Lansing Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages
This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Lansing, Michigan has snow.
There are data and descriptions here of how many days it snows and the total amount of snowfall that Lansing 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 Lansing 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 Capital Regional International Airport located a few miles northwest of downtown Lansing.
How Often it Snows in Lansing
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.2 | January | 12.0 | 30.4 |
| 4.6 | February | 16.1 | 40.9 |
| 1.3 | March | 3.8 | 9.6 |
| 0.3 | April | 1.4 | 3.6 |
| 0.0 | October | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 0.7 | November | 4.2 | 10.7 |
| 2.5 | December | 7.5 | 19.2 |
| 13.6 | Year | 45.1 | 114.5 |
| Days | Inches | Centimetres | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11.9 | January | 14.3 | 36.3 |
| 10.0 | February | 12.9 | 32.8 |
| 4.8 | March | 5.9 | 15.0 |
| 1.9 | April | 1.7 | 4.3 |
| 0.2 | October | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| 3.9 | November | 3.9 | 9.9 |
| 9.4 | December | 11.3 | 28.7 |
| 42.1 | Year | 50.2 | 127.5 |
These averages don't show how much Lansing's snowfall varies from year to year.
In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 16.3 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 5.1 inches for the month.
Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 17.3 inches, while the lightest years get less than 9.2 inches.
Snow in February ranges from over 18.3 inches in heavy snowfall years to under 6.9 inches in light years.
When Lansing Has Its First & Last Snowfalls
Lansing's first snowfall of winter usually arrives in November, but in some years it starts snowing as early as October.
The season's last snowfall typically happens in April.
Lansing is normally free of snow every year from May to September.
How Many Snowstorms Lansing Gets
Most days of snowfall in Lansing result in just a skiff of less than an inch left on the ground. For 15 days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least an inch.
Snowstorms of over five inches a day normally occur once or twice a year. Major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day are not normal events here.
| 1 inch 2.5 cm |
3 inches 7.6 cm |
5 inches 12.7 cm |
10 inches 25.4 cm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.6 | 1.2 | January | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| 3.7 | 1.5 | February | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| 1.9 | 0.5 | March | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| 0.5 | 0.2 | April | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 0.1 | 0.0 | October | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 1.0 | 0.3 | November | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| 3.5 | 0.8 | December | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| 15.3 | 4.5 | Year | 1.4 | 0.0 |
How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Lansing
For about two-thirds of winter days, Lansing has at least an inch of snow on the ground.
Snow mostly accumulates during January and February. Typically, on eight or nine days in January and in February, the snow covering Lansing gets to five or more inches deep.
| 1 inch 2.5 cm |
3 inches 7.6 cm |
5 inches 12.7 cm |
10 inches 25.4 cm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22.4 | 15.5 | January | 8.7 | 2.0 |
| 18.7 | 13.4 | February | 8.2 | 1.9 |
| 8.5 | 5.3 | March | 3.1 | 0.8 |
| 0.6 | 0.1 | April | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 2.7 | 0.9 | November | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| 13.0 | 6.7 | December | 3.8 | 0.8 |
| 65.9 | 41.9 | Year | 24.2 | 5.5 |
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.