8.9 | November | 49.2 | 125.0 |
| 10.6 | December | 68.7 | 174.4 |
| 53.8 | Year | 312.7 | 794.2 |
| Days | Inches | Centimetres | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15.6 | January | 66.6 | 169.2 |
| 14.3 | February | 63.4 | 161.0 |
| 13.0 | March | 45.8 | 116.3 |
| 6.2 | April | 22.3 | 56.6 |
| 1.4 | May | 3.4 | 8.6 |
| 0.3 | September | 0.7 | 1.8 |
| 4.7 | October | 9.1 | 23.1 |
| 12.9 | November | 43.5 | 110.5 |
| 16.0 | December | 70.5 | 179.1 |
| 84.4 | Year | 325.3 | 826.3 |
These averages don't show how much the snowfall in Valdez varies from year to year.
In December, for instance, one in four years receives over 93.2 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years gets less than 42.3 inches for the month.
Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 86.1 inches, while the lightest years get less than 45.7 inches.
New snow for February ranges from over 85.5 inches in heavy snowfall years to under 39 inches in light years.
When Valdez Has Its First & Last Snowfalls
The first snowfall of autumn for Valdez usually arrives in October. Although rare, September can get a little snow.
The season's last snowfall typically happens in April. Every three or four years, it keeps on snowing until May.
Valdez is normally free of snow every year from June to August.
How Many Snowstorms Valdez Gets
Most days of snowfall in Valdez leave at least an inch of fresh snow on the ground. For 34 days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals three or more inches.
Snowstorms of over five inches a day normally occur 23 times a year. Even major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day are common here. Valdez averages nine days a year when it receives at least ten inches of new snow to shovel.
| 1 inch 2.5 cm |
3 inches 7.6 cm |
5 inches 12.7 cm |
10 inches 25.4 cm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.0 | 7.0 | January | 5.1 | 2.3 |
| 9.8 | 6.7 | February | 4.1 | 1.7 |
| 8.7 | 4.8 | March | 3.1 | 1.3 |
| 3.7 | 1.9 | April | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| 0.8 | 0.3 | May | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| 0.1 | 0.1 | September | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 2.5 | 1.0 | October | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| 8.3 | 4.9 | November | 3.3 | 0.9 |
| 11.3 | 7.4 | December | 5.1 | 1.9 |
| 56.2 | 34.1 | Year | 22.5 | 8.7 |
How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Valdez
For most of winter, Valdez has at least ten inches of snow accumulated on the ground.
The snowpack usually tops ten inches from November through to May, and builds up to over 20 inches for most of January to April. The snow amounts to 20 inches or more deep on an average of 126 days a year.
| 1 inch 2.5 cm |
3 inches 7.6 cm |
5 inches 12.7 cm |
10 inches 25.4 cm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31.0 | 29.7 | January | 29.7 | 29.5 |
| 28.5 | 28.4 | February | 28.4 | 28.3 |
| 31.0 | 31.0 | March | 31.0 | 31.0 |
| 27.3 | 26.7 | April | 26.3 | 24.6 |
| 4.3 | 3.9 | May | 3.3 | 2.6 |
| 0.1 | 0.0 | September | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 3.2 | 1.2 | October | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| 22.7 | 19.1 | November | 16.5 | 11.0 |
| 29.6 | 28.2 | December | 26.6 | 25.2 |
| 177.7 | 168.2 | Year | 162.2 | 152.2 |
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.