Illinois ยท season guide
Sledding season in Peoria
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the General Wayne A Downing Intl. A weather station, about 10 miles from the middle of our Peoria hill list show November as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (1.5 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 7.7 inches.
Across a normal year the station records about 26.2 inches of snow. That puts Peoria at 80 of 98 metros on this site, ranked from snowiest down.
About 36 days a year have an inch or more of snow on the ground.
For comparison, Champaign-Urbana, the nearest metro on our list, averages 21.8 inches, less than here.
1 of the 1 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 | 0.1 inches | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 1.5 inches | 0.5 | 1.3 |
| December | 6.2 inches | 1.8 | 7.9 |
| January | 7.7 inches | 2.5 | 14.2 |
| February | 6.9 inches | 2.2 | 8.8 |
| March | 3.3 inches | 1.0 | 3.1 |
| April | 0.5 inches | 0.1 | 0.3 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00014842. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
None of the sources we used for Peoria 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 Peoria in the sources we checked. Individual parks may post their own signs, and those win.
Short answers
When does it usually start snowing in Peoria?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the General Wayne A Downing Intl. A 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 Peoria get in a year?
About 26.2 inches a year at the General Wayne A Downing Intl. A station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in Peoria?
None of the sources we used mention lights. Plan on daylight.
Updated