Syracuse Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

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

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

How Often it Snows in Syracuse

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 Syracuse, 2010 to 2019
Days   Inches Centi­metres
8.3 January 29.4 74.6
9.6 February 33.9 86.2
4.3 March 17.5 44.4
0.4 April 2.7 6.8
0.0 May 0.0 0.1
0.0 October 0.1 0.2
2.2 November 9.0 22.8
7.0 December 27.0 68.7
31.8 Year 119.6 303.8
30-year snowfall averages at Syracuse, 1991 to 2020
Days   Inches Centi­metres
17.8 January 34.0 86.4
15.2 February 30.3 77.0
10.1 March 19.8 50.3
2.5 April 3.0 7.6
0.1 May 0.1 0.3
0.3 October 0.2 0.5
5.9 November 9.8 24.9
13.6 December 30.6 77.7
65.5 Year 127.8 324.6

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

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 45.2 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 15.7 inches for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 44.4 inches, while the lightest years get less than 22.1 inches.

Snow in February ranges from over 36.9 inches in heavy snowfall years to under 23.7 inches in light years.

When Syracuse Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

Syracuse's first snowfall of winter arrives by November. Although in some years October gets at least a dusting of snow.

The season's last snowfall typically happens in April, yet snow in May does happen occasionally.

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

How Many Snowstorms Syracuse Gets

About half the days with snowfall in Syracuse result in just a skiff, amounting to less than an inch left on the ground. For 34 days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least an inch.

Snowstorms of over five inches a day normally occur six times a year. But major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day happen on average just one or two days a year.

Number of days per month and year on average in Syracuse 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
9.4 3.7 January 1.6 0.3
8.5 3.7 February 1.4 0.3
5.0 2.1 March 0.9 0.3
0.9 0.2 April 0.1 0.0
0.1 0.0 October 0.0 0.0
2.6 0.9 November 0.4 0.1
7.6 3.2 December 1.7 0.4
34.1 13.8 Year 6.1 1.4

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Syracuse

For most winter days, Syracuse has at least an inch of snow on the ground, and often five inches or more.

Syracuse averages three days a year when the snowpack builds up to twenty or more inches deep.

Average total days per month and year in Syracuse 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
22.7 16.7 January 12.4 5.8
21.6 16.7 February 13.5 7.0
14.9 10.6 March 8.0 3.5
1.2 0.5 April 0.1 0.0
4.3 2.4 November 1.1 0.2
15.2 10.2 December 7.3 2.0
79.9 57.1 Year 42.4 18.5
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.

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