Maine ยท season guide
Sledding season in Bangor
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Bangor Intl. Airport weather station, about 2 miles from the middle of our Bangor hill list show November as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (4.3 inches). The normals are monthly averages, so they can't give a first-snow date. Some years come early, some late.
October snow is part of the record here: the normal for that month is 0.6 inches.
Unusually, March (15.2 inches) averages more snow than December (14.7 inches), so the season runs late.
Across a normal year the station records about 74.6 inches of snow. That puts Bangor at 13 of 98 metros on this site, ranked from snowiest down.
Snow doesn't sit around long, though. Only about 88 days a year have an inch or more on the ground, which is low for this much snowfall. Go soon after a storm.
For comparison, Portland, the nearest metro on our list, averages 68.7 inches, less than here.
All 2 hills we list here come from local sources rather than the park or city; essex street hill is described as steep.
Month by month
| Month | Average snowfall | Days with 1 inch or more of new snow | Days with 1 inch or more on the ground |
|---|---|---|---|
| October | 0.6 inches | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| November | 4.3 inches | 1.3 | 3.0 |
| December | 14.7 inches | 4.4 | 15.9 |
| January | 18.6 inches | 4.8 | 24.1 |
| February | 17.5 inches | 5.0 | 24.7 |
| March | 15.2 inches | 3.8 | 16.8 |
| April | 3.7 inches | 1.2 | 2.9 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00014606. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
None of the sources we used for Bangor mention lights on a sledding hill. Plan on daylight, and see our national lit hills list if you're travelling.
Local rules
We didn't find a city-wide sledding rule for Bangor in the sources we checked. Individual parks may post their own signs, and those win.
Short answers
When does it usually start snowing in Bangor?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Bangor Intl. Airport station, November is the first month averaging an inch of snow or more. The normals are monthly averages, not a date.
How much snow does Bangor get in a year?
About 74.6 inches a year at the Bangor Intl. Airport station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in Bangor?
None of the sources we used mention lights. Plan on daylight.
Updated