Illinois ยท season guide
Sledding season in Champaign-Urbana
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Springfield Abraham Lincoln Ca weather station, about 77 miles from the middle of our Champaign-Urbana hill list show November as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (1.2 inches). The normals are monthly averages, so they can't give a first-snow date. Some years come early, some late.
Caveat: the nearest NOAA station with snow normals is about 77 miles from these hills, so local snowfall can differ a lot from these numbers.
January is the snowiest month on average, at 6.7 inches.
Across a normal year the station records about 21.8 inches of snow. That puts Champaign-Urbana at 89 of 98 metros on this site, ranked from snowiest down.
About 27 days a year have an inch or more of snow on the ground.
For comparison, Peoria, the nearest metro on our list, averages 26.2 inches, more than here.
4 of the 7 hills we list here come from a city, county or park district page; sources call Douglass Park and Morrissey Park and others gentle; Centennial Park 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 | 0.1 inches | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 1.2 inches | 0.4 | 0.9 |
| December | 4.3 inches | 1.2 | 6.0 |
| January | 6.7 inches | 2.1 | 10.6 |
| February | 6.1 inches | 1.7 | 7.2 |
| March | 3.1 inches | 0.7 | 2.0 |
| April | 0.3 inches | 0.1 | 0.1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00093822. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
1 hill on our Champaign-Urbana list has lights according to the cited source. Light schedules change, so check the source page before a night trip.
Local rules
We didn't find a city-wide sledding rule for Champaign-Urbana in the sources we checked. Individual parks may post their own signs, and those win.
Short answers
When does it usually start snowing in Champaign-Urbana?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Springfield Abraham Lincoln Ca 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 Champaign-Urbana get in a year?
About 21.8 inches a year at the Springfield Abraham Lincoln Ca station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in Champaign-Urbana?
Yes. 1 hill on our list has lights per the cited source: Crystal Lake Park (Cannonball Hill).
Updated