Michigan ยท season guide
Sledding season in Detroit
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Detroit Metro Airport weather station show November as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (1.9 inches). The normals are monthly averages, so they can't give a first-snow date. Some years come early, some late.
January is the snowiest month on average, at 14 inches.
Across a normal year the station records about 45 inches of snow. That puts Detroit at 53 of 98 metros on this site, ranked from snowiest down.
Snow doesn't sit around long, though. Only about 47 days a year have an inch or more on the ground, which is low for this much snowfall. Go soon after a storm.
That's close to Ann Arbor, the nearest metro on our list (45 inches).
Ann Arbor uses the same weather station on this site, so the snow numbers match. The hills don't.
8 of the 8 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 inches | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 1.9 inches | 0.6 | 1.5 |
| December | 8.9 inches | 2.7 | 8.1 |
| January | 14 inches | 4.3 | 17.2 |
| February | 12.5 inches | 3.6 | 13.7 |
| March | 6.2 inches | 1.9 | 6.2 |
| April | 1.5 inches | 0.5 | 0.5 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00094847. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
1 hill on our Detroit 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 Detroit in the sources we checked. Individual parks may post their own signs, and those win.
Short answers
When does it usually start snowing in Detroit?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Detroit Metro 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 Detroit get in a year?
About 45 inches a year at the Detroit Metro Airport station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in Detroit?
Yes. 1 hill on our list has lights per the cited source: Willow Metropark.
Updated