The snowiest cities in the U.S. mapped

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As you might be aware, most sources on the web still use snowfall measurements from 2010 and projections from the same year to estimate current snowfall. That’s why our team at Blue National HVAC manually analyzed 2020 climate data to get the most updated, accurate estimates of annual snowfall in inches.

By obtaining data from the National Centers for Environmental Information and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the team created the most up-to-date database of recorded snowfall total averages across the 200 largest U.S. cities based on the population through 2020.

The map below shows the top 25 snowest cities in the United States by average annual snowfall in inches.

Top 25 American Cities by Annual Snowfall

Salt Lake City in Utah got the most snow each year during the describing period through 2020, with an unbelievable 134.500 inches (3416.3 mm). Anchorage in Alaska was pretty close, with 105.567 inches (2681.4 mm). Along with Rochester in New York, which experienced 102.200 inches (2595.9 mm), these cities were the just three cities to report more than 100 inches (2540 mm) of snow yearly.

To put this number into perspective, only 11 of the snowiest cities in the United States reported over 50 inches (1270 mm). The average for the top 200 snowiest American cities is less than 10 inches (254 mm) yearly.

Distinctly, in 2010, the top 5 snowiest cities in the United States by average annual snowfall were the following:

Rochester, New York (99.5 inches/2527.3 mm)
Buffalo, New York (94.7 inches/2405.4 mm )
Cleveland, Ohio (68.1 inches/1729.7 mm)
Salt Lake City, Utah (56.2 inches/1427.5 mm)
Minneapolis, Minnesota (54.0 inches/1371.6 mm)

Salt Lake City has boosted up to the top of the rating in the last decade, with the rest of the initial top 5 dropping in their rankings, substituted by cities in Colorado and Alaska.

Annual Snowfall by Major U.S. City

Blue National HVAC team also mapped the total snowfall by the significant city for the 100 of the most populated cities in the United States, which changes from 0.1 inches (2.5 mm) to over 134 inches (3403.6 mm) at the maxima.

These top 100 snowiest U.S. cities get an average of 20.404 inches (518.3 mm) every year, which is over 200 times the average of the 100th city on this list and less than a 6th of what Salt Lake City averages each year.

Surprise findings

• The least snowy cities in America that still receive some measurable snowfall include Bakersfield, CA, Denton, TX, Laredo, TX, and San Antonio, TX.
• Only 12 major cities reported over 50 inches of snowfall.
• The average for the top 200 snowiest U.S. cities is less than 10 inches annually.