Milwaukee Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

How Often it Snows in Milwaukee

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 Milwaukee, 2010 to 2019

Days		Inches	Centi­metres
3.7	January	12.0	30.4
4.0	February	16.1	40.8
1.7	March	5.4	13.8
0.6	April	2.3	5.9
0.0	May	0.0	0.0
0.1	October	0.6	1.6
0.8	November	2.8	7.1
2.1	December	7.3	18.5
13.0	Year	46.5	118.1

30-year snowfall averages at Milwaukee, 1991 to 2020

Days		Inches	Centi­metres
10.0	January	14.9	37.8
8.1	February	11.8	30.0
5.0	March	6.7	17.0
1.8	April	2.1	5.3
0.0	May	0.0	0.0
0.3	October	0.3	0.8
2.6	November	2.5	6.4
7.3	December	10.4	26.4
35.1	Year	48.7	123.7

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

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 11.8 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 2.6 inches for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 20.1 inches, while the lightest years get under 8.8 inches.

New snow for February ranges from 16.5 inches or more in heavy snowfall years to 4.4 inches or less in light years.

When Milwaukee Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

The first snowfall of winter for Milwaukee usually arrives in November, although a rare snowstorm can show up in October.

The season's last snowfall typically happens in April. While unusual, it is possible for November or April to not receive any snow.

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

How Many Snowstorms Milwaukee Gets

Most days of snowfall in Milwaukee leave just a skiff, amounting to less than an inch, of fresh snow on the ground. For 14 days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least an inch.

Snowstorms of over five inches a day usually occur a couple times a year. But major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day are rare events, that don't happen every year.

Number of days per month and year on average in Milwaukee 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
4.5	1.7	January	0.6	0.1
3.2	1.2	February	0.7	0.1
1.9	0.5	March	0.2	0.1
0.5	0.3	April	0.1	0.0
0.0	0.0	October	0.0	0.0
0.7	0.2	November	0.1	0.0
2.8	1.1	December	0.4	0.1
13.6	5.0	Year	2.1	0.4

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Milwaukee

For about half of winter days, Milwaukee has at least an inch of snow on the ground.

Snow mostly accumulates during January and February. Typically, on two or three days in January and in February, the snow covering Milwaukee gets to ten or more inches deep.

Average total days per month and year in Milwaukee 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
20.4	15.4	January	9.9	1.9
16.7	11.5	February	8.1	2.7
7.5	4.9	March	3.1	0.5
0.8	0.3	April	0.0	0.0
0.1	0.0	October	0.0	0.0
1.7	0.5	November	0.1	0.1
11.1	5.7	December	3.5	1.4
58.3	38.3	Year	24.7	6.6