At a Glance

Cities in the far northern United States and Rockies have seen accumulating snow as early as September.October is the month with the record-earliest measurable snow for many cities in the Midwest and Northeast.Snow has coated the ground in several southern locations during November.

Accumulating snow has already coated parts of the northern Rockies and northern Plains this fall, providing a reminder of how early some cities in the United States can experience winter weather.

How early it can snow in your area depends on simple factors such as geographic location and elevation as well as weather patterns from year-to-year.

For some, the record earliest snow is in September or even late August, while others haven't seen the first flakes fly until November.

Plotted on the map below is the month that the earliest measurable snow was recorded for select cities across the Lower 48. The National Weather Service considers measurable snow an accumulation of 0.1 inches or more.

The colored dots represent the month of the earliest measurable snow for the locations shown.

September

Many locations from the Rockies to the northern Plains, northern Great Lakes and northern New England have received their earliest measurable snow in September.

Here are a few of the cities and the specific date of their record earliest accumulating snow:

- Denver: Sept. 3, 1961

- Billings, Montana: Sept. 7, 1962

- Marquette, Michigan: Sept. 13, 1923

- Salt Lake City: Sept. 17, 1965

- Flagstaff, Arizona: Sept. 19, 1965

- Minneapolis/St. Paul: Sept. 24, 1985

- Fargo, North Dakota: Sept. 25, 1912

- Omaha, Nebraska: Sept. 29, 1985

- Burlington, Vermont: Sept. 30, 1992

Although it's not shown on the map, Great Falls, Montana, once received measurable snow as early as Aug. 22. That happened in 1992.

October

A slew of cities from the Midwest to the Great Lakes and Northeast have received their record first accumulating snow in October. The same weather system was responsible for bringing several cities their earliest snow in a few instances.

- Boston: Oct. 10, 1979

- Baltimore: Oct. 10, 1979

- Washington: Oct. 10, 1979

- Philadelphia: Oct. 10, 1979

- Chicago: Oct. 12, 2006

- Detroit: Oct. 12, 2006

- Pittsburgh: Oct. 18, 1992

- Indianapolis: Oct. 18, 1989

- Cincinnati: Oct. 19, 1989

- New York: Oct. 21, 1952

- Seattle: Oct. 27, 1971

- Portland, Oregon: Oct. 29, 1935

November

The South is last when it comes to the record earliest measurable snow. Many cities along the Interstate 20 and Interstate 40 corridors have received accumulating snow as early as November.

Imagine kicking off the month with a coating of snow in Dallas-Fort Worth or a 3-inch blanket of snow in the South Carolina capital before Thanksgiving.

- Columbia, South Carolina: Nov. 19, 1901

- Dallas-Fort Worth: Nov. 2, 1951

- Atlanta: Nov. 11, 1968

- Raleigh: Nov. 6, 1953

- Memphis: Nov. 2, 1951

- Richmond, Virginia: Nov. 5, 1962

Of course, all of the dates mentioned above are on the record-breaking early end of the spectrum. The average first accumulating snow typically arrives later in the season, as illustrated by the map below.

Month of the average first accumulating (0.1 inch or greater) snowfall of the season, according to 30-year average statistics.

(NOAA/NWS/NCEI)

Much of the Midwest and Northeast see their first measurable snow of the season in November or December.

From the Rockies to the northern Plains and northern Great Lakes, the month of October usually ushers in the first measurable snow.

The South doesn't see accumulating snow every year, but on average, January and February are the most favored months for at least a coating of snow.