Pennsylvania ยท season guide
Sledding season in Scranton
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Allentown Lehigh Vly Intl. Airport weather station, about 53 miles from the middle of our Scranton hill list show December as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (4.6 inches). The normals are monthly averages, so they can't give a first-snow date. Some years come early, some late.
Caveat: the nearest NOAA station with snow normals is about 53 miles from these hills, so local snowfall can differ a lot from these numbers.
Unusually, March (6.3 inches) averages more snow than December (4.6 inches), so the season runs late.
Across a normal year the station records about 33.1 inches of snow. That puts Scranton at 71 of 98 metros on this site, ranked from snowiest down.
About 30 days a year have an inch or more of snow on the ground.
For comparison, Binghamton, the nearest metro on our list, averages 86.5 inches, more than here.
Allentown uses the same weather station on this site, so the snow numbers match. The hills don't.
All 1 hills we list here come from local sources rather than the park or city.
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 | 0.2 inches | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| November | 0.9 inches | 0.3 | 0.6 |
| December | 4.6 inches | 1.4 | 4.6 |
| January | 9.8 inches | 2.4 | 8.8 |
| February | 10.8 inches | 2.4 | 10.8 |
| March | 6.3 inches | 1.5 | 5.5 |
| April | 0.5 inches | 0.1 | 0.1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00014737. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
None of the sources we used for Scranton 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 Scranton in the sources we checked. Individual parks may post their own signs, and those win.
Short answers
When does it usually start snowing in Scranton?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Allentown Lehigh Vly Intl. Airport station, December is the first month averaging an inch of snow or more. The normals are monthly averages, not a date.
How much snow does Scranton get in a year?
About 33.1 inches a year at the Allentown Lehigh Vly Intl. Airport station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in Scranton?
None of the sources we used mention lights. Plan on daylight.
Updated