Where Does This Season Now Rank Among Least Snowy Winters?

Up until the end of March, a lot of Minnesota was on track for having the least snowy winter on record.

Duluth, for example, was about 8 inches under the least snowy winter ever recorded before that late-March storm that brought some significant snow to parts of the Northland.

I'm sure many are hoping now that we're into April that we're done with snow for the season. If you've lived here for a while though, you know snow can (and sometimes does) fall into April and even May.

While we've still seen less than an average winter, and a lot less than last year's record-setting winter, we are no longer going to be able to say the snowy season of 2023-2024 is the least snowy ever.

With a healthy dose of snow from that storm, where does that place this winter in terms of the ranks of least snowy winters ever recorded in Duluth? Here's a look.

How much snow have we seen so far this season?

Photo by Jacek Pobłocki on Unsplash

The Duluth National Weather Service is reporting an official season snowfall total of 38.7 inches of snow in Duluth. That's a far cry from last year's record-setting 140.1 inches.

So, with just over 3 feet of snow so far this season, how does that compare to an "average" Duluth winter and to the least snowy winters on record?

Comparing this winter's snow to a "normal" Duluth winter

Duluth's average winter snowfall is 86.1 inches, which works out to 7 feet 2.1 inches.

This winter, we've gotten (so far) 38.7 inches, which works out to 3 feet 2.7 inches.

That means we are 47.4 inches (or 3 feet 11.4 inches) short of what a normal Duluth winter brings in terms of snowfall.

How does the winter of 2023-2024 compare to the least snowy winters ever?

When looking at the list of the least snowy winters ever in Duluth, there are some pretty small numbers in the history books. Up until the end of March, we were on pace to beat the previous least snowy winter mark by several inches.

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The least snow ever recorded in an entire season for Duluth is only 26.8 inches. Up until that snowstorm at the end of March, we had only received about 19 inches.

Now that we've gotten that additional snow, here's how things rank in terms of least snowy winters in Duluth:

26.8 inches - Winter of 1899-1900
28 inches - Winter of 1924-1925
30.3 inches - Winter of 1894-1895
30.7 inches - Winter of 1884-1885
32 inches - Winter of 1930-1931
32.8 inches - Winter of 1901-1902
34.7 inches - Winter of 1897-1898
35.4 inches - Winter of 1904-1905
36.5 inches - Winter of 1980-1981
38.2 inches - Winter of 1939-1940
38.7 inches - Winter of 2023-2024
38.9 inches - Winter of 1898-1988

Yup, one snowstorm brought us from below the least snowy winter ever to the 11th least snowy winter ever. That's a heck of a jump! I mean, we did get a lot of snow from that storm though I guess.

The 15 Least Snowy Winters On Record In Duluth History

Since the National Weather Service began keeping weather records in Duluth in the late 1800s, here are the 15 winters with the lowest snowfall totals on historical record.

It is worth noting that the official records from 1941-today have been recorded at the area now known as the Duluth International Airport (away from the lake, on top of the hill). Before then, various locations closer to Lake Superior had been used for official weather recording data. For anyone that knows anything about how Lake Superior and the hill play a role in temperature and snow, you can see how this makes older records inherently different.

While these records note the "least snowy winters", they actually include all seasonal snowfall from July 1 through June 30 of the following year.

Gallery Credit: Nick Cooper - TSM Duluth

The 15 Snowiest Winters On Record In Duluth History

Since the National Weather Service began keeping weather records in Duluth in the late 1800s, here are the 15 winters with the highest snowfall totals on historical record.

While these records note the "snowiest winters", they actually include all seasonal snowfall from July 1 through June 30 of the following year.

Gallery Credit: Nick Cooper - TSM Duluth