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Nathan Bilow / AP
Kim Walter clears a path from her home to the road, Dec. 23, 2010 in Crested Butte, Colo. But is it the U.S. town with the most yearly snow?
Statistically speaking, which locations really are America's snowiest cities? Just to set your frame of reference, the following are average annual snowfalls for some major cities that may come to mind first:
| Average yearly snow | |
| Syracuse | 128" |
| Buffalo | 96.1" |
| Cleveland | 68.3" |
| Denver | 52.8" |
| Boston | 45.1" |
| Chicago | 37.7" |
| New York City | 26.7" |
We examined 30-year average annual snowfall data from NOAA's National Climatic Data Center to come up with a list of America's Six Snowiest Cities.
We limited the list to cities with populations of at least 1,000 as of the latest census data. Unincorporated towns, mountains, national parks and ranger stations were not included.
Keep the above big city snow totals in mind as we kick off with #6.
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#6: Boonville, N.Y.
Snow stats
- Average yearly snow: 193.7"
- Population (2000 census): 4,572
- Snowiest month: January (52.9")
- Snowiest day: 35" (1/12/1978)
- Record depth: 80" (3/11/1971)
Tucked in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, Boonville, the self-proclaimed "Snow Capital of the East," represents one of America's most prolific snowbelts.
Cold winds with a westerly component traveling over 193-mile long Lake Ontario pick up moisture and wring out epic snowfall not only on the immediate shoreline (Oswego to Watertown), but also the Tug Hill Plateau and Adirondack foothills. So-called "orographic lifting" of this moistened flow by the terrain only adds to the snow totals.
It is the Lake Ontario snowbelt that holds many short-term U.S. snowfall records. For example, consider the following snow rates in nearby Oswego, N.Y., on Jan. 26, 1972:
- 17.5" in 2 hours
- 9.1" in 1 hour
- 4.8" in 30 minutes
- 2.4" in 15 minutes
Incredibly, the 2010-2011 season "only" delivered just over 10 feet of snow. I say "only" because that's just under 6 feet less snowy than the average.
I don't know how long it takes you to clear snow from your driveway, but you could envision the part of the driveway you started on already filled back in as you finish the last section in this snowstorm.
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#5: Lead, S.D.
Snow stats
- Average yearly snow: 201.4"
- Population (2000 census): 3,124
- Snowiest month: March (35")
- Snowiest day: 52" (3/14/1973)
- Record depth: 73" (3/1/1998)
Quick question: Name a region with a reputation for heavy snow? Did you answer the Rockies? New England? The Great Lakes snowbelts? Cascades or Sierra? Alaska? I'll bet the Black Hills of South Dakota wasn't one of your answers. But it should be.
Lead (pronounced LEED), and its sister city, Deadwood, are in the northern Black Hills. North winds circulating around powerful Plains storm systems are lifted by the hills, wringing out prolific snow totals well over 10" three to four days a year, on average.
An incredible 5-day snowstorm once dumped over 112" in Lead in late February/early March 1998. That's over 9 feet or more than double the average annual snowfall in Denver... in one snowstorm!
What other location in the U.S. averages over 20" of snow... in six different months (November through April)? Two spring months, March (35") and April (34"), are Lead's snowiest months!
How many places average almost 1" of snow... wait for it... in June? There was once 10" of snow on the ground on June 2!
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#4: Truckee, Calif.
Snow stats
- Average yearly snow: 202.6"
- Population (2010 census): 16,180
- Snowiest month: February (44.3")
Few places in the U.S. have such a deadly history with regard to epic snowstorms as the Sierra Nevada range in California.
The most infamous story was that of the Donner party. An early-season snowstorm trapped the 87 pioneers near Truckee, below the pass that would later be renamed for them, for much of the winter of 1846-1847. Less than 50 survived the ordeal.
In early April 1880, a spring storm dumped an unfathomable 16 feetof snow in just 4 days near Donner Summit. This is thought to be a world record snowstorm total. A snowslide near Emigrant Gap, buried railroad tracks under 75 feet of snow, ice, and rocks. Incredibly, 783" of snow (over 65 feet) was measured that season of 1879-1880.
