Some people prefer sunny weather and some prefer rain. However, there is something uniquely magical about snow. Every year across the country, snow blankets homes in a comforting, white blanket that silences the sounds of the city and heralds the start of the holiday season.
While snow is fairly common in the northern United States, some cities see larger amounts of snow than others, turning into a winter wonderland. But which cities see the most snow?
If you're thinking of moving to a new area but aren't sure where to choose, we're here to help. Like it or not , Redfin has compiled a list of the snowiest cities in the U.S. to help you navigate the year-round and cold and snowy winters to avoid or love. Read on to learn more and see if one of these cities is right for you.
How we measure the snowiest cities
For our purpose of identifying the “snowiest” cities, this list will focus on the cities with the highest average seasonal snow total. Some cities may have more days with measurable snowfall, but the average totals may be lower, so we won't include them.
Read on to see Redfin's ranking of the snowiest US cities with populations of 75,000 or more.
What are the snowiest cities in the US?
1. Syracuse, New York
Average annual snowfall: 127.8 inches
Record seasonal snow: (1992-93)
The snowiest city in the US is Syracuse, NY. Syracuse too and one cities of the country.
Due to its location near the Great Lakes, Syracuse has a lot of snow and often looks heavy . Lake-effect precipitation occurs when old air entering a region from the west or northwest moves east over relatively warm lakes and turns into heavy rain or snow. Syracuse is east of Lake Ontario, so it often sees this pattern. The lake effect is stronger and more noticeable in winter due to the larger temperature difference between air and water.
Sometimes lake-effect systems hover over the region and cause blizzards that can blanket a city in snow within a day. That's why New York State is known for some . That pushed the biggest Upstate cities into competition awarded to the city that receives the most snow each year. Syracuse won most of the years prior to 1951, but Buffalo won the last three years and currently .
The most snow seen in Syracuse occurred during a single storm In 1993, 42.9 inches fell in two days.
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2. Erie, Pennsylvania
Average seasonal snow: 104.3 inches
Record seasonal snow: (2017-18)
The small town of Erie, Pennsylvania is second on our list. as one cities, Erie sees most of its snow from lake-effect storms on Lake Erie. But since the cold air that causes the storms doesn't cross as far across the lake as other cities like Syracuse (from Lake Ontario), the snow is generally lighter.
Regardless, the region sees strong storms: It was recently hit by Erie due to a lake effect storm over the holidays.
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3. Rochester, New York
Average seasonal snow: 102 inches
Record seasonal snow: (1959-60)
Rochester is the third snowiest city in the US, again thanks to the lake effect. Similar to Syracuse, it gets a lot of snow from Lake Ontario. However, it is further west than Syracuse, meaning there is less opportunity for cold air to move over the lake, resulting in less snowfall. Similar to Syracuse, Rochester is more often known for light to moderate snow, but has seen plenty of heavy storms.
The took place in the history of the city between February 28 and March 2, 1900. This storm dumped 43.5 inches of snow in 63 straight hours, creating the deepest snowpack Rochester has ever seen.
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4. Buffalo, New York
Average seasonal snow: 95.4 inches
Record seasonal snow: (1976-77)
Buffalo, the last city in New York state, is the fourth snowiest city in the United States. Like Syracuse and Rochester, Buffalo receives most of its snow from powerful lake-effect snowstorms.
However, Buffalo is famous for the experience resulting in a blizzard that can dump many feet of snow in one day. The most famous snow storm over 100 inches of snow fell in three days. Recently, the storm dumped more than four feet of snow along with strong winds .
So while Buffalo gets less average snowfall than its neighbors, it sees the strongest storms and fastest snow accumulation. Buffalo's one-day snowfall record of 33.9 inches is rivaled only by Syracuse on this list.
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5. Boulder, CO
Average seasonal snow: 92.8 inches
Record seasonal snow: (2019-20)
Boulder, CO, the first city on the list in the Rocky Mountains, is the fifth snowiest city in the country. The keys to Boulder's snowy winters are its elevation and location.
At 5,430 feet above sea level, Boulder benefits from moisture from the east rises rapidly over the steep cliffs and turns into precipitation. Due to the frequent cold weather, this precipitation often falls as snow in winter. Colder temperatures also lead to extremely long snow seasons .
Also, despite being only 30 miles from Denver, Boulder gets more than twice as much snow. Here it is to Boulder's neat spot in the shadow of the steep Flatiron Range. When winter storm systems hit the Flatirons, they quickly drop large amounts of snow, most of which falls on Boulder.
