When is it going to snow? Examine the first snowfall map in Farmers’ Almanac. – Snow may be on people’s minds even though it’s not technically fall yet. It may soon be on the ground in some areas as well.
A forecast map of the average first snowfall in the United States was just published by the Farmers’ Almanac.
According to Accuweather, Mt. Bachelor near Bend, Oregon, received a dusting on September 2, but there hasn’t been any major snowfall in the country thus far. However, according to the Farmers’ Almanac forecast, snow is predicted in high altitudes of the northernmost mountains this weekend, so that could change.
The National Weather Service forecast office in Great Falls, Montana, says there is a 40% probability of 4 inches or more of snow at the higher elevations of Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front this weekend. “Confidence is growing that the first impactful snowfall of the 2026-2027 snow season will occur this weekend,” the NWS reported on Sept. 10.
“Some ridges and peaks in the Cascades and Olympic Mountains may receive accumulating snow this weekend,” stated AccuWeather senior meteorologist Brett Anderson in a forecast, indicating that snow may also fall on other areas of the northwest mountains.
How accurate is the Farmers’ Almanac in forecasting the arrival of snow?
The accuracy of the Farmers’ Almanac, which states that its first snowfall map is a “climatological guide rather than a forecast for one particular storm,” will be interesting to weather observers.
For instance, the Farmers’ Almanac predicts that Delaware will get its first significant snowfall, not just a few flurries, between late November and December. According to Kevin Brinson, Delaware’s state climatologist, that includes the average date for the first detectable snowfall (at least 0.1 inch) in Wilmington, Delaware, which is December 15, The News Journal reported.
The first snowfall in Michigan is predicted by the Farmers’ Almanac for November. According to the Detroit Free Press, the Midwestern Regional Climate Center revealed that while most of Michigan has typical first snowfall in November, certain locations receive snow in October, and snowfall in September is not unheard of.
Additionally, states like Georgia, which are known for their infrequent snowfall, recently experienced many storms during the winter, including some snowfall in Atlanta.
View the Farmers’ Almanac’s snowfall forecast by region.
August–September snow: According to the Farmers’ Almanac, “an August or September mountain snowfall does not necessarily mean winter has arrived for good,” even if higher elevations in Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Wyoming may have an early-season storm. “Early snow often melts quickly when warmer weather returns.”
This is the Farmers’ Almanac’s prediction for the first normal snowfall in the remaining United States.
Northern Plains, Upper Midwest and Northeast
Snowfall in October and early November: Parts of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin are included in this area. The Farmers’ Almanac states that it usually receives its first noticeable snowfall in October or early November.According to the almanac, “the first measurable snow becomes increasingly common” in this region by October. “Much of the northern Rockies, northern Plains and Upper Midwest typically sees its first measurable snow in October or early November.”
What can we learn from history? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s predictions for this area align with the Farmers’ Almanac’s typical time of the first snowfall.
A NOAA map showing the first average snowfall across the United States, released online on September 9 by AccuWeather, shows that parts of Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, and tiny areas of California, Oregon, and Washington usually receive snowfall by mid-October. The first snowfall usually occurs in late October across a large portion of Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, and portions of South Dakota, Utah, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire.
Higher Appalachians, the inner Northeast, the Great Lakes, and the central Rockies
The Farmers’ Almanac’s early November and November forecasts are in good agreement with the agency’s map, according to NOAA. According to NOAA, the first snowfall usually occurs in November in parts of South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Nevada, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania.
Late November and December snow: According to the Farmers’ Almanac, this area, which includes portions of Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee, frequently doesn’t receive snow until late November or December.
According to NOAA, the Farmers’ Almanac and the agency’s map are very similar.
Snow in December or January or infrequently: According to the Farmers’ Almanac, this area, which includes portions of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina, “may go entire winters without measurable snow,” but it is most likely to have snow in December or January.”When southern snow does happen, however, it can be particularly memorable because communities encounter it so infrequently,” the newspaper reported.
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