A bit more recently, a passenger train with 226 aboard headed to San Francisco was trapped by two huge snow slides in drifts 8-12 feet deep on January 13, 1952. A daring rescue freed the passengers after 3 days marooned in the Sierra, just before food and other supplies ran out.
Want more "wows"? South of Truckee and just outside Yosemite National Park, Tamarack, Calif., once measured a snow depth of just under 38 feet in March 1911! This same location once measured a whopping 884" (73.7 feet) of snow in the 1906-07 season.
A typical Sierra winter storm will dump several feet of snow in just a few days. These storms can shut down I-80 over the Sierra. The bright side to this incredible snowfall is that it fuels a healthy number of Sierra ski resorts.
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#3: Hancock, Mich.
Snow stats
- Average yearly snow: 211.7"
- Population (2010 census): 4,634
- Snowiest month: January (65.6")
- Snowiest day: 26.5" (1/18/1996)
- Record depth: 73" (2/28/1937)
There's something to be said for a place east of the Rockies that not only endures long, harsh winters but, in some ways, celebrates them.
As Exhibit A, I submit Upper Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula.
Look, it's easy to get snow-weary up there.
The town averages a whopping 56" of snow in December alone, and almost 66" in January! That's more than the average annual snowfall in both Minneapolis and Denver!
They once had over 2 feet of snowfall on a March day (Mar. 4, 1985), and had 2" of wet snow on June 2, 1945.
Of course, a lot of this can not only be blamed on the northern latitude, but also nearby Lake Superior.
Winds with a northerly component elsewhere in the Upper Midwest may simply be cold, but in this part of Upper Michigan, they generate more snow, as they pick up moisture from the lake.
Hancock's sister city across the Portage Canal, Houghton, is home to Michigan Tech. University. The school's alumni website
tracks both current snowfall and historical records. What other school without a meteorology department tracks this? They also mention "snowball fights across Highway 41" and have an annual "guess the season snowfall" contest.
Just up the road in Keweenaw County, there's a roadside marker that clearly illustrates how much snow can fall. In the 1978-79 snow season, a whopping 390" of snow fell at this location. That's over 32 feet!
See ... it's a mindset. The snowiest location east of the Rockies. No problem, embrace it!
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#2: Crested Butte, Colo.
Snow stats
- Average yearly snow: 215.8"
- Population (2010 census): 1,487
- Snowiest month: January (39.5")
- Snowiest day: 31" (1/1/1982)
- Record depth: 120" (12/31/1923)
Nestled in a valley at an elevation of 8,860', the town of Crested Butte, Colo., owes their lofty perch on our list to often lying in the primary storm track from mid-fall through spring. At least 30" of snow is par for the course each month from November through March.
Check ski conditions: Crested Butte, CO
It has snowed as early as Labor Day and as late as June 26 in the historical record. You'll see that wonderous powder fall 67 days in a typical year.
The New Year's holiday has been notoriously snowy here. New Year's Eve 1923 had a record snow depth of 10 feet, while New Year's Day 1982 was the town's record snowiest calendar day (31").
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#1: Valdez, Alaska
Snow stats
- Average yearly snow: 326.3"
- Population (2010 census): 3,976
- Snowiest month: December (71.9")
- Snowiest day: 47.5" (1/16/1990)
Some "number-ones" edge out the competition by a nose. A photo finish in the Kentucky Derby. A last-second field-goal in the Super Bowl. A home-run in the bottom of the 9th in Game 7 of the World Series.
Then, there are the "blowouts". Valdez, AK clobbers the competition as America's snowiest city. Their annual average snowfall bests our #2 city, Crested Butte, Colo., by over 9 feet!
It may be hard to fathom how much snow this is, so I'll present a simple comparison. Imagine creating one giant snowpile 326" high, without compaction. (This would make for a dangerous game of "King of the Hill", eh?). The height of this snowpile...just over 27 feet!
