Minnesota · season guide
Sledding season in Minneapolis / St Paul
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Minneapolis-St Paul Intl. Airport weather station, about 7 miles from the middle of our Minneapolis / St Paul hill list show November as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (6.8 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 0.8 inches.
December is the snowiest month on average, at 11.4 inches.
Across a normal year the station records about 51.2 inches of snow. That puts Minneapolis / St Paul at 39 of 98 metros on this site, ranked from snowiest down.
Once it arrives, it tends to stay: about 90 days a year have at least an inch of snow on the ground.
For comparison, St. Cloud, the nearest metro on our list, averages 47.9 inches, less than here.
30 of the 30 hills we list here come from a city, county or park district page; sources call Griggs Park and Margaret Park and others gentle; Baker Park 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 | 0.8 inches | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| November | 6.8 inches | 1.9 | 5.6 |
| December | 11.4 inches | 3.3 | 20.9 |
| January | 11 inches | 3.3 | 25.7 |
| February | 9.5 inches | 2.8 | 22.0 |
| March | 8.2 inches | 2.4 | 13.3 |
| April | 3.5 inches | 0.8 | 2.0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00014922. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
2 hills on our Minneapolis / St Paul list have lights according to the cited source. Light schedules change, so check the source page before a night trip.
- Thorpe ParkOutdoor lighting until 10 p.m. each night.
- Wintercrest ParkOutdoor lighting until 10 p.m. each night.
Local rules
We didn't find a city-wide sledding rule for Minneapolis / St Paul in the sources we checked. Individual parks may post their own signs, and those win.
Hours and status lines
Where a source gives hours or a phone line for hill status, here it is. Call before a long drive.
Short answers
When does it usually start snowing in Minneapolis / St Paul?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Minneapolis-St Paul 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 Minneapolis / St Paul get in a year?
About 51.2 inches a year at the Minneapolis-St Paul Intl. Airport station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in Minneapolis / St Paul?
Yes. 2 hills on our list have lights per the cited source: Thorpe Park, Wintercrest Park.
Updated