Ann Arbor Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Ann Arbor, Michigan has snow.

There are data and descriptions here of how many days it snows and the total amount of snowfall that Ann Arbor 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 Ann Arbor 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 averages, based on climate data gathered from 1991 to 2020 at the University of Michigan's North Campus in Ann Arbor.

How Often it Snows in Ann Arbor

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 Ann Arbor, 2010 to 2019
Days   Inches Centi­metres
5.6 January 17.3 43.8
5.9 February 21.0 53.4
1.9 March 6.4 16.2
0.6 April 2.1 5.3
0.0 October 0.1 0.3
1.7 November 5.3 13.6
3.4 December 11.5 29.2
18.0 Year 61.8 156.9
30-year snowfall averages at Ann Arbor, 1991 to 2020
Days   Inches Centi­metres
15.2 January 18.3 46.5
12.1 February 15.3 38.9
7.5 March 8.3 21.1
2.8 April 2.6 6.6
0.1 May 0.0 0.0
0.4 October 0.1 0.3
4.9 November 4.1 10.4
11.5 December 12.7 32.3
54.5 Year 61.4 156.0

These averages don't show how much Ann Arbor's snowfall varies from year to year.

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 15.8 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 7.3 inches for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 23.2 inches, while the lightest years get less than 12.5 inches.

Snow in February ranges from over 20.6 inches in heavy snowfall years to under 9.5 inches in light years.

When Ann Arbor Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

Ann Arbor's first snowfall of winter usually arrives in November. But about once every three or four years, the city gets at least a dusting of snow in October.

The season's last snowfall typically happens in April.

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

How Many Snowstorms Ann Arbor Gets

Most days of snowfall in Ann Arbor result in just a skiff of less than an inch of fresh snow left on the ground. For 19 days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least an inch.

Snowstorms of over five inches a day normally occur a couple times a year. But major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day are rare events. Snowstorms this severe happen about once a decade, usually in January.

Number of days per month and year on average in Ann Arbor 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
5.8 1.5 January 0.5 0.1
4.7 1.6 February 0.7 0.0
2.5 0.6 March 0.3 0.0
0.6 0.2 April 0.1 0.0
0.0 0.0 October 0.0 0.0
1.4 0.2 November 0.1 0.0
3.9 0.9 December 0.5 0.0
18.9 5.0 Year 2.2 0.1

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Ann Arbor

For over half of winter days, Ann Arbor has at least an inch of snow on the ground.

Snow mostly accumulates during January and February, building up to ten or more inches deep on average seven days a year.

Average total days per month and year in Ann Arbor 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
20.9 14.3 January 9.8 2.5
17.0 12.8 February 8.4 2.8
7.2 4.4 March 2.4 0.7
0.5 0.3 April 0.1 0.0
1.7 0.7 November 0.3 0.0
11.7 5.9 December 3.7 0.8
59.0 38.4 Year 24.7 6.8
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.

Michigan Snowfall
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