Utah ยท season guide
Sledding season in Salt Lake City
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Salt Lake City Intl. Airport weather station, about 7 miles from the middle of our Salt Lake City hill list show November as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (7 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 0.5 inches.
January is the snowiest month on average, at 12.7 inches.
Across a normal year the station records about 51.9 inches of snow. That puts Salt Lake City at 32 of 98 metros on this site, ranked from snowiest down.
Snow doesn't sit around long, though. Only about 45 days a year have an inch or more on the ground, which is low for this much snowfall. Go soon after a storm.
That's close to Ogden / Provo, the nearest metro on our list (51.9 inches).
Ogden / Provo and Logan uses the same weather station on this site, so the snow numbers match. The hills don't.
All 7 hills we list here come from local sources rather than the park or city; lindsey gardens 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 | 0.5 inches | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| November | 7 inches | 2.1 | 3.4 |
| December | 12.1 inches | 3.8 | 12.9 |
| January | 12.7 inches | 3.6 | 16.1 |
| February | 10.7 inches | 3.0 | 9.1 |
| March | 5.9 inches | 2.3 | 2.8 |
| April | 2.9 inches | 1.0 | 0.6 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00024127. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
None of the sources we used for Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City get in a year?
About 51.9 inches a year at the Salt Lake City Intl. Airport station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in Salt Lake City?
None of the sources we used mention lights. Plan on daylight.
Updated