Want more amazing facts? Here you go:
- They've had 100" of snow in 5 different months!
- They once had 180" of snow in just one month! That's almost 5 times the average annual snow in Chicago!
- Want to see what 100" on the ground looks like? That happened twice in the same year (1990).
- Only 215" of snow was measured in the 2010-2011 season, roughly 110" below average!
In December 2009, Valdez was swamped by one of those almost biblical storms. Over 3 days, an incredible 68" (that's 5 feet, 8 inches, folks!) of snow buried the town. Snow was piled on the side of city streets 3 to 4 feet high. At that point, you can call those piles "berms".
If you own a boat on the harbor, well, you can't let the weight of that snow accumulate on the deck. The weight of the snow could sink it, if pumps don't work properly. That's what happened to at least one boat in the harbor during this incredible Dec. '09 storm.
Why do they get so much? First, Valdez is surrounded by mountains. These mountains don't completely block cold air in the Alaskan interior from reaching Valdez. Instead, north to northeast winds channel through mountain valleys. Cold air can also drain from glaciers and mountain snowfields into the city, especially at night.
Secondly, one of the most common low pressure systems on the planet, the "Aleutian low", sets up camp to the southwest of Valdez in the colder months. When this happens, copious Pacific moisture pumps into southern Alaska. If cold air is in place, as described above, you guessed it, heavy snow results.
TWC Facebookfan Wendy Frechette Goldstein guessed America's snowiest city correctly. You can see why below:
Wendy put it best. Valdez shrugs off these storms. They "deal with it". Life goes on. Coming from a city that "freaks out" over the forecast of a snow flurry, I find that quite refreshing.
The Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964 lead to a collapse of the city's harbor and docks. Three years later, Valdez was relocated about four miles west. A major factor in the planning back then was removing snow. Wide streets were laid out, and the city has an impressive arsenal of snow-removal equipment.
Read the full report, including charts and photos, at weather.com
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While not a city, Mt. Hood (OR) regularly logs over 600" every winter. Now that's serious snow!
Mount Baker in Washington, considered one of the snowiest places in the world holds the snowfall record of 1,140" in a single season!
Mt. Olympus in WA holds the world record of 1027 in. of snow in 1 year, and consistently is the snowiest place in the world every year. The nearest town, Forks [of "Twilight" fame], receives 140" of rain each year, also a world record.
mt rainer was the world record holder until baker broke the record
sry mike in portland but check your facks mt baker toke the record from mt rainer
Evidently edging out Paradise ranger station on Mt. Rainier (Washington) with a record annual fall of 1122" in '71-'72.
Although Washington's volcanos seem to be the snowiest place on earth, Fork's 140" of rain is not anywhere near a world record. The highest point on Kauai gets 600" a year (average?) and some town in India has a record 900".
Don't where you get your records Mike, but Forks is not even in the same universe as
these rainfall champs. Number one has an insane amount of rain, 40 feet! (that would be 400 feet of snow!!).
These are the top 10 rainfall cities.
1. Cherrapunji, India:, Average rainfall of 498.0 in / 1265.0 cm
2.. Mawsynram, India:, Average rainfall of 467.4 in / 1189.0 cm
3. Waialeale, USA (Hawaii):, Average rainfall of 451.0 in / 1146.0 cm
4. Debundscha, Cameroon:, Average rainfall of 404.6 in / 1028.0 cm
5. Quibdo, Colombia:, Average rainfall of 353.9 in / 898.9 cm
6. Bellenden Der Range, Average rainfall of 340.0 in / 863.6 cm
7. Andagoya, Colombia, Average rainfall of 281.0 in / 713.7 cm
8. Henderson Lake, British Columbia:, Average rainfall of 256.0 in / 650.2 cm
9. Kikori, Papua New Guinea: Average rainfall of 232.9 in / 591.6 cm
10. Tavoy, Myanmar:, Average rainfall of 214.6 in / 545.1 cm
One winter, I think 2009-2010, Flagstaff Az was in the top few areas in the country receiving the most snow. I know there were headlines in the paper saying it got more than Valdez that winter. Here in Az we truly have a bit of everything.
