When does it first snow? Dates for 311 U.S. cities
Search your city for the typical first snow date, first 1-inch snowfall, white Christmas odds, and first and last freeze dates. Everything is computed from 30 years of official NOAA daily weather records, not guesses.
This season so far (data through Oct 17, 2026)
| City | Typical first snow | First measurable snow, 2026-27 | Typical first freeze | First 32°F freeze, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago (O'Hare Airport), IL | Nov 20 | none yet | Oct 26 | none yet |
| New York (Central Park), NY | Dec 12 | none yet | Nov 19 | none yet |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN | Nov 9 | none yet | Oct 17 | none yet |
| Denver, CO | Oct 20 | none yet | Oct 11 | none yet |
| Detroit, MI | Nov 20 | none yet | Oct 28 | none yet |
| Buffalo, NY | Nov 10 | none yet | Oct 30 | none yet |
| Cleveland, OH | Nov 12 | none yet | Oct 31 | none yet |
| Milwaukee, WI | Nov 15 | none yet | Oct 28 | none yet |
| Salt Lake City, UT | Nov 8 | none yet | Oct 26 | none yet |
| Anchorage, AK | Oct 17 | Oct 1 | Sep 28 | Oct 1 |
| Fairbanks, AK | Oct 1 | Oct 1 | Sep 14 | Sep 3 |
| Philadelphia, PA | Dec 18 | none yet | Nov 12 | none yet |
| Pittsburgh, PA | Nov 15 | none yet | Oct 24 | none yet |
| Indianapolis, IN | Nov 24 | none yet | Oct 22 | none yet |
| Omaha, NE | Nov 24 | none yet | Oct 16 | none yet |
| Boise, ID | Nov 22 | none yet | Oct 22 | none yet |
| Spokane, WA | Nov 13 | none yet | Oct 12 | none yet |
| Burlington (Vermont), VT | Nov 8 | none yet | Oct 12 | none yet |
“None yet” means no qualifying day recorded through the date above at that station. Observed data can lag by a day or two.
Explore
FindingsHeadline stats from 30 years of NOAA dataFirst snow rankingEarliest to latest typical first snowWhite Christmas oddsChance of 1"+ on the ground Dec 25First freeze datesWhen fall freezes typically startLast freeze datesWhen spring freezes typically end
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How this works: for each weather station we looked at the last 30 completed years of NOAA daily records (1995–2024) and counted when snow and freezing temperatures first arrived each year. The “typical” date is the median. Dates are history, not a forecast, and your location can differ from the station. Full method.