Allentown & Bethlehem Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Allentown and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania have snow.

There are data and descriptions here of how many days it snows and the total amount of snowfall that Allentown and Bethlehem usually get. There are also monthly and yearly counts of the days that the cities normally have heavy snowstorms and deep snow accumulated on the ground. Plus there's information on when the Allentown – Bethlehem region 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 Lehigh Valley International Airport located in Allentown, near Bethlehem.

How Often it Snows in Allentown & Bethlehem

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 Allentown, 2010 to 2019
Days   Inches Centi­metres
2.4 January 11.1 28.1
3.4 February 13.2 33.5
1.6 March 7.7 19.6
0.1 April 0.4 1.1
0.1 October 0.7 1.7
0.4 November 1.7 4.2
1.3 December 3.7 9.3
9.3 Year 38.4 97.5
30-year snowfall averages at Allentown, 1991 to 2020
Days   Inches Centi­metres
5.1 January 9.8 24.9
4.3 February 10.8 27.4
2.6 March 6.3 16.0
0.3 April 0.5 1.3
0.0 October 0.2 0.5
0.5 November 0.9 2.3
2.9 December 4.6 11.7
15.7 Year 33.1 84.1

These averages don't show how much snowfall in Allentown and Bethlehem varies from year to year.

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 7.6 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 0.4 inches for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 15.4 inches, while the lightest years get less than 2.3 inches.

Snow in February ranges from over 14.1 inches in heavy snowfall years to under 2.5 inches in light years.

When Allentown & Bethlehem Have the First & Last Snowfalls

The first snowfall of winter for the cities usually arrives in December. Although not common, in some years it starts snowing in November.

The season's last snowfall typically happens in March. Occasionally March doesn't see any new snow, or a late snowfall shows up in April.

Allentown and Bethlehem are normally free of snow every year from May to October.

How Many Snowstorms Allentown & Bethlehem Get

Half the days with snowfall in Allentown and Bethlehem result in just a skiff of less than an inch left 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 normally occur a once or twice 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 Allentown and Bethlehem 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
2.4 0.9 January 0.5 0.2
2.4 1.0 February 0.6 0.2
1.5 0.8 March 0.3 0.1
0.1 0.1 April 0.0 0.0
0.3 0.1 November 0.0 0.0
1.4 0.5 December 0.3 0.0
8.1 3.4 Year 1.7 0.5

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Allentown & Bethlehem

For about one-third of winter days, Allentown and Bethlehem have at least an inch of snow on the ground.

Typically, on a five days a year, snow covering the metropolitan area gets to ten or more inches deep.

Average total days per month and year in Allentown and Bethlehem 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
8.8 5.3 January 3.0 1.7
10.8 8.0 February 6.1 2.3
5.5 4.1 March 2.6 1.1
0.1 0.1 April 0.0 0.0
0.1 0.1 October 0.1 0.0
0.6 0.3 November 0.1 0.0
4.6 2.6 December 1.3 0.3
30.5 20.5 Year 13.2 5.4
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.

Pennsylvania Snowfall
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