However, Boulder's winters aren't the freezing snowscapes some might expect. Although there is a lot of snow in the area, it more than a few days thanks to strong sunlight and relatively mild temperatures. The average winter temperature is about 47°F, with 60°F days not uncommon. Compared to places like Syracuse, where the average winter temperature is 34°F, Boulder winters are relatively mild (minus ).
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6. Duluth, Minnesota
Average seasonal snow: 90.2 inches
Record seasonal snow: (2022-23)
The sixth snowiest city in the US is Duluth, MN. During the long winter, Duluth regularly sees snow and experiences months of extremely cold weather. Actually, that's what Duluth is a major city in the contiguous United States
Duluth is unique in that it is located on the west side of Lake Superior, which usually makes it a drier city. However, Lake Superior is large enough and far enough north to produce lake-effect precipitation which can also spread from within. This, along with other storms in the spring and fall, makes it a very cold and snowy city.
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7. Flagstaff, Arizona
Average seasonal snow: 90.1 inches
Record seasonal snowfall: (1948-49)
Flagstaff is the seventh snowiest city in the United States, averaging more than seven feet of snow per year. The city is particularly snowy due to its high altitude (6,900 feet above sea level) and proximity to the Pacific Ocean. Although the city is relatively south, the altitude brings a lot of cold air and means that any moisture that passes through the area will land near the city.
Flagstaff benefits from a similar phenomenon as Boulder, but the moisture comes from the Pacific Ocean instead of the Midwest.
Snow is also relatively common lately. It was the 2022-23 season and 2024-25 is off to a strong start; The local Arizona Snowbowl Ski Resort was the only one in history.
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8. Anchorage, Alaska
Average seasonal snow: 77.9 inches
Record seasonal snow: (2011-12)
Surprisingly, Anchorage, AK, the northernmost large city in the United States, is only the eighth snowiest city. This is because Anchorage is surrounded by high mountains and fjords, which cause a large portion of the frequent Pacific storms to dump much of the snow and rain before reaching the city. However, the city still receives plenty of snow and offers spectacular views throughout the year.
Other Alaskan cities like Juneau (87.6 inches) and Homer (100.6 inches) get more snow on average than Anchorage, but are too small for this list.
Anchorage has recently concluded for the current 2023-24 season – the second snowiest season on record. The snow fell at the end of May that season.
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9. Grand Rapids, Michigan
Average seasonal snow: 77.6 inches
Record seasonal snow: (1951-52)
Grand Rapids, MI is the ninth snowiest city in the United States. Like many other cities on the list, the city sees most of its snow from lake-effect storms. Grand Rapids is east of Lake Michigan, which means snow is likely to fall in the area if cold air blows in from the west or southwest. However, these wind patterns usually only last around meaning the region receives less snow than the top places on this list.
The largest single-day snowfall ever recorded in Grand Rapids occurred during the famous period . 16.1 inches of snow fell in 24 hours, with some localized areas receiving 30 inches or more.
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10. Worcester, Massachusetts
Average seasonal snow: 72.9 inches
Record seasonal snow: (1995-96)
Last on our list is Worcester, MA. Worcester is only the fourth city on the list that does not benefit from the lake effect. Instead, the area sees most of the snow from here They are storms formed as a result of strong cold air from the northeast hitting the relatively warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean. These storms can produce very heavy snowstorms in New England and even further south.
In fact, in January 2015, a Nor'ester Blizzard was thrown – single storm record.
Interestingly, Worcester gets about 30 inches more snow on average than coastal cities like Boston and Providence. This is because its inland location and nearer elevation results in lower temperatures and increased winter precipitation.
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What is the snowiest place In the US?
The snowiest place in the US is the jump between Mount Rainier (Tahoma) and Mount Baker (Kulshan). . These mountains get average – We only saw so much snow every year and inches – the highest total in the world.
The mountains receive a lot of snow because of their high elevation and proximity to the frequent humidity of the Pacific Ocean. One of the lowest ski resorts in the US, also benefits from this model. Late season snow is especially common at higher elevations.
How does snowfall change?
You need three ingredients for the snow:
Cold weather (about 32 degrees Fahrenheit)
Humidity (high relative humidity)
Rising air (required for clouds and precipitation)
most of the world has more precipitation. However, the world is like that in particular this causes more precipitation . More rain means less snow cover and causing disruptions in global water and food supplies. This is particularly evident primarily at low altitudes.
This trend is already happening and is predicted to get worse. In fact, the winter of 2023-2024 was the warmest on record in the contiguous United States, and many called it “.” Cold and snow were mostly absent in large areas of the country.
So, as the world warms, the snowiest US cities will see less snow in the future.
Methodology
This list contains seasonal snowfall data for major cities with more than 75,000 residents, measured from July 1 to June 30.
Comes from the National Centers for Environmental Information () and its principal administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ().