Brrrr.
People who don't live here think Denver is snowed in all winter. It's not. We can play golf and ski in the same day. Please don't give away our secret - there are already too many "foreigners" who came here for vacation and stayed.
Then why did you post this?
Yes, but it can snow in denver in August and September.
Nothing wrong with snow. Its the below zero temps along with windchill factors in the 50 below range that hurt. ...and I'll take a snowstorm over an ice storm any day. Either way, just stay inside and don't drive in it and you're fine.
When I lived in Steamboat Springs Colorado as a kid I remember opening the front door and not being able to see over the snow that fell the night before. I was only 9 but still that is a good 4 feet of snow. Winter wonderland!
I like a mixture of snow and gatorade. They make a good "snow cone."
Syracuse has zero snow yet, to warm.
Phoenix gets 0" of snowfall a year - and we don't shovel sunshine!
i guess you never heard of the mountains in calif. cause it snows about 30 feet a year. i seen i snow 4 feet in 24 hours.
Truckee was listed and it's in the mountains of California.
There is an area in upstate NY (the towns of Redfield and Montague) that receives on avg. 300" of lake effect snow. The people in this region sometimes use a snow blower on their roof to clean between storms. In 2007 they received over 170" in one storm.
We don't get snow here in Southern California's valleys either. I live here for that reason.
In-for-mer, you no say daddy me snow me a gonna blame a lickey boom boom down
The all time world record is Mount Baker, WA - 1140 inches (95 feet)
When I was in Southeast Alaska once they told me about one winter in Ketchikan, where it snowed 96" in 24 hours, then warmed up and rained, thus all the snow was gone the next day, I don't know if it's a true story or not. But one year it rained 117 inches there, that is almost 10 feet of rain, oh, and that year was considered a drought.
Mammoth Lakes, CA : 600+inches, 3 out of the past 8 years. Population 7,000.
I think all you atheists need to go to hell and quit trying to force your beliefs on others. if you don't want to believe in God thats your problem keep it to yourself ! Everyone has the right to believe or not to believe ! Don't you think that we have more important problems on this planet, than that, put your energy where maybe it might do some good, or don't you believe in that either !
carol, dear, this article is about snow.
Grandma: Apparently, Carol was responding to nothing in particular; just wanted to get a point across, weird as it may be. Nevertheless, I don't think atheists believe there is a hell.
Atheists don't believe in snow???
It's very sad that so many people in America are suffering through more terrible storms and record cold. They join hundreds of millions of others around the globe who are living through awful ecological, environmental, economic and human disasters. But It highlights that the world is facing a new phenomenon, Global Cooling. This is a very dangerous process by which the earth will become a frozen cube like Mars, unless we take drastic action. Even though there were countless cooling cycles even before man ever appeared on earth, the cause of the present Global Cooling cycle is human activity, more specifically left wing activity. All of those rich hypocrites flying around in their private jets and air conditioning their 25,000 square foot mansions are blocking the sun's rays from reaching the earth.
The solution to Global Cooling is simple, a 100% tax on left wingers, especially George Soros, in order to buy warm clothes and provide heat for the rest of us. We can get corroboration for the Global Cooling theory from the scientists who signed on to the Global Warming scam. They're certainly for hire. Just you wait, Al Gore, we're gonna get our money back.
The article was written by a meteorologist, reporting from Weather.com, on snowfall records, not an article written by a political pundit discussing Global Warming, which by your beliefs is a farce created by Democrats designed to scare the population into preserving our Earth. Only a sad, sad Republican will turn a weather forum into a platform of political ideologies and policies. You truly are a sad and sorry bunch. BTW, I'm neither a Democrat nor a Republican. I'm not gullible and in the market for bu!!$hit. I, however, do find Republicans more gullible and the fuller of the two parties. So, let's get back on the topic of AMERICA'S SNOWIEST PLACES Doug not GLOBAL COOLING???. Thank you.
