Michigan ยท season guide
Sledding season in Grand Rapids
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Grand Rapids weather station, about 7 miles from the middle of our Grand Rapids hill list show November as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (7.1 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 22.6 inches.
Across a normal year the station records about 77.6 inches of snow. That puts Grand Rapids at 11 of 98 metros on this site, ranked from snowiest down.
Snow doesn't sit around long, though. Only about 68 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 Kalamazoo, the nearest metro on our list (77.6 inches).
Kalamazoo uses the same weather station on this site, so the snow numbers match. The hills don't.
1 of the 9 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 | 0.3 inches | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| November | 7.1 inches | 2.0 | 3.2 |
| December | 20.8 inches | 6.1 | 14.3 |
| January | 22.6 inches | 7.2 | 23.0 |
| February | 17.2 inches | 5.5 | 18.0 |
| March | 7.6 inches | 2.1 | 8.2 |
| April | 2 inches | 0.5 | 0.7 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00094860. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
None of the sources we used for Grand Rapids 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 Grand Rapids in the sources we checked. Individual parks may post their own signs, and those win.
Short answers
When does it usually start snowing in Grand Rapids?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Grand Rapids 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 Grand Rapids get in a year?
About 77.6 inches a year at the Grand Rapids station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in Grand Rapids?
None of the sources we used mention lights. Plan on daylight.
Updated