Snowfall history / Minneapolis-St. Paul
Minneapolis-St. Paul snowfall history: biggest storms and recent winters
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, the official National Weather Service station for Minneapolis-St. Paul, recorded 48.5 in of snow in winter 2025-26, which is 2.7 inches below the NOAA 1991-2020 normal of 51.2 in. The ten winters from 2016-17 to 2025-26 ranged from 29.4 in (2024-25) to 90.3 in (2022-23). These are totals at one station, and snowfall varies across the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
Updated October 6, 2026. By Weather Decision Solutions. All guides
Minneapolis-St. Paul snowfall over the last three winters at Minneapolis-St. Paul International
Each winter is counted from July 1 to June 30. The totals are National Weather Service observations at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, added up day by day.
| Winter | Snowfall at Minneapolis-St. Paul International | NOAA 1991-2020 normal | Compared with normal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 29.5 in | 51.2 in | 21.7 in below |
| 2024-25 | 29.4 in | 51.2 in | 21.8 in below |
| 2025-26 | 48.5 in | 51.2 in | 2.7 in below |
The normal is the NOAA 1991-2020 average season snowfall for the same station. Over the ten winters from 2016-17 through 2025-26, Minneapolis-St. Paul International averaged 53.6 in a season.
The biggest Minneapolis-St. Paul snowstorms of the last ten winters
These are the five largest storms at Minneapolis-St. Paul International from winter 2016-17 through winter 2025-26. Each total is the heaviest three-day stretch of a storm, taken from daily observations, with no day counted twice. A storm that fell in one or two days shows the days it snowed.
| Rank | Dates | Snowfall at Minneapolis-St. Paul International |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr. 13-15, 2018 | 15.7 in |
| 2 | Jan. 3-5, 2023 | 15.0 in |
| 3 | Feb. 21-23, 2023 | 13.4 in |
| 4 | Jan. 22, 2018 | 12.4 in |
| 5 | Mar. 24-26, 2024 | 12.1 in |
This is a ten-winter window, not the full record. For earlier storms, the National Weather Service Twin Cities office keeps longer histories. For the latest winter across major cities, see winter 2025-26 snowfall totals by city.
Why Minneapolis-St. Paul snowfall varies across the metro
In the Twin Cities, the track of each storm does most of the sorting. The Minnesota State Climatology Office describes the December 27-28, 2025 blizzard as a low that organized over eastern Colorado and tracked toward Lake Michigan. The Twin Cities airport measured 5.8 inches, while Roseville and Shoreview reported 7.0, Burnsville 7.5 and a spot near Mankato, to the southwest, 9.0.
A fast-moving Alberta clipper sorts the totals another way. The same office writes that the January 2022 "super clipper" tracked from southern Alberta into the western Dakotas and on toward western Missouri. Its heaviest swath, 6 to 11 inches, fell across western, southwestern and south-central Minnesota, and 3 to 4 inches fell around St. Cloud, the Twin Cities and Rochester.
The long Twin Cities snowfall record was built from downtown St. Paul, downtown Minneapolis, the airport and the Chanhassen NWS office, and since 2004 it has come from the airport, the station used on this page. Its total is a good picture of the winter and a rough guide to a single neighborhood.
How to get the snow total for a specific Minneapolis-St. Paul address
A Free Snow Report calculates the total for the street address and storm dates you enter, from nearby stations and trained observers, and emails it as two PDFs.
- Open the request page and verify your email. There is no password.
- Enter the street address, then pick the storm dates. One storm per report, up to three days, within the last ten years, and the last day must be at least two days ago.
- Get the Verified Report and the Full Report by email.
Each verified email gets three free reports. After that, a report is $39, and a ZIP pass covers many reports in one ZIP code for 12 months. Details are on the pricing page.
About these numbers
All station totals come from the official National Weather Service record for Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, read through the NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS database and checked against a second official source, the National Weather Service daily climate reports or the NOAA NCEI daily archive. Where the preliminary climate report and the final archive differ by a few tenths on one day, this page uses the final archive. They are totals at one station. They are not an estimate for an address, and they are not a certified copy of the record. For certified copies, NOAA NCEI sells them through its data certification service.
Questions people ask
How much snow did Minneapolis-St. Paul get last winter?
At Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, the official National Weather Service station, winter 2025-26 (July 1 to June 30) brought 48.5 in of snow. That is 2.7 inches below the NOAA 1991-2020 normal of 51.2 in. Snowfall changes across the metro, so a given neighborhood can differ from the station.
What are the Minneapolis-St. Paul snowfall totals by year?
At Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport: 2023-24 29.5 in, 2024-25 29.4 in and 2025-26 48.5 in. The ten winters from 2016-17 to 2025-26 averaged 53.6 in, from 29.4 in (2024-25) to 90.3 in (2022-23). For other years, use NWS NOWData or NOAA Climate Data Online.
What was the biggest snowstorm in Minneapolis-St. Paul in the last ten years?
At Minneapolis-St. Paul International, the largest three-day totals from 2016-17 to 2025-26 were Apr. 13-15, 2018 (15.7 in), Jan. 3-5, 2023 (15.0 in), Feb. 21-23, 2023 (13.4 in). This page covers those ten winters only. For earlier decades, use the National Weather Service Twin Cities office.
What is the normal annual snowfall in Minneapolis-St. Paul?
The NOAA 1991-2020 normal at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is 51.2 in a season. The last ten winters averaged 53.6 in.
Does the storm track matter for Minneapolis-St. Paul snowfall?
Yes. The Minnesota State Climatology Office reports that a December 2025 low tracking from eastern Colorado toward Lake Michigan left 5.8 inches at the Twin Cities airport and 9.0 inches near Mankato. A January 2022 clipper left 3 to 4 inches around the Twin Cities against 6 to 11 inches in western and southwestern Minnesota.
Does the Minneapolis-St. Paul International total apply to my address in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area?
Not exactly. It is one measurement at one site. Snow can differ by several inches across a metro area in the same storm, depending on terrain, distance from water and where bands set up. For a specific property, a report for the street address calculates the total for that spot.
How do I find out how much snow fell at my address in Minneapolis-St. Paul?
Request a Free Snow Report at freesnowreport.com/request. Enter the street address and the storm dates, and the total for that spot arrives by email as two PDFs. Each verified email gets three free reports, then a report is $39 or a ZIP pass covers many.
Where do these Minneapolis-St. Paul snowfall numbers come from?
They are official National Weather Service observations at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, read from the NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS database and checked against a second official source, the National Weather Service daily climate reports or the NOAA NCEI daily archive. Normals are the NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals.
Sources
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers: ACIS station data (official National Weather Service records)
- National Weather Service: daily climate data (used to check season totals)
- NOAA NCEI: daily summaries archive (second check on season totals)
- NOAA NCEI: U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020
- National Weather Service: NOWData climate data
- National Weather Service Twin Cities office
- Minnesota State Climatology Office: blizzard of December 28-29, 2025
- Minnesota State Climatology Office: "Super clipper," January 2022
- Minnesota State Climatology Office: Twin Cities snowfall record
- NOAA NCEI: Climate Data Online