Steamboat Springs Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

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

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

How Often it Snows in Steamboat Springs

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 Steamboat Springs, 2010 to 2019
Days   Inches Centi­metres
9.0 January 35.1 89.1
11.0 February 36.3 92.1
7.3 March 24.8 63.0
5.3 April 15.4 39.0
2.7 May 7.0 17.9
0.3 June 0.6 1.5
0.0 September 0.0 0.0
4.5 October 10.9 27.7
6.8 November 25.6 64.9
10.2 December 36.4 92.5
59.3 Year 200.4 509.1
30-year snowfall averages at Steamboat Springs, 1991 to 2020
Days   Inches Centi­metres
14.9 January 46.6 118.4
14.3 February 35.7 90.7
8.7 March 19.5 49.5
6.6 April 13.2 33.5
1.5 May 2.8 7.1
0.3 June 0.3 0.8
0.5 September 0.4 1.0
3.1 October 6.9 17.5
8.8 November 23.3 59.2
14.0 December 35.8 90.9
72.7 Year 184.5 468.6

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

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 41.8 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 27.5 inches for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 54.9 inches, while the lightest years get less than 31.3 inches.

New snow for February ranges from over 44.1 inches in heavy snowfall years to under 27.2 inches in light years.

When Steamboat Springs Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

The first snowfall of winter for Steamboat Springs usually arrives in October. About one in three years also see fresh snow as early as September.

The season's last snowfall typically happens in May, although not every May sees new snow. Less commonly, June has light snowfall.

Steamboat Springs is normally free of snow every year during July and August.

How Many Snowstorms Steamboat Springs Gets

Most days of snowfall in Steamboat Springs result in at least an inch of fresh snow left on the ground. For 23 days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals three or more inches.

Snowstorms of over five inches a day normally occur ten times a year. But major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day are rare events that don't happen every year.

Number of days per month and year on average in Steamboat Springs 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
11.5 5.9 January 2.4 0.4
11.0 4.4 February 1.7 0.2
6.1 1.8 March 0.9 0.0
4.8 1.6 April 0.4 0.0
0.8 0.4 May 0.0 0.0
0.1 0.0 June 0.0 0.0
0.2 0.0 September 0.0 0.0
2.6 1.0 October 0.5 0.0
6.4 2.8 November 1.4 0.0
11.2 5.1 December 2.5 0.2
54.7 23.0 Year 9.8 0.8

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Steamboat Springs

For most of winter, Steamboat Springs has at least ten inches of snow on the ground.

The snow accumulates to over twenty inches deep on an average of 59 days a year. Although each fall and spring are different, the snowpack at Steamboat Springs can top twenty inches as early as November and as late as April.

Average total days per month and year in Steamboat Springs 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 31.0 January 30.8 29.6
28.5 28.5 February 28.5 28.1
27.0 25.3 March 24.5 21.9
9.3 5.2 April 3.3 1.8
1.0 0.4 May 0.1 0.0
0.2 0.0 June 0.0 0.0
0.2 0.0 September 0.0 0.0
3.9 2.6 October 1.3 0.2
19.4 14.9 November 10.7 2.6
30.2 28.7 December 26.9 20.4
150.7 136.6 Year 126.1 104.6
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.

Colorado Snowfall
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