Connecticut ยท season guide
Sledding season in Hartford
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Hartford-Bradley Intl. Airport weather station show November as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (1.4 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 0.7 inches.
February is the snowiest month on average, at 14.8 inches.
Across a normal year the station records about 51.7 inches of snow. That puts Hartford at 36 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, Springfield, MA, the nearest metro on our list, averages 36.6 inches, less than here.
All 11 hills we list here come from local sources rather than the park or city; elizabeth park (east lawn) 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 | 0.7 inches | 0.1 | Not stated by source |
| November | 1.4 inches | 0.4 | Not stated by source |
| December | 10.1 inches | 2.3 | Not stated by source |
| January | 14.2 inches | 3.6 | Not stated by source |
| February | 14.8 inches | 3.2 | Not stated by source |
| March | 9.4 inches | 2.4 | Not stated by source |
| April | 1.1 inches | 0.5 | Not stated by source |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00014740. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
1 hill on our Hartford 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 Hartford in the sources we checked. Individual parks may post their own signs, and those win.
Short answers
When does it usually start snowing in Hartford?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Hartford-Bradley Intl. 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 Hartford get in a year?
About 51.7 inches a year at the Hartford-Bradley Intl. Airport station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in Hartford?
Yes. 1 hill on our list has lights per the cited source: Henry Park (Fox Hill Tower).
Updated