Countries with Regular Annual Snowfall Mapped

Most people associate snow with Canada, Scandinavia, and other northern countries. But regular snowfall actually happens in dozens of unexpected places, including some near the equator. Elevation matters more than latitude in many cases.

This map shows in dark blue where snow falls below 500 meters (1,640 feet). Teal marks places that only see snow above 500 meters. Pale lime means you need to climb above 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) to find snow. Countries in gray don’t get regular annual snowfall.

The dark blue category covers the obvious winter destinations: Russia, Canada, the United States, and central and eastern Asia. Snow reaches these low-elevation areas every winter.

Teal gets more surprising. Mexico has snow. So does Brazil. Australia, India, and South Africa, too. In Australia, the Snowy Mountains actually earn their name each winter. Northern India’s Himalayan regions turn white annually. South Africa’s Drakensberg range sees snow periodically. These countries can experience tropical heat in the valleys while their peaks remain frozen, as temperatures typically drop by about 6.5°C for every 1,000 meters of elevation.

Pale lime shows the most extreme cases. The Andes in Colombia and Peru. Kenya and Ethiopia in East Africa. Mount Kenya sits almost on the equator but has permanent snow and glaciers at its summit.

The Snow Champions

Chile’s southern Andes win the global competition with approximately 2,000 inches (51 meters) annually. Enough snow to bury a house. The Pacific sends moisture straight into those massive peaks, and it accumulates relentlessly.

For cities, Aomori in northern Japan leads at around 312 inches (8 meters) per year, with Sapporo close behind. The Japanese totals come from a different process than Chile’s. Siberian cold air travels across the Sea of Japan, absorbs moisture from the warmer water, and then releases it all as snow when it hits the coast.

Interested in more weather patterns? Check out The ‘White Christmas Map’ Reveals Every Country’s Chance of Snow on Christmas Day and The Coldest Temperatures Around The World Mapped.