Cleveland Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Cleveland, Ohio has snow.

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

How Often it Snows in Cleveland

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 Cleveland, 2010 to 2019
Days   Inches Centi­metres
5.1 January 15.0 38.0
5.0 February 16.0 40.6
2.8 March 8.0 20.4
0.7 April 1.7 4.3
0.0 October 0.0 0.0
0.8 November 3.6 9.1
3.1 December 8.9 22.6
17.5 Year 53.2 135.1
30-year snowfall averages at Cleveland, 1991 to 2020
Days   Inches Centi­metres
13.5 January 18.4 46.7
10.5 February 15.1 38.4
7.2 March 10.8 27.4
2.1 April 2.7 6.9
0.2 October 0.1 0.3
3.8 November 4.5 11.4
8.4 December 12.2 31.0
45.8 Year 63.8 162.1

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

In December, for instance, one in four years totals 17.6 inches or more of new snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 6.9 inches for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 23.8 inches, while the lightest years get less than 11.6 inches.

Snow in February ranges from over 19.8 inches in heavy snowfall years to under 7.8 inches in light years.

When Cleveland Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

Cleveland's first snowfall of winter usually arrives in November, although sometimes a light dusting of snow shows up as early as October.

The season's last snowfall typically happens in April. Less commonly, it can stop snowing in March or a late snowstorm will arrive in May.

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

How Many Snowstorms Cleveland Gets

Just over half the days with snowfall in Cleveland result in only a skiff, amounting to less than an inch left on the ground. For 20 days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least an inch.

Snowstorms of over five inches a day normally occur two or three times a year. But major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day are rare events.

Number of days per month and year on average in Cleveland 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
5.8 1.7 January 0.8 0.0
4.5 1.5 February 0.6 0.1
3.3 1.2 March 0.4 0.0
0.8 0.2 April 0.1 0.0
0.0 0.0 October 0.0 0.0
1.5 0.3 November 0.1 0.0
3.6 1.4 December 0.5 0.1
19.5 6.3 Year 2.5 0.2

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Cleveland

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

Typically on three or four days a year the snow covering Cleveland builds up to ten or more inches deep.

Average total days per month and year in Cleveland 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 9.7 January 6.1 1.2
13.5 7.9 February 5.2 1.3
7.2 3.6 March 1.9 0.4
0.9 0.3 April 0.1 0.0
2.6 0.6 November 0.2 0.0
10.1 4.1 December 2.2 0.4
51.7 26.2 Year 15.7 3.3
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.

Ohio Snowfall
Back to Top