Missouri ยท season guide
Sledding season in St. Louis
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the St Louis Lambert Intl. Airport weather station, about 9 miles from the middle of our St. Louis hill list show December as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (3.2 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 5.7 inches.
Across a normal year the station records about 16.6 inches of snow. That puts St. Louis at 94 of 98 metros on this site, ranked from snowiest down.
Expect a short window. About 17 days a year have an inch or more of snow on the ground, so the morning after a storm counts.
For comparison, Champaign-Urbana, the nearest metro on our list, averages 21.8 inches, more than here.
All 6 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 inches | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.9 inches | 0.4 | 0.7 |
| December | 3.2 inches | 1.0 | 3.8 |
| January | 5.7 inches | 1.7 | 7.2 |
| February | 4.3 inches | 1.3 | 4.3 |
| March | 2.3 inches | 0.6 | 1.4 |
| April | 0.2 inches | 0.1 | 0.0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00013994. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
None of the sources we used for St. Louis mention lights on a sledding hill. Plan on daylight, and see our national lit hills list if you're travelling.
Local rules
- St. Louis County Parks: sledding is allowed in all county parks except Lone Elk, Veterans Memorial and Kennedy (as reported by Fun 4 STL Kids). Source
Short answers
When does it usually start snowing in St. Louis?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the St Louis Lambert 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 St. Louis get in a year?
About 16.6 inches a year at the St Louis Lambert Intl. Airport station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in St. Louis?
None of the sources we used mention lights. Plan on daylight.
Updated