Define Annual Inches of Snowfall, Please!! (snow storm, warm, averages, temperature)

[Canine*Castle]

For all of you who live in snowy areas, what would you consider as "not too much" snow annually? Would it be under 24"? Would it be less than that? Thanks for any help one can give me as I'm pretty much clueless when it comes to what would be too much and what would be just right. I would definitely like to move where it snows, but I don't want to be buried in 12 feet of annual snow. Thanks!!!

[CortlandGirl79]

Well, i live in the secondary snow belt of Northeast Ohio and we average around 55 inches a year. That doesn't mean that we have that much snow on the ground all at one time. Usually we'll have 2-4 or 3-6 inches at a time, it sticks around for a few days and melts. The temperature is usually fluctuating all winter between the teens and high 30s so there is always a freeze thaw cycle going on. This past winter was uncharacteristically cold and we had about double the normal amount of snow. It seems like there was snow on the ground most of the winter which is pretty rare here. Although, i prefer seeing white sparkling snow on the ground to seeing dead grass and mud.

I'm sure many people would think more than 20 or so inches of snow a year is enough or too much, but in all reality unless that 20 inches is on the ground all winter long, it's really not that much snow at all.

Another thing to think about is temperature. If you live in Ohio or Pa, Indiana, etc you will have the freeze thaw cycle and snow will come and go. Places where it's below freezing all winter will have almost constant snow cover, Northern MI, maybe Minn. and some parts of ND.

Hope that helps.

[city_data91]

Boston averages 40 inches a year. I'd say somewhere around 20 inches and under would be not too much.

[CortlandGirl79]

If you want to see what too much snow looks like i would check out some of the pictures in this thread http://www.city-data.com/forum/michi...-michigan.html Michigan is beautiful! If you can take all the snow the other three seasons are spectacular!

[Jammie]

The average snowfall in my city is 31 inches per year and that's too much for me. Maybe you could find a place that has more even distributions for snowfall. In my area, we may only get an inch or two here and there and that's fine. THEN we may get hit with 15 inches of snow at once. Also, you may be looking for an area where it'll warm up and melt the snow before more snowfalls. Sometimes we get a snowfall in Oct. and it just keeps piling up and finally melts the end of April. Not that often here, BUT it happens.

Too much snow can actually trap people in their houses and be fatal snowfalls.

Idaho is supposed to have beautiful snowfalls~no blizzards~no wind~just straight down nice snowfalls. Colorado gets WAY too much snow, but they may hit 50 degrees the day after a snowstorm and it starts melting. SO, not sure why I'm posting cause I don't know. For me, any amount of snow is too much.

[TheTruth08]

NYC's average snowfall is 24 inches. Its perfect. It snows 1-3 inch snowstorms and maybe once a year we will have a 4-8 inch snow storm. Plus it warms up to the 40s a lot during the winter.

[Canine*Castle]

I was thinking that annually, two feel wouldn't be too terribly bad. I think it would be so cool to live where it snows more than once a year or less.

Thank you all so much for your advice and information.

[Canine*Castle]

Originally Posted by CortlandGirl79

If you want to see what too much snow looks like i would check out some of the pictures in this thread http://www.city-data.com/forum/michi...-michigan.html Michigan is beautiful! If you can take all the snow the other three seasons are spectacular!

Michigan is beautiful...Wow!!! I doubt I could take that much snow, but it's really so pretty.

[Bydand]

Where I am in Michigan we average 90" a year. This year so far we have had about 166". The ground has been bare for over a week (except today when we woke up to another 4" of snow) and it will be bare by tomorrow afternoon or Tuesday morning again. Just because an area gets a lot of annual snowfall doesn't mean it all stays around all winter. Here we get a bunch, then it mostly melts away, then we get another bunch, etc.... We never had more than 24" on the ground anytime this winter.

For me after living in Northern Maine and Northern Michigan for 95% of my life, I would say "Not too much" snow would be right around the 60" mark. Those years seem like there has been hardly any fall and winter is over before it really begins. I have seen my kids out playing in t-shirts with their toy boats in a puddle on Jan 1st here. I have also seen them refusing to go out and go sledding becuase of too much snow and cold on Jan 1st.

[susancruzs]

Trouble with snow belts, nothing is set in stone! The Upper Midwest gets alot of snow on average, and, for example, this winter and last, double the average in most areas.

Unlike the Denver area, temps to the north do not get near or above mid-thirty for several months so the snow is not melting.