Elkins Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Elkins, West Virginia has snow.

There are data and descriptions here of how many days it snows and the total amount of snowfall that Elkins 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 Elkins 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 long-term historical averages based on weather data gathered from 1991 to 2020 at the Elkins-Randolph County Airport.

How Often it Snows in Elkins

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 Elkins, 2010 to 2019
Days   Inches Centi­metres
6.4 January 19.8 50.4
5.5 February 18.6 47.3
3.2 March 10.2 25.9
0.6 April 1.6 4.0
0.4 October 1.9 4.9
1.1 November 2.8 7.0
3.1 December 9.3 23.6
20.3 Year 64.2 163.1
30-year snowfall averages at Elkins, 1991 to 2020
Days   Inches Centi­metres
11.0 January 20.3 51.6
8.8 February 15.4 39.1
5.8 March 11.4 29.0
1.8 April 2.3 5.8
0.4 October 0.9 2.3
2.7 November 4.1 10.4
7.8 December 14.5 36.8
38.3 Year 68.9 175.0

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

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 21.2 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive 5.8 inches or less for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 25.3 inches, while the lightest years get less than 12.4 inches.

New snow for February ranges from over 20.2 inches in heavy snowfall years to under 7.8 inches in light years.

When Elkins Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

The first snowfall of winter for Elkins usually arrives in November, but an early snow sometimes shows up in October.

The season's last snowfall typically happens in April, or less commonly March. Elkins is normally free of snow every year from May to September.

How Many Snowstorms Elkins Gets

Most days of snowfall in Elkins leave at least an inch of fresh snow on the ground. For eight days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals three inches or more.

Snowstorms of over five inches a day normally occur two or three times a year. But major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day are rare events that only happen an average of twice every decade.

Number of days per month and year on average in Elkins 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
6.8 2.4 January 0.7 0.1
5.5 1.8 February 0.5 0.0
3.6 1.4 March 0.6 0.1
0.9 0.2 April 0.1 0.0
0.2 0.1 October 0.1 0.0
1.7 0.4 November 0.1 0.0
4.7 1.8 December 0.6 0.0
23.4 8.1 Year 2.7 0.2

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Elkins

For over one-third of winter days, Elkins has at least an inch of snow on the ground.

Typically on 13 days a year the snow covering Elkins amounts to five or more inches deep. For two or three of those days the snowpack builds up to over ten inches.

Average total days per month and year in Elkins 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
15.2 9.1 January 4.9 0.9
10.8 6.2 February 3.8 1.2
6.2 3.1 March 1.6 0.4
0.9 0.2 April 0.0 0.0
0.2 0.1 October 0.1 0.1
2.6 0.7 November 0.2 0.0
9.3 4.9 December 2.1 0.2
45.2 24.3 Year 12.7 2.8
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.

West Virginia Snowfall
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