Minnesota ยท season guide
Sledding season in Rochester
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Rochester Intl. Airport weather station, about 3 miles from the middle of our Rochester hill list show November as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (4.5 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 0.9 inches.
December is the snowiest month on average, at 12.4 inches.
Across a normal year the station records about 53.1 inches of snow. That puts Rochester at 30 of 98 metros on this site, ranked from snowiest down.
Once it arrives, it tends to stay: about 89 days a year have at least an inch of snow on the ground.
For comparison, La Crosse, the nearest metro on our list, averages 46.3 inches, less than here.
2 of the 5 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 | 0.9 inches | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| November | 4.5 inches | 1.2 | 4.5 |
| December | 12.4 inches | 3.7 | 19.8 |
| January | 12.2 inches | 3.8 | 25.4 |
| February | 10.7 inches | 3.3 | 23.3 |
| March | 8.6 inches | 2.3 | 13.6 |
| April | 3.3 inches | 1.0 | 1.9 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00014925. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
None of the sources we used for Rochester 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 Rochester in the sources we checked. Individual parks may post their own signs, and those win.
Short answers
When does it usually start snowing in Rochester?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Rochester 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 Rochester get in a year?
About 53.1 inches a year at the Rochester Intl. Airport station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in Rochester?
None of the sources we used mention lights. Plan on daylight.
Updated