Buffalo Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Buffalo, New York has snow.

There are data and descriptions here of how many days it snows and the total amount of snowfall that Buffalo 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 Buffalo 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 Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

How Often it Snows in Buffalo

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 Buffalo, 2010 to 2019
Days   Inches Centi­metres
7.3 January 29.2 74.1
5.9 February 20.8 52.8
3.2 March 11.9 30.3
0.7 April 2.1 5.2
0.0 May 0.0 0.0
0.0 October 0.0 0.1
1.8 November 6.2 15.6
5.7 December 19.0 48.4
24.6 Year 89.2 226.6
30-year snowfall averages at Buffalo, 1991 to 2020
Days   Inches Centi­metres
16.4 January 26.7 67.8
13.5 February 18.1 46.0
9.1 March 14.1 35.8
3.2 April 2.5 6.4
0.0 May 0.0 0.0
0.4 October 0.9 2.3
4.7 November 7.8 19.8
12.2 December 25.3 64.3
59.5 Year 95.4 242.3

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

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 31.3 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 35.6 inches, while the lightest years get less than 15.8 inches.

Snow in February ranges from over 22.2 inches in heavy snowfall years to under 10.3 inches in light years.

When Buffalo Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

Buffalo's first snowfall of winter usually arrives in November, Although an exceptionally early snow can appear in October. The season's last snowfall typically happens in April.

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

How Many Snowstorms Buffalo Gets

Most days of snowfall in Buffalo result in just a skiff of less than an inch left on the ground. For 26 days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least an inch.

Snowstorms of over five inches a day normally occur four times a year. But major blizzards that dump ten inches or more only happen on average once a year.

Number of days per month and year on average in Buffalo 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
7.5 2.8 January 1.3 0.2
5.5 1.8 February 0.6 0.0
3.6 1.3 March 0.6 0.2
0.8 0.1 April 0.0 0.0
0.1 0.1 October 0.1 0.0
2.1 0.7 November 0.4 0.1
6.0 2.3 December 1.4 0.4
25.6 9.1 Year 4.4 0.9

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Buffalo

For most of winter days, Buffalo has at least an inch of snow on the ground.

Buffalo averages eight days a year with snow amounting to ten or more inches deep. Typically on two of those days, the snowpack builds up to over twenty inches.

Average total days per month and year in Buffalo 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
21.3 14.7 January 10.6 3.8
18.5 12.2 February 7.4 1.7
11.9 7.0 March 4.1 1.0
1.1 0.1 April 0.1 0.0
0.1 0.0 October 0.0 0.0
3.7 2.0 November 1.2 0.4
14.4 8.6 December 5.9 1.4
71.0 44.6 Year 29.3 8.3
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.

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