St. Paul Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

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

There are data and descriptions here of how many days it snows and the total amount of snowfall that St. Paul 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 St. Paul can expect the first and last snowfalls of the season.

All the numbers are averages, based on climate data gathered from 1981 to 2006 at a weather station located near Battle Creek and St. Paul's Municipal Forest.

How Often it Snows in St. Paul

This first table lists monthly and yearly totals for amount of snow and how many days it snows at least 0.1 inches (0.25 centimetres).

Average total snowfall and days with fresh snow in St. Paul
Days   Inches Centi­metres
4.2 January 8.3 21.1
3.6 February 12.3 31.2
2.2 March 4.0 10.2
1.1 April 2.1 5.3
0.1 May 0.0 0.0
0.4 October 0.5 1.3
1.8 November 3.0 7.6
4.2 December 10.2 25.9
17.6 Year 40.4 102.6

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

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 15.9 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 5.3 inches for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 11.1 inches, while the lightest years get less than 4.9 inches.

New snow for February ranges from over 15.2 inches in heavy snowfall years to under 6.5 inches in light years.

When St. Paul Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

St. Paul's first snowfall of winter usually arrives in November. Less commonly, snow comes as early as October or holds off until December.

The season's last snowfall can occur anytime from February to May.

St. Paul is normally free of snow every year from June to September.

How Many Snowstorms St. Paul Gets

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

Snowstorms of over five inches a day typically occur just one day a year. Major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day are not normal here.

Number of days per month and year on average in St. Paul 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
1.4 0.4 January 0.0 0.0
1.8 0.7 February 0.3 0.0
0.9 0.3 March 0.2 0.0
0.7 0.3 April 0.2 0.0
0.1 0.0 October 0.0 0.0
0.9 0.2 November 0.1 0.0
1.7 0.6 December 0.3 0.0
7.5 2.5 Year 1.1 0.0

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in St. Paul

For most of winter St. Paul has at least an inch of snow on the ground.

A snowpack amounting to ten or more inches deep can cover the city anytime from December to April and typically lingers for 15 days a year. On average for one or two of those days the snow builds up to over twenty inches.

Average total days per month and year in St. Paul 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
19.6 15.2 January 10.5 3.8
16.4 13.5 February 12.7 6.8
9.1 7.9 March 6.8 4.5
1.7 1.1 April 0.6 0.1
0.4 0.1 October 0.1 0.0
2.5 1.0 November 0.5 0.0
12.2 8.6 December 4.8 0.1
61.9 47.4 Year 36.0 15.3
Reference

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Climate Normals.

Minnesota Snowfall
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