Snowfall Trends

Climate Central analyzed 2,041 U.S. monitoring stations from 1970 to 2023, finding that 64% of locations experienced a decrease in annual snowfall. The report highlights regional disparities, noting that while the western U.S. faces shrinking snowpack and increased snow drought, the Great Lakes region sees a trend toward more lake effect snow due to reduced ice cover, though the overall snow season is projected to shorten. These shifts threaten water security in the West, the winter recreation industry in the Northeast, and aquatic ecosystems in the Northern Great Plains.

• An analysis of 2,041 U.S. monitoring stations between 1970 and 2023 reveals that nearly two-thirds of locations have seen a decrease in annual snowfall, while 36% (731 stations) experienced an increase.
• The western U.S. is identified as a global hot spot for snow drought, with the duration of such droughts increasing by 28% from 1980 to 2018. This shrinking snowpack has reduced snow-derived freshwater in the region by 15-30% since 1955.
• In the Great Lakes region, warming has led to a 25% decrease in basin-wide ice cover since 1973, which increases evaporation and lake effect snow, although the overall lake effect snow season is expected to shorten by the late 21st century.
• Climate change is altering the nature of winter precipitation in the Northeast, increasing the proportion of precipitation falling as rain rather than snow and projecting a decrease in the overall frequency of snowstorms this century.
• Warming in the Northern Great Plains has resulted in shorter snow seasons and reduced snowpack water storage, which negatively impacts late-summer regional streamflow and dependent aquatic ecosystems.

APA

Climate Central (2024). Snowfall Trends. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/snowfall-trends-2024

Chicago

Climate Central. Snowfall Trends. 2024. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/snowfall-trends-2024.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Central |title=Snowfall Trends |date=21 February 2024 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/snowfall-trends-2024 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatecentral2024snowfall, author = {{Climate Central}}, title = {{Snowfall Trends}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2024}, month = feb, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/snowfall-trends-2024}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }