Philadelphia Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

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

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

How Often it Snows in Philadelphia

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 Philadelphia, 2010 to 2019
Days   Inches Centi­metres
2.2 January 10.1 25.6
2.3 February 10.8 27.4
1.3 March 4.9 12.4
0.0 April 0.0 0.1
0.1 November 0.4 0.9
0.6 December 3.4 8.6
6.5 Year 29.6 75.1
30-year snowfall averages at Philadelphia, 1991 to 2020
Days   Inches Centi­metres
4.1 January 7.1 18.0
3.8 February 8.4 21.3
2.0 March 3.6 9.1
0.2 April 0.3 0.8
0.1 November 0.2 0.5
1.8 December 3.5 8.9
12.0 Year 23.1 58.7

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

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over seven 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 6.5 inches, while the lightest 25 percent of years get less than 1.8 inches.

Snow in February ranges from over 10.8 inches in heavy snowfall years 1.3 inches or less in light years.

When Philadelphia Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

Philadelphia's first snowfall of winter usually arrives in December. But it can start snowing as early as November or as late as January.

The season's last snowfall can happen anytime from February to April.

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

How Many Snowstorms Philadelphia Gets

Just over half the days of snowfall in Philadelphia result in a skiff of less than an inch left 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 happen on average about once a year. They can show up any time here from December to March.

Major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day do descend on Philadelphia, but not every year. Snowstorms this severe have appeared in the months of December, January and February.

Number of days per month and year on average in Philadelphia 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 0.2
1.9 0.9 February 0.4 0.1
0.9 0.5 March 0.2 0.0
0.1 0.0 April 0.0 0.0
0.1 0.0 November 0.0 0.0
0.7 0.3 December 0.2 0.1
5.2 2.3 Year 1.1 0.4

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Philadelphia

For a small portion of winter days, Philadelphia has at least an inch of snow on the ground.

Typically, on four or five days a year, snow covering Philadelphia gets to five or more inches deep. For one or two of those days, the snowpack builds up to over ten inches.

Average total days per month and year in Philadelphia 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
5.1 2.6 January 1.7 0.8
5.9 3.7 February 1.9 0.6
1.9 0.8 March 0.3 0.1
0.1 0.0 April 0.0 0.0
0.0 0.0 November 0.0 0.0
2.5 1.0 December 0.4 0.2
15.5 8.1 Year 4.3 1.7
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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