Minneapolis Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

How Often it Snows in Minneapolis

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 Minneapolis, 2010 to 2019

Days		Inches	Centi­metres
2.9	January	9.7	24.7
3.5	February	14.2	36.1
2.1	March	6.4	16.3
1.4	April	6.4	16.3
0.0	May	0.1	0.1
0.0	October	0.0	0.1
1.3	November	5.1	12.9
3.3	December	12.7	32.3
14.5	Year	54.7	138.9

30-year snowfall averages at Minneapolis, 1991 to 2020

Days		Inches	Centi­metres
9.3	January	11.0	27.9
7.3	February	9.5	24.1
5.2	March	8.2	20.8
2.4	April	3.5	8.9
0.1	May	0.0	0.0
0.6	October	0.8	2.0
4.5	November	6.8	17.3
8.8	December	11.4	29.0
38.2	Year	51.2	130.0

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

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 14.9 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 6.5 inches for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 16.4 inches, while the lightest years get less than 4.7 inches.

New snow for February ranges from over 13.6 inches in heavy snowfall years to under 4.4 inches in light years.

When Minneapolis Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

The first snowfall of winter for Minneapolis usually arrives in November. But at least once every four years, snow comes as early as October.

The season's last snowfall typically happens in April. Less commonly, April can receive no fresh snow or a few snowflakes land in May.

Minneapolis is normally free of snow every year from June to September.

How Many Snowstorms Minneapolis Gets

Most days of snowfall in Minneapolis leave just a skiff, amounting to less than an inch, of fresh snow 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 a couple times annually. But major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day don't happen every year.

Number of days per month and year on average in Minneapolis 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
3.3	1.0	January	0.3	0.0
2.8	0.8	February	0.4	0.0
2.4	1.1	March	0.4	0.0
0.8	0.4	April	0.2	0.0
0.1	0.1	October	0.1	0.0
1.9	0.6	November	0.3	0.1
3.3	1.0	December	0.4	0.1
14.6	5.0	Year	2.1	0.2

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Minneapolis

For nearly all of winter along with some of early spring and late fall, Minneapolis has at least an inch of snow on the ground.

A snowpack that gets to ten or even twenty or more inches deep can cover the city anytime from November to March. But 20 inches of snow on the ground is uncommon here and doesn't happen every year.

Average total days per month and year in Minneapolis 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
25.7	20.8	January	16.3	5.0
22.0	18.3	February	14.4	6.0
13.3	9.3	March	6.4	2.4
2.0	1.0	April	0.5	0.1
0.1	0.1	October	0.1	0.0
5.6	3.7	November	2.0	0.6
20.9	13.9	December	10.3	2.4
89.6	67.1	Year	50.0	16.5