Pennsylvania ยท season guide
Sledding season in State College
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Williamsport Rgnl Airport weather station, about 58 miles from the middle of our State College hill list show November as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (1.7 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 58 miles from these hills, so local snowfall can differ a lot from these numbers.
Unusually, March (7.3 inches) averages more snow than December (6.9 inches), so the season runs late.
Across a normal year the station records about 35.8 inches of snow. That puts State College at 68 of 98 metros on this site, ranked from snowiest down.
About 37 days a year have an inch or more of snow on the ground.
For comparison, Harrisburg, the nearest metro on our list, averages 29.9 inches, less than here.
All 2 hills we list here come from local sources rather than the park or city; slab cabin 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 | 0.1 inches | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| November | 1.7 inches | 0.5 | 0.9 |
| December | 6.9 inches | 1.7 | 6.1 |
| January | 9.7 inches | 2.9 | 11.4 |
| February | 9.3 inches | 2.7 | 12.5 |
| March | 7.3 inches | 1.7 | 5.8 |
| April | 0.8 inches | 0.3 | 0.2 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00014778. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
1 hill on our State College list has lights according to the cited source. Light schedules change, so check the source page before a night trip.
Local rules
We didn't find a city-wide sledding rule for State College in the sources we checked. Individual parks may post their own signs, and those win.
Short answers
When does it usually start snowing in State College?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Williamsport Rgnl 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 State College get in a year?
About 35.8 inches a year at the Williamsport Rgnl Airport station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in State College?
Yes. 1 hill on our list has lights per the cited source: Slab Cabin Park.
Updated