Duluth Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Duluth, Minnesota has snow.

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

How Often it Snows in Duluth

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 Duluth, 2010 to 2019
Days   Inches Centi­metres
3.8 January 11.2 28.4
5.1 February 17.5 44.5
3.3 March 10.9 27.6
2.7 April 12.6 32.1
0.4 May 1.9 4.7
0.0 September 0.0 0.0
0.4 October 2.3 5.8
3.6 November 12.6 32.0
4.9 December 19.5 49.5
24.2 Year 88.5 224.8
30-year snowfall averages at Duluth, 1991 to 2020
Days   Inches Centi­metres
13.1 January 16.8 42.7
10.9 February 15.1 38.4
8.0 March 12.8 32.5
5.7 April 9.1 23.1
0.6 May 0.8 2.0
0.1 September 0.1 0.3
2.1 October 2.7 6.9
9.0 November 14.1 35.8
12.9 December 18.7 47.5
62.4 Year 90.2 229.1

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

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 25.9 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 8.6 inches for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 18.9 inches, while the lightest years get less than 9.3 inches.

Snow in February ranges from over 20.1 inches in heavy snowfall years to 8.7 inches or less in light years.

When Duluth Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

Duluth's first snowfall of winter usually arrives in October, although it can show up as early as September or as late as November.

The season's last snowfall typically happens in April. Less commonly, a light snowfall lands in May.

Duluth is normally free of snow every year from June to August.

How Many Snowstorms Duluth Gets

Most days of snowfall in Duluth leave just a skiff, amounting to less than an inch, of fresh snow on the ground. For 25 days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least an inch.

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

Number of days per month and year on average in Duluth 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
4.6 1.5 January 0.7 0.1
4.5 1.4 February 0.6 0.1
3.6 1.4 March 0.6 0.0
2.3 1.0 April 0.5 0.1
0.2 0.1 May 0.0 0.0
0.8 0.3 October 0.1 0.0
3.7 1.4 November 0.7 0.1
5.1 1.6 December 1.0 0.3
24.8 8.7 Year 4.2 0.7

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Duluth

For nearly all of winter, along with much of early spring and late fall, Duluth has at least an inch of snow on the ground, and often much more.

A snowpack of twenty or more inches deep can cover the city anytime from November to April, and on average lingers for 25 days a year.

Average total days per month and year in Duluth 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
30.7 28.0 January 25.4 19.2
28.0 27.1 February 24.9 20.9
26.8 25.9 March 23.5 18.1
9.8 6.9 April 5.0 2.1
0.2 0.1 May 0.0 0.0
1.6 0.6 October 0.2 0.0
13.0 8.7 November 5.5 1.2
27.1 22.0 December 17.0 9.7
137.2 119.3 Year 101.5 71.2
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.

Minnesota Snowfall
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