Baltimore Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Baltimore, Maryland has snow.

There are data and descriptions here of how many days it snows and the total amount of snowfall that Baltimore 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 Baltimore 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 weather data gathered from 1991 to 2020 at the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

How Often it Snows in Baltimore

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 Baltimore, 2010 to 2019
Days   Inches Centi­metres
1.5 January 7.8 19.9
1.8 February 9.3 23.7
1.1 March 3.7 9.4
0.0 April 0.0 0.0
0.1 November 0.2 0.5
0.5 December 1.0 2.6
5.0 Year 22.1 56.1
30-year snowfall averages at Baltimore, 1991 to 2020
Days   Inches Centi­metres
2.8 January 6.4 16.3
2.9 February 7.5 19.1
1.5 March 2.8 7.1
0.1 April 0.0 0.0
0.2 November 0.1 0.3
1.5 December 2.5 6.4
9.0 Year 19.3 49.0

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

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 2.9 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive no snow for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 7.5 inches, while the lightest years get less than 1.7 inches.

New snow for February ranges from 8.8 or more inches in heavy snowfall years to under 0.5 inches in light years.

When Baltimore Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

The first snowfall of winter for Baltimore usually arrives in December. Although uncommon, November can get a little snow, or the snow can hold off entirely until January.

The season's last snowfall typically happens in March. Once every three or four years, Baltimore's last snowfall occurs as early as February. In unusual years an April snow flurry drops a dusting of snow over the city.

Baltimore is normally free of snow every year from May to October.

How Many Snowstorms Baltimore Gets

About half the days of snowfall in Baltimore amount to just a skiff, leaving less than an inch of fresh snow on the ground. For five days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least an inch.

Snowstorms of over five inches a day normally occur about once 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 Baltimore 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
1.5 0.6 January 0.3 0.1
1.5 0.8 February 0.4 0.1
0.8 0.4 March 0.1 0.0
0.0 0.0 November 0.0 0.0
0.8 0.2 December 0.1 0.0
4.6 2.0 Year 0.9 0.2

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Baltimore

For about 13 days in winter, Baltimore has at least an inch of snow on the ground.

Typically for three days a year the snow covering Baltimore gets to five or more inches deep and on a few days build up to ten inches or more. Snow mostly accumulates during January and February.

Average total days per month and year in Baltimore 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
4.3 1.9 January 1.3 0.6
5.2 2.4 February 1.3 0.6
1.6 0.6 March 0.3 0.0
0.0 0.0 November 0.0 0.0
2.0 0.6 December 0.4 0.1
13.1 5.5 Year 3.3 1.3
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.

Maryland Snowfall
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