Wisconsin ยท season guide
Sledding season in La Crosse
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the La Crosse Muni Airport weather station, about 4 miles from the middle of our La Crosse hill list show November as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (3.4 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 11.8 inches.
Across a normal year the station records about 46.3 inches of snow. That puts La Crosse at 50 of 98 metros on this site, ranked from snowiest down.
Once it arrives, it tends to stay: about 79 days a year have at least an inch of snow on the ground.
For comparison, Rochester, the nearest metro on our list, averages 53.1 inches, more than here.
1 of the 5 hills we list here come from a city, county or park district page; sources call Myrick Park gentle.
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 | 3.4 inches | 0.9 | 3.5 |
| December | 10.9 inches | 3.0 | 17.7 |
| January | 11.8 inches | 3.6 | 23.9 |
| February | 9.7 inches | 2.9 | 21.5 |
| March | 7.3 inches | 1.9 | 10.6 |
| April | 2.9 inches | 0.9 | 1.4 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00014920. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
2 hills on our La Crosse list have 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 La Crosse in the sources we checked. Individual parks may post their own signs, and those win.
Short answers
When does it usually start snowing in La Crosse?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the La Crosse Muni 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 La Crosse get in a year?
About 46.3 inches a year at the La Crosse Muni Airport station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in La Crosse?
Yes. 2 hills on our list have lights per the cited source: Van Riper Park, Deer Wood Park.
Updated