Houghton Lake Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages
This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Houghton Lake, Michigan has snow.
There are data and descriptions here of how many days it snows and the total amount of snowfall that Houghton Lake usually gets. There are also monthly and yearly counts of the days that the town normally has heavy snowstorms and deep snow accumulated on the ground. Plus there's information on when Houghton Lake 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 near Houghton Lake.
How Often it Snows in Houghton Lake
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.6 | January | 16.2 | 41.0 |
| 4.8 | February | 13.9 | 35.2 |
| 3.0 | March | 8.4 | 21.4 |
| 1.7 | April | 5.2 | 13.1 |
| 0.0 | May | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 0.2 | October | 0.6 | 1.6 |
| 2.1 | November | 5.4 | 13.7 |
| 4.3 | December | 13.3 | 33.7 |
| 21.7 | Year | 63.0 | 159.9 |
| Days | Inches | Centimetres | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14.5 | January | 17.7 | 45.0 |
| 12.7 | February | 17.3 | 43.9 |
| 7.0 | March | 11.4 | 29.0 |
| 2.4 | April | 3.3 | 8.4 |
| 0.1 | May | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| 0.2 | October | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| 4.1 | November | 3.8 | 9.7 |
| 13.1 | December | 21.0 | 53.3 |
| 54.1 | Year | 74.7 | 189.7 |
These averages don't show how much Houghton Lake's snowfall varies from year to year.
In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 25.2 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 14.1 inches for the month.
Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 25.3 inches, while the lightest years get under 10.9 inches.
Snow in February ranges from over 19.4 inches in heavy snowfall years to 14.8 inches or less in light years.
When Houghton Lake Has Its First & Last Snowfalls
Houghton Lake's first snowfall of winter usually arrives in November.
The season's last snowfall typically happens in April. About once a decade, October and May also get some fresh snow.
Houghton Lake is normally free of snow every year from June to September.
How Many Snowstorms Houghton Lake Gets
Most days of snowfall in Houghton Lake result in at least an inch left on the ground. For six days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals three inches or more.
Snowstorms of over five inches a day normally occur two times a year. Major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day are not normal here.
| 1 inch 2.5 cm |
3 inches 7.6 cm |
5 inches 12.7 cm |
10 inches 25.4 cm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.2 | 1.4 | January | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| 6.4 | 1.2 | February | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| 3.7 | 0.8 | March | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| 1.2 | 0.2 | April | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | May | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | October | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 2.3 | 0.5 | November | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| 7.1 | 1.8 | December | 0.7 | 0.0 |
| 26.9 | 5.9 | Year | 2.1 | 0.0 |
How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Houghton Lake
For most of winter, Houghton Lake has at least five inches of snow on the ground. On an average of 25 of those days, the snowpack builds up to ten or more inches. Most years, the snow here doesn't get any deeper than 20 inches.
| 1 inch 2.5 cm |
3 inches 7.6 cm |
5 inches 12.7 cm |
10 inches 25.4 cm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27.2 | 20.9 | January | 17.3 | 5.8 |
| 27.5 | 25.6 | February | 23.6 | 9.4 |
| 19.8 | 18.7 | March | 16.2 | 6.4 |
| 2.5 | 0.9 | April | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | May | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 0.1 | 0.0 | October | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 5.0 | 1.6 | November | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| 22.3 | 16.3 | December | 12.3 | 2.9 |
| 104.4 | 84.0 | Year | 69.9 | 24.5 |
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.