Government Camp Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Government Camp, Oregon has snow.

There are data and descriptions here of how many days it snows and the total amount of snowfall that Government Camp usually gets. There are also monthly and yearly counts of the days that the ski resort normally has heavy snowstorms and deep snow accumulated on the ground. Plus there's information on when Government Camp 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 long-term historical averages based on weather data gathered from 1991 to 2020 at Government Camp near the ski resorts of Mount Hood Skibowl and Summit Ski Area.

How Often it Snows in Government Camp

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 Government Camp, 2010 to 2019
Days   Inches Centi­metres
7.5 January 30.5 77.5
10.3 February 46.0 116.9
8.5 March 34.1 86.5
7.3 April 23.8 60.5
1.1 May 2.8 7.1
0.0 June 0.2 0.4
0.2 September 0.5 1.3
0.9 October 2.7 7.0
6.0 November 24.8 63.1
11.2 December 44.5 113.1
53.0 Year 210.0 533.4
30-year snowfall averages at Government Camp, 1991 to 2020
Days   Inches Centi­metres
10.1 January 48.8 124.0
9.4 February 39.5 100.3
9.2 March 35.6 90.4
6.6 April 17.6 44.7
2.1 May 4.2 10.7
0.4 June 0.6 1.5
0.1 September 0.2 0.5
1.2 October 3.8 9.7
7.1 November 30.6 77.7
12.1 December 51.6 131.1
58.3 Year 232.5 590.6

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

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 73.9 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 33 inches for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 84.7 inches, while the lightest years get less than 18.5 inches.

New snow for February ranges from 55.5 inches or more in heavy snowfall years to 21 inches or less in light years.

When Government Camp Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

The first snowfall of autumn for Government Camp usually arrives in October. Yet in rare years it can start snowing as early as September, while in other years snow doesn't appear until November.

The season's last snowfall typically happens in May, but snow can stop falling anytime from April to June.

The mountain village is normally free of snow every year during July and August.

How Many Snowstorms Government Camp Gets

Most days of snowfall in Government Camp leave at least an inch of fresh snow on the ground. For 30 days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals over three inches.

Snowstorms that leave behind over five inches of snow a day normally occur 17 times annually. Of these, five or six are major blizzards that dump ten inches or more. Storms this severe can descend on the ski resort anytime from October to April.

Number of days per month and year on average in Government Camp 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
9.6 5.4 January 3.5 1.3
9.3 5.0 February 3.0 0.8
8.6 4.4 March 2.4 1.0
6.2 2.9 April 1.2 0.3
1.6 0.5 May 0.1 0.0
0.2 0.1 June 0.1 0.0
0.1 0.0 September 0.0 0.0
1.1 0.6 October 0.2 0.1
6.8 4.0 November 2.5 0.8
11.6 6.6 December 4.0 1.1
55.1 29.5 Year 17.0 5.4

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Government Camp

For most of winter, Government Camp has at least ten inches of snow accumulated on the ground. The snowpack tops 20 inches for an average of 88 days annually. The buildup of snow to over 20 inches deep occurs periodically from November to May.

Average total days per month and year in Government Camp 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
29.7 29.1 January 27.9 25.0
26.2 25.3 February 24.6 22.1
27.2 25.9 March 25.4 24.0
20.9 18.7 April 16.5 13.2
5.5 4.3 May 3.6 2.9
0.2 0.1 June 0.1 0.0
0.1 0.0 September 0.0 0.0
2.1 1.3 October 0.7 0.3
15.2 12.4 November 10.4 7.1
28.8 27.5 December 24.7 20.0
155.9 144.6 Year 133.9 114.6
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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