Indianapolis Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

How Often it Snows in Indianapolis

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 Indianapolis, 2010 to 2019

Days		Inches	Centi­metres
2.2	January	8.0	20.2
2.1	February	7.2	18.4
1.1	March	4.2	10.6
0.1	April	0.3	0.7
0.0	October	0.0	0.0
0.3	November	0.8	1.9
1.9	December	6.0	15.3
7.7	Year	26.5	67.3

30-year snowfall averages at Indianapolis, 1991 to 2020

Days		Inches	Centi­metres
7.0	January	8.8	22.4
5.8	February	6.0	15.2
2.4	March	3.2	8.1
0.3	April	0.2	0.5
0.1	October	0.1	0.3
1.2	November	0.8	2.0
5.6	December	6.4	16.3
22.4	Year	25.5	64.8

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

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 10.8 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 2.3 inches for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 12.6 inches, while the lightest years get less than 3.3 inches.

New snow for February ranges from over 5.6 inches in heavy snowfall years to under 2.1 inches in light years.

When Indianapolis Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

The first snowfall of winter for Indianapolis usually arrives in November, although at least one in four years have no snow in November. Very rarely, it snows in October.

The season's last snowfall typically happens in March. It can snow in April, but snow this late is an unusual event.

Indianapolis is normally free of snow every year from May to September.

How Many Snowstorms Indianapolis Gets

Most days of snowfall in Indianapolis leave just a skiff, amounting to less than an inch, of fresh snow on the ground. For eight days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least an inch.

Snowstorms of over five inches a day on average occur once a year. But major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day are not at all normal for the city.

Number of days per month and year on average in Indianapolis 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
2.6	0.8	January	0.3	0.0
1.7	0.6	February	0.3	0.0
0.9	0.3	March	0.2	0.0
0.1	0.0	April	0.0	0.0
0.0	0.0	October	0.0	0.0
0.3	0.0	November	0.0	0.0
2.0	0.5	December	0.2	0.0
7.6	2.2	Year	1.0	0.0

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Indianapolis

For about one-quarter of winter days, Indianapolis has at least an inch of snow on the ground.

Typically, on two or three days in January and in February, plus another couple of days in December the snow covering Indianapolis gets to five or more inches deep. Seldom though does the snowpack top ten inches.

Average total days per month and year in Indianapolis 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
10.8	5.9	January	2.8	0.4
7.1	4.0	February	2.6	0.3
1.9	0.9	March	0.5	0.1
0.1	0.0	April	0.0	0.0
0.0	0.0	October	0.0	0.0
0.4	0.1	November	0.0	0.0
6.3	3.7	December	2.0	0.0
26.6	14.6	Year	7.9	0.8