Montana ยท season guide
Sledding season in Helena
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Helena Airport Asos weather station, about 2 miles from the middle of our Helena hill list show October as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (2.8 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 2.8 inches.
December is the snowiest month on average, at 7.7 inches.
Across a normal year the station records about 37.2 inches of snow. That puts Helena at 62 of 98 metros on this site, ranked from snowiest down.
About 56 days a year have an inch or more of snow on the ground.
For comparison, Great Falls, the nearest metro on our list, averages 66.1 inches, more than here.
Bozeman uses the same weather station on this site, so the snow numbers match. The hills don't.
All 1 hills we list here come from local sources rather than the park or city.
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 | 2.8 inches | 0.9 | 1.6 |
| November | 5.4 inches | 1.7 | 6.0 |
| December | 7.7 inches | 2.2 | 13.7 |
| January | 6.6 inches | 2.3 | 17.8 |
| February | 6.6 inches | 2.5 | 11.0 |
| March | 4.6 inches | 1.6 | 5.3 |
| April | 2.9 inches | 1.2 | 1.1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00024144. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
None of the sources we used for Helena 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 Helena in the sources we checked. Individual parks may post their own signs, and those win.
Short answers
When does it usually start snowing in Helena?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Helena Airport Asos station, October is the first month averaging an inch of snow or more. The normals are monthly averages, not a date.
How much snow does Helena get in a year?
About 37.2 inches a year at the Helena Airport Asos station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in Helena?
None of the sources we used mention lights. Plan on daylight.
Updated