At a Glance

In many U.S. cities, more than 50% of the season's snow falls after Jan. 15.The Interstate 95 Northeast urban corridor receives the majority of its snowfall after mid-January.

Jan. 15 marks the midpoint of meteorological winter, which runs from Dec. 1 through Feb. 29, but that doesn't necessarily mean half of the season's snow has already fallen. In many cases, more than half the snow in an average winter falls after the season's halfway mark.

When February – even late January – arrives, some may be increasingly stir-crazy for spring, especially those who have dealt with snow since October. Conversely, others might want to hit the ski slopes as long into the spring as possible.

Using National Weather Service 30-year average data, we lay out how much of the season's snow typically remains after Jan. 15 for 15 cities across the United States.

In each of the 15 cities we examined from the West to the Midwest and Northeast, anywhere from 37 to 71% of the season's average snow falls after the midpoint of meteorological winter. The average for those 15 select cities was 58%.

Interestingly enough, the cities analyzed that have the highest percentage of seasonal snowfall after Jan. 15 are Philadelphia, New York City and Washington, D.C.

Average percent of seasonal snow remaining after Jan. 15 for select cities in the eastern states.

In Philadelphia, 71% (15.5 inches) of the season's snow typically falls after meteorological winter's halfway mark, while 67% of the season's snow is observed after Jan. 15 in a typical year in the Big Apple (16.9 inches) and the nation's capital (10.3 inches). Farther north, in Boston, 62% (26.8 inches) of its seasonal snow falls after Jan. 15 in an average year.

This is due in large part to the propensity for major Northeast snowstorms in late January, February and March.

(MORE: Major Northeast Snowstorms Have a Distinct Seasonal Peak, And It Begins Now)

The five central and midwestern U.S. cities we examined typically receive 48 to 61% of their average seasonal snow after the halfway mark of meteorological winter.

In both Minneapolis and Detroit, that translates to more than 2 feet of snow after Jan. 15 in an average year.

Chicago averages just under 2 feet of snow after Jan. 15, while Indianapolis can expect a little over a foot of additional snowfall in the second half of a typical winter.

Average percent of seasonal snow remaining after Jan. 15 for select cities in the central states.

In the Pacific Northwest, Spokane, Washington, generally receives the majority of its snowfall in the front half of the winter, with only 37% of its seasonal snow remaining after Jan. 15.

The season is almost a 50-50 split in Salt Lake City, where 49% of its snow falls after Jan. 15.

Tahoe City, California, is one location that can receive snowfall well into the spring; An average season has more than 100 inches of additional snow after meteorological winter's midpoint.

Average percent of seasonal snow remaining after Jan. 15 for select cities in the western states.

So while meteorological winter is technically halfway over on the calendar, Mother Nature doesn't follow the strict dates of the seasons, allowing snow to fall into meteorological spring during March, April and even May.

How Much Snow Has Fallen So Far?

The map below shows how much snow has fallen across the Lower 48 through Monday.

Areas from the West to the Northern Plains, upper Midwest, Great Lakes, upstate New York and northern New England have received the most snow so far this winter.

The mid-Atlantic is one region that is notably lacking. Philadelphia has recorded a measly 0.1 inches of snow, nearly 6 inches below average by this point in the season. Washington (0.4 inches) and Baltimore (1.8 inches) are about 4 inches less snowy than usual.

On the other end of the spectrum, Bismarck, North Dakota, has picked up 3.5 feet already this winter. That's about 17 inches snowier than average by mid-January. Other cities in the Northern Plains have similar snowfall surpluses.

Season-to-date snow totals through Monday, Jan. 13, 2020.

, a climatologist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, found that Jan. 13 is the climatological midpoint of winter when considering .

This was calculated by evaluating daily average temperatures for all 365 days of the year. The data showed Jan. 13 had the lowest average temperature of any day in the continent.

But this doesn't necessarily mean it's all uphill from here, as our analysis of seasonal snowfall showed above.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, .