Erie Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Erie, Pennsylvania has snow.

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

How Often it Snows in Erie

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 Erie, 2010 to 2019
Days   Inches Centi­metres
9.3 January 33.1 84.0
6.3 February 22.1 56.1
3.3 March 12.0 30.5
0.4 April 1.4 3.6
0.0 October 0.0 0.1
2.1 November 7.6 19.4
6.0 December 24.4 61.9
27.4 Year 100.7 255.7
30-year snowfall averages at Erie, 1991 to 2020
Days   Inches Centi­metres
16.3 January 31.8 80.8
12.3 February 19.4 49.3
7.8 March 14.5 36.8
2.3 April 2.6 6.6
0.2 October 0.1 0.3
4.8 November 9.6 24.4
11.5 December 26.3 66.8
55.2 Year 104.3 264.9

These averages don't show how much Erie's snowfall varies from year to year.

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 30.7 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive 15.6 inches or less for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 38.5 inches, while the lightest years get less than 23.3 inches.

Snow in February ranges from over 28.7 inches in heavy snowfall years to under 10.6 inches in light years.

When Erie Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

Erie's first snowfall of winter usually arrives in November, but occasionally a little snow shows up in October.

The season's last snowfall typically happens in April, although some years .

Erie is normally free of snow every year from May to September.

How Many Snowstorms Erie Gets

About half the days with snowfall in Erie result in just a skiff of less than an inch left on the ground. For 28 days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least an inch.

Snowstorms of over five inches a day normally occur five times a year. But major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day are rare events, happening on average about once a year. Snowstorms this severe have shown up in Erie during the months of November to March.

Number of days per month and year on average in Erie 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
8.9 3.5 January 1.7 0.2
5.8 1.8 February 0.7 0.0
3.7 1.6 March 0.8 0.1
0.8 0.2 April 0.0 0.0
0.0 0.0 October 0.0 0.0
2.3 0.9 November 0.6 0.2
6.7 3.0 December 1.5 0.3
28.2 11.0 Year 5.3 0.8

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Erie

For over half of winter days, Erie has at least an inch of snow on the ground. Typically, on nine days a year the snow covering Erie builds up to ten or more inches deep.

Average total days per month and year in Erie 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
19.8 13.0 January 8.6 2.0
16.8 11.1 February 7.9 3.9
9.1 6.1 March 3.5 1.2
1.0 0.1 April 0.0 0.0
4.5 2.4 November 1.7 0.5
11.8 6.8 December 4.2 1.2
63.0 39.5 Year 25.9 8.8
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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