The world record for the most snow in one year is now held by Mount
Baker (elevation: 10,775 feet / 3,285 meters) in Washington State, USA. The
Mount Baker Ski Area reported 1,140 inches (95 feet) / 2,896 cm (29 meters) of
snowfall for the 1998-99 season.
The mountain also beat its own record for most snowfall in a month with 304 inches / 772 cm.
Alaska gets far more snow than any of the other 49 states. My town is about 1,600 miles from the North Pole and I live about 900 miles from Barrow, our farthest northern point and city. We don't usually put weather recording stations on the top of mountains, but in 2004 the weather station at 19,000 feet on Mt. McKinley (Denali to Alaskans). Of course we have years that are almost without snow in many places and we have others that get buried in snow year after year.
Through the 1960's I worked all over Alaska in very remote places in both the Alaska Range and Brooks Range. Some of our sites were literally buried in snow by more than 10 to 20 feet, but they didn't have measuring equipment. Valdez, Alaska is right on Prince William Sound and has that huge thermocouple to balance the temperatures all year around. Still, as someone has pointed out and the survey states, Valdez gets more snow than any place in the rest of the U.S.
Most Alaskans take snow and very long winters in stride. We get depressed in December when the days in the Anchorage area get down to 5 hours and 37 minutes on December 21 every year. A construction crew working behind my house on a million dollar plus house work regular 8 hour shifts through temperatures that went below 0 Fahrenheit. We spend very little time delayed by snow covered snow and as soon as it starts, our crews are out there grading it and hauling it away with trucks.
I have been to all of the United States Air Force sites and most of the village landing strips throughout Alaska. In my 49 years and over ten months in Alaska, I learned very well why this is such a wonderful place to live. By default, our air is the cleanest because we only have less than 5,000 miles of "public road." Alaska is twice as large as the next largest state.
Here is the "snowtel" map on the web:
Here is another site operated by the NASA:
For most people it is the vacation or cruised trip of a life time.
Alaska
gets far more snow than any of the other 49 states. My town is about 1,600
miles from the North Pole and I live about 900 miles from Barrow, our farthest
northern point and city. We don't usually put weather recording stations on the
top of mountains, but in 2004 the weather station at 19,000 feet on Mt.
McKinley (Denali to Alaskans) was upgraded and probably still reports results
to NASA or NOAA. . Of course we have years that are almost without snow in many
places and we have others that get buried in snow year after year.
Through
the 1960's I worked all over Alaska in very remote places in both the Alaska
Range and Brooks Range. Some of our sites were literally buried in snow by more
than 10 to 20 feet, but they didn't have measuring equipment. Valdez, Alaska is
right on Prince William Sound and has that huge thermocouple to balance the
temperatures all year around. Still, as someone has pointed out and the survey
states, Valdez gets more snow than any place in the rest of the U.S.
Most
Alaskans take snow and very long winters in stride. We get depressed in
December when the days in the Anchorage area get down to 5 hours and 37 minutes
on December 21 every year. A construction crew working behind my house on a
million dollar plus house work regular 8 hour shifts through temperatures that
went below 0 Fahrenheit. We spend very little time delayed by snow covered snow
and as soon as it starts, our crews are out there grading it and hauling it
away with trucks.
I
have been to all of the United States Air Force sites and most of the village
landing strips throughout Alaska. In my 49 years and over ten months in Alaska,
I learned very well why this is such a wonderful place to live. By default, our
air is the cleanest because we only have less than 5,000 miles of "public
road." Alaska is twice as large as the next largest state.
Here
is the "snowtel" map on the web:
Here
is another site operated by the NASA:
For
most people it is the vacation or cruised trip of a life time.
This is LAME.... and Booneville NY is incorporated as a VILLAGE, not a CITY. Jonathan Erdman, would you like us to corrupt meteorologic terms in the same way you're defining "city" to fit your "journalistic" goal? Point is, don't use "CITY" to define a "PLACE".