Prescott Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages
This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Prescott, Arizona has snow.
There are data and descriptions here of how many days it snows and the total amount of snowfall that Prescott usually gets. There are also monthly and yearly counts of the days that the city normally has heavy snowstorms and deep snow accumulated on the ground. Plus there's information on when Prescott 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 averages based on weather data gathered from 1991 to 2020 near Prescott's Watson Woods Riparian Reserve.
How Often it Snows in Prescott
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.9 | January | 2.4 | 6.1 |
| 1.2 | February | 4.3 | 10.8 |
| 0.4 | March | 1.3 | 3.3 |
| 0.3 | April | 0.8 | 2.1 |
| 0.3 | November | 1.0 | 2.5 |
| 0.9 | December | 2.5 | 6.2 |
| 3.9 | Year | 12.7 | 32.3 |
| Days | Inches | Centimetres | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2 | January | 1.9 | 4.8 |
| 1.2 | February | 3.1 | 7.9 |
| 0.8 | March | 2.5 | 6.4 |
| 0.3 | April | 0.4 | 1.0 |
| 0.4 | November | 0.9 | 2.3 |
| 1.3 | December | 1.4 | 3.6 |
| 5.2 | Year | 10.2 | 25.9 |
These averages don't show how much the snowfall in Prescott varies from year to year.
In December, for instance, one in four years totals 2.4 more 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 over 2.4 inches, while more than half the years are free of snow.
New snow for February ranges from 4.6 inches or more in heavy snowfall years to no new snow in light years.
When Prescott Has Its First & Last Snowfalls
The first snowfall of winter for Prescott usually arrives in December, but can land as early as November. About one out of three or four years in Prescott has no snow for December.
The season's last snowfall typically happens in February or March. A late snowfall occasionally appears in April.
Prescott is normally free of snow every year from May to October.
How Many Snowstorms Prescott Gets
It doesn't snow often in Prescott, but when it does, usually an inch or more of fresh snow hits the ground. On one day a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least three inches.
Snowstorms of over five inches a day don't occur every year. Major blizzards that dump ten inches or more normally aren't seen here.
| 1 inch 2.5 cm |
3 inches 7.6 cm |
5 inches 12.7 cm |
10 inches 25.4 cm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.8 | 0.3 | January | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| 0.8 | 0.3 | February | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| 0.7 | 0.3 | March | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| 0.2 | 0.0 | April | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 0.2 | 0.1 | November | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 0.7 | 0.1 | December | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| 3.4 | 1.1 | Year | 0.4 | 0.0 |
How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Prescott
For three or four days a year on average, Prescott has at least an inch of snow on the ground.
Snow is most likely to accumulate to five inches or more during February, although that doesn't happen most years. While uncommon, the snow covering Prescott can briefly amount to ten or more inches deep.
| 1 inch 2.5 cm |
3 inches 7.6 cm |
5 inches 12.7 cm |
10 inches 25.4 cm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.3 | 0.3 | January | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 1.0 | 0.4 | February | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| 0.3 | 0.1 | March | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| 0.2 | 0.0 | April | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 0.1 | 0.1 | November | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 0.9 | 0.1 | December | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| 3.8 | 1.0 | Year | 0.4 | 0.1 |
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.