When should you expect the first snow of the season in Northeast Ohio?
**Related Video Above: Northeast Ohioans enjoy the snow in March
CLEVELAND (WJW) — As much as we’d like to fight it, snow is on its way later this year … hopefully, much later this year.
But with fall-like temperatures hitting Northeast Ohio this week, and many kiddos heading back to school already, it got us thinking about the season coming next and specifically when the first snowfall could be headed our way.
Average first measurable snowfall in Northeast Ohio
The National Weather Service defines a first snowfall as one that measures one-tenth of an inch or more. Here’s when the first snowfall comes for a variety of Northeast Ohio cities on average:
Cleveland – Nov. 10
Akron/Canton – Nov. 9
Youngstown – Nov. 5
Mansfield – Nov. 18
The earliest snow has come for Cleveland and Akron/Canton was on Oct. 2 in 2003 and 1974, respectively. However, the latest snow came for Cleveland in a winter season was Jan. 1, 1924. So take it all with a grain of salt. History shows snow could come as early as October and as late as January. But how much snow should we be expecting?
See the latest weather forecast right here
Average amount of snow through the winter season
Cleveland – 63.8 inches
Akron/Canton – 47.2 inches
Of course, there’s a wild fluctuation between highs and lows here as well. For instance, the most snow Cleveland ever got was about 117 inches in the 2004-2005 season, but the least was 8.8 inches in the 1918-1919 season — proving we are likely to get at least some snow this season ahead.
The earliest snowfall over the last 11 years
The National Weather Service has kindly put together a roundup of the past winters in Northeast Ohio, in case you want to relive those experiences. Let’s take a look at when the first snow event of the season came for Cleveland, as measured at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport:
2023-2024 – Oct. 31 (first measurable)
2022-2023 – Nov. 13
2021-2022 – Nov. 14
2020-2021 – Nov. 11
2019-2020 – Nov. 7
2018-2019 – Nov. 9
2017-2018 – Nov. 11
2016-2017 – Dec. 4
2015-2016 – Oct. 17
2014-2015 – Nov. 13
2013-2014 – Nov. 8
So what’s next?
The first day of fall is Sept. 22, with the first day of winter falling on Dec. 21. As the above dates show, snow usually comes for the Cleveland area by mid-fall.
Watches vs. warnings: What to know for severe storms
You may remember that last winter was pretty mild. Cleveland only got about 26 inches over the whole 2023-2024 winter weather time period, but that doesn’t mean this winter is going to follow suit. However, it’s still a little too early to offer up a forecast ahead.
As always, FOX 8 meteorologists release their winter weather outlook in late October. In the meantime, let’s enjoy these snow-free days. It is still summer after all.
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