Crested Butte Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Crested Butte, Colorado has snow.

There are data and descriptions here of how many days it snows and the total amount of snowfall that Crested Butte usually gets. There are also monthly and yearly counts of the days that Crested Butte normally has heavy snowstorms and deep snow accumulated on the ground. Plus there's information on when the mountain resort town 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 in Crested Butte from 1991 to 2020.

How Often it Snows in Crested Butte

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 in Crested Butte, 2010 to 2019
Days   Inches Centi­metres
9.5 January 37.7 95.8
8.0 February 28.8 73.1
6.1 March 22.1 56.0
5.8 April 14.1 35.7
2.6 May 6.8 17.3
0.0 June 0.0 0.0
0.0 September 0.2 0.5
2.1 October 6.4 16.1
6.3 November 20.7 52.7
8.6 December 33.5 85.2
49.6 Year 168.1 427.0
30-year snowfall averages in Crested Butte, 1991 to 2020
Days   Inches Centi­metres
11.7 January 42.2 107.2
11.7 February 35.2 89.4
9.7 March 29.1 73.9
8.3 April 19.4 49.3
3.3 May 6.7 17.0
0.2 June 0.3 0.8
0.5 September 1.2 3.0
3.9 October 8.5 21.6
8.5 November 25.3 64.3
11.3 December 35.1 89.2
69.1 Year 203.0 515.6

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

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 57.7 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 18.2 inches for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 55.4 inches (over five feet), while the lightest years get less than 21.6 inches.

New snow for February ranges from 40.2 inches or more in heavy snowfall years to under 21.6 inches in light years.

When Crested Butte Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

The first snowfall of winter for Crested Butte usually arrives in October, although it's not uncommon for snow to land in September.

The season's last snowfall typically happens in May. While rare, June can also gets a little fresh snow.

Crested Butte is normally free of snow every year during July and August.

How Many Snowstorms Crested Butte Gets

Most days of snowfall in Crested Butte leave an inch or more of fresh snow on the ground. For 27 days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least three inches.

Snowstorms of over five inches a day normally occur 13 times a year. Major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day typically happen two or three times a year. Storms this severe can descend on Crested Butte any time from November to May.

Number of days per month and year on average in Crested Butte 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
10.3 5.7 January 3.1 0.7
9.5 5.0 February 2.2 0.5
8.3 3.5 March 1.7 0.4
6.9 2.6 April 0.7 0.1
2.3 0.8 May 0.3 0.1
0.1 0.0 June 0.0 0.0
0.4 0.1 September 0.1 0.0
2.8 1.0 October 0.4 0.0
7.0 3.5 November 1.7 0.3
9.2 4.8 December 2.3 0.6
56.8 27.0 Year 12.5 2.7

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Crested Butte

Although each spring and fall are different, the snowpack in Crested Butte can top ten inches anytime from October to May.

For close to half of winter, Crested Butte has at least twenty inches of snow on the ground. It averages 73 days a year with snow that deep.

Average total days per month and year in Crested Butte 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
31.0 30.6 January 30.0 29.0
28.5 28.5 February 28.5 28.4
30.4 30.0 March 29.6 27.6
17.8 15.7 April 13.6 10.4
2.5 1.5 May 0.9 0.3
0.1 0.0 June 0.0 0.0
0.3 0.1 September 0.0 0.0
3.8 1.4 October 0.7 0.1
19.2 14.9 November 10.3 5.2
30.0 28.5 December 26.1 20.9
163.6 151.2 Year 139.7 121.9
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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