Massachusetts ยท season guide
Sledding season in Boston
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Boston weather station show December as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (9 inches). The normals are monthly averages, so they can't give a first-snow date. Some years come early, some late.
February is the snowiest month on average, at 14.4 inches.
Across a normal year the station records about 49.2 inches of snow. That puts Boston at 42 of 98 metros on this site, ranked from snowiest down.
This station doesn't publish a snow-depth normal, so we can't say how many days snow usually stays on the ground.
For comparison, Providence, the nearest metro on our list, averages 36.6 inches, less than here.
2 of the 11 hills we list here come from a city, county or park district page.
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 | 0.2 inches | 0.1 | Not stated by source |
| November | 0.7 inches | 0.2 | Not stated by source |
| December | 9 inches | 1.9 | Not stated by source |
| January | 14.3 inches | 3.5 | Not stated by source |
| February | 14.4 inches | 2.9 | Not stated by source |
| March | 9 inches | 2.2 | Not stated by source |
| April | 1.6 inches | 0.3 | Not stated by source |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00014739. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
None of the sources we used for Boston 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 Boston in the sources we checked. Individual parks may post their own signs, and those win.
Short answers
When does it usually start snowing in Boston?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Boston station, December is the first month averaging an inch of snow or more. The normals are monthly averages, not a date.
How much snow does Boston get in a year?
About 49.2 inches a year at the Boston station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in Boston?
None of the sources we used mention lights. Plan on daylight.
Updated