Detroit Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

How Often it Snows in Detroit

This first table lists monthly and yearly totals for amount of snow and how many days it snows at least 0.1 inches (0.25 centimetres).

Average total snowfall and days with fresh snow in Detroit

Days		Inches	Centimetres
10.2	January	12.5	31.8
8.2	February	10.4	26.4
5.4	March	6.9	17.5
1.6	April	1.7	4.3
0.2	October	0.1	0.3
2.3	November	1.4	3.6
8.5	December	9.7	24.6
36.4	Year	42.7	108.5

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

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 13.6 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 4.8 inches for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 17.8 inches, while the lightest years get seven inches or less.

Snow in February ranges from over 15.1 inches in heavy snowfall years to under 4.4 inches in light years.

When Detroit Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

Detroit's first snowfall of winter usually arrives in November. About one in five years also receive a light snowfall in October.

The season's last snowfall typically happens in April, although at least one in four Aprils receive no fresh snow.

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

How Many Snowstorms Detroit Gets

Most days of snowfall in Detroit result in just a skiff of less than an inch of fresh snow left on the ground. For 13 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. Storms this severe normally show up only in January.

Number of days per month and year on average in Detroit 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
3.7	1.1	January	0.4	0.2
3.3	1.2	February	0.5	0.0
2.1	0.7	March	0.3	0.0
0.5	0.2	April	0.1	0.0
0.5	0.0	November	0.0	0.0
3.2	0.9	December	0.4	0.0
13.3	4.1	Year	1.7	0.2

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Detroit

For just under half of winter days, Detroit has at least an inch of snow on the ground.

Snow mostly accumulates during January. Typically, on six days in January and another three or four in February and in December, the snow covering Detroit gets to five or more inches deep. The city averages a couple of days annually when the snowpack depth tops ten inches.

Average total days per month and year in Detroit 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
17.4	11.0	January	5.9	1.3
13.0	7.7	February	3.9	0.9
5.8	3.2	March	1.7	0.0
0.6	0.3	April	0.1	0.0
1.0	0.2	November	0.0	0.0
8.9	5.6	December	3.6	0.3
46.7	28.0	Year	15.2	2.5