How Much Snow Does Duluth Get By Late October On Average?

It has to happen at some point, right? We are all bracing ourselves for winter, which could come at any point in the Northland, and Minnesota in general. At the time of writing, we haven't had our first official snowfall of the season yet but it will be here before we know it.

In fact, the National Weather Service of Duluth shared details about a possible system moving in this week. This system could bring us our first 'measurable' snowfall for the Duluth area, even though it isn't expected to be a major snowstorm.

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This is right on par with what the Old Farmer's Almanac is predicting, sharing that our region can expect snow for the entire month of November starting on the very first day. In my head, this seemed a little early.

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That's why I turned to WDIO Meteorologist Brandon Weatherz. I wanted to know if we usually see snow at this time of the year in Duluth and if so, how much. I reached out to him for the answer and this is what he said:

The first month of the season with normal measurable snowfall for Duluth is actually September, albeit it’s a measly 0.1”. October’s normal monthly snowfall is 2.7”.

Duluth’s normal season-to-date snow through October 22 is 1.3”, so with nothing to show for so far, we’re a full inch behind average. Of course, given that the average amount by this time of year is still rather low, it wouldn’t take much snow to catch up as of now.

There you have it! This cleared up a lot of confusion for me. I have lived in Duluth for six years and I guess I can't remember a time it snowed in October. I probably also blocked it out because I didn't want to face it. Ha!

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The good news is that it is unlikely this winter will be as bad as last winter! We broke a lot of weather records in Duluth, like the all-time snow record, among many others. I am good with a nice, mild winter this time around!

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The 15 Snowiest Winters On Record In Duluth History

Since the National Weather Service began keeping weather records in Duluth in the late 1800s, here are the 15 winters with the highest snowfall totals on historical record.

It is worth noting that the official records from 1941-today have been recorded at the area now known as the Duluth International Airport (away from the lake, on top of the hill). Before then, various locations closer to Lake Superior had been used for official weather recording data. For anyone that knows anything about how Lake Superior and the hill play a role in temperature and snow, you can see how this makes older records inherently different.

While these records note the "snowiest winters", they actually include all seasonal snowfall from July 1 through June 30 of the following year.

Gallery Credit: Nick Cooper - TSM Duluth

The 15 Least Snowy Winters On Record In Duluth History

Since the National Weather Service began keeping weather records in Duluth in the late 1800s, here are the 15 winters with the lowest snowfall totals on historical record.

While these records note the "least snowy winters", they actually include all seasonal snowfall from July 1 through June 30 of the following year.

Gallery Credit: Nick Cooper - TSM Duluth

Source: How Much Snow Do We Usually Have In Duluth By Late October?