When to Expect Your First Snowfall This Winter

The first snowfall of the season can be a tease for skiers, as POWDER writer Ian Greenwood explained last week, but it's an event worth celebrating nonetheless. The season's first flakes hit different, as the Gen Z kids are saying these days.

It's important to note that Direct Weather used historical averages to create his predictions. As we mentioned earlier, first snowfalls already occurred on various high-elevation peaks across North America in August of 2024. Snow in August is rare no matter the location, so take that with a grain of salt.

Locations that Typically Receive Their First Snowfall in September

• Central Colorado
• Northern Wyoming
• Southern Montana

Locations that Typically Receive Their First Snowfall in Early October

• Colorado- Entirety of high elevation peaks in The Rocky Mountains
• Southern Wyoming
• Teton Range, Wyoming
• Montana- Northern Rockies

Locations that Typically Receive Their First Snowfall in Late October

• Mt. Hood, Oregon
• Cascades, Washington
• Wasatch Range, Utah
• Wyoming
• Western Montana
• Michigan's Upper Peninsula
• Upstate New York
• Green Mountains of Vermont
• White Mountains of New Hampshire (Mt. Washington)
• Northern Maine

Locations that Typically Receive Their First Snowfall in Early November

• Sierra Nevada Mountains, California
• Nevada
• Central and Northern Idaho
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Minnesota
• Northern Wisconsin
• Western Michigan
• Western Pennsylvania (Appalachian Mountains)
• West Viriginia

Locations that Typically Receive Their First Snowfall in Late November

• Arizona
• New Mexico
• Kansas
• Nebraska
• Iowa
• Northern Illinois
• Northern Ohio
• Massachusetts
• Connecticut
• Eastern Oregon
• Eastern Washington
• Western Maryland

Locations that Typically Receive Their First Snowfall in Early December

• New Jersey
• Missouri
• Northern Texas
• Virginia
• Eastern Pennsylvania
• Eastern Maryland

Locations that Typically Receive Their First Snowfall in Late December

• North Carolina
• Tennessee
• Kentucky
• Arkansas
• Oklahoma
• Delaware
• Southern New Mexico

Locations that Typically Receive Their First Snowfall in January

• Northern Mississippi
• Northern Alabama
• Northern Georgia
• Northern South Carolina
• Central Texas

Locations that Typically Don't Receive Snowfall

• Southern California
• Southern Texas
• Louisiana
• Florida
• Southern Mississippi
• Southern Alabama
• Southern Georgia
• Southern South Carolina

Weather is fickle, but the past can help us forecast the future. Some of these locations' first snowfalls will certainly happen before or after their average timeframe, but take this information with you as you prepare for the coming Winter '24/'25 season.

I legitimately feel like I can't wait any longer for snow to start falling from coast to coast. It's been a long, hot, and dry summer here in Truckee, California and frankly, I've had enough of it. Here's to colder and snowier times in our near future!

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