New York ยท season guide
Sledding season in Buffalo
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Buffalo weather station, about 6 miles from the middle of our Buffalo hill list show November as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (7.8 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 0.9 inches.
January is the snowiest month on average, at 26.7 inches.
Across a normal year the station records about 95.4 inches of snow. That puts Buffalo at 6 of 98 metros on this site, ranked from snowiest down.
Snow doesn't sit around long, though. Only about 71 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, Rochester, the nearest metro on our list, averages 102 inches, more than here.
6 of the 7 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 | 0.9 inches | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| November | 7.8 inches | 2.1 | 3.7 |
| December | 25.3 inches | 6.0 | 14.4 |
| January | 26.7 inches | 7.5 | 21.3 |
| February | 18.1 inches | 5.5 | 18.5 |
| March | 14.1 inches | 3.6 | 11.9 |
| April | 2.5 inches | 0.8 | 1.1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00014733. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
None of the sources we used for Buffalo 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 Buffalo in the sources we checked. Individual parks may post their own signs, and those win.
Short answers
When does it usually start snowing in Buffalo?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Buffalo 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 Buffalo get in a year?
About 95.4 inches a year at the Buffalo station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in Buffalo?
None of the sources we used mention lights. Plan on daylight.
Updated