Washington ยท season guide
Sledding season in Spokane
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Spokane Intl. Airport weather station, about 7 miles from the middle of our Spokane hill list show November as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (6.2 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.
December is the snowiest month on average, at 13.8 inches.
Across a normal year the station records about 45.4 inches of snow. That puts Spokane at 51 of 98 metros on this site, ranked from snowiest down.
Snow doesn't sit around long, though. Only about 48 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 Missoula, the nearest metro on our list (43 inches).
1 of the 6 hills we list here come from a city, county or park district page; sources call Manito Park gentle; Underhill 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 | 0.5 inches | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| November | 6.2 inches | 2.1 | 4.4 |
| December | 13.8 inches | 4.5 | 13.2 |
| January | 12.3 inches | 4.0 | 15.9 |
| February | 7.8 inches | 2.7 | 10.2 |
| March | 3.9 inches | 1.2 | 3.9 |
| April | 0.7 inches | 0.3 | 0.1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00024157. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
None of the sources we used for Spokane 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 Spokane in the sources we checked. Individual parks may post their own signs, and those win.
Short answers
When does it usually start snowing in Spokane?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Spokane 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 Spokane get in a year?
About 45.4 inches a year at the Spokane Intl. Airport station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in Spokane?
None of the sources we used mention lights. Plan on daylight.
Updated