When does it first snow in Macomb County? First flakes vs the first plowable snow

When does the first snow usually fall?

There are two first snows. The first flakes that stick, which make the news, and the first snow deep enough to plow, which is the one that matters for a driveway. They are usually about three weeks apart.

Daily snowfall at Detroit Metro Airport from NOAA's Applied Climate Information System. A 1-inch or 2-inch day means at least that much fell on one calendar day.

The long record is similar. Over Detroit's full history, NWS Detroit/Pontiac puts the average first measurable snow at November 16 and the average first 1-inch snow at November 30. The earliest 1-inch snow on record came October 19, 1989.

The edges of the season are thin. Under the 1991-2020 normals, Detroit averages 1.9 inches of snow in November and 1.5 in April, against 14.0 in January.

How early can a plowable snow come?

Earlier than most people plan for. In the last 30 winters, a 1-inch day came before November 15 in 4 winters, and a 2-inch day in 3.

The most recent was November 9 and 10, 2025. A low tracking across the Ohio Valley spread 1 to 2 inches over the area by midday. Then cold air and a north-northeast wind off Lake Huron set up a lake-effect band over St. Clair and eastern Macomb counties overnight. By Monday morning New Baltimore had 5.2 inches and the St. Clair Shores area 3.4, while Shelby had 1.0. Away from the band, NWS Detroit/Pontiac noted, warm ground melted much of the snow.

Does the first snow come at different times across the county?

Somewhat. At Richmond, a north-county station (2009-10 to 2025-26), the first 1-inch day has a median of November 25 and the first 2-inch day December 12. At Selfridge Air National Guard Base on the Harrison Township lakeshore (2017-18 to 2025-26, a small sample), the medians are November 30 and December 23. The north end tends to whiten first; the lakeshore tends to wait.

What should you do before the first snow?

• Book by early November. Our season is staffed from November 15 to April 15, and a 1-inch snow has come before November 15 in 4 of the last 30 winters. See when to book snow removal.
• Put in stakes before the ground freezes. Once it is frozen, they will not go in. See driveway markers.
• Work through the fall list: downspouts, buried fixtures, where the snow will go. Our first-snow checklist has all ten items.

Why is early snow hard on lawns and gravel?

In November the ground is often not frozen yet. Soft turf ruts under tires and blade edges, and a gravel driveway's stone is loose, so an early plowing can scatter it into the lawn. If the first snow is light, packing it down can be better than scraping to wet stone; see gravel driveway snow removal. Warm pavement also melts early snow from below, leaving slush that freezes overnight.

What about late-season snow?

The last 2-inch day usually comes around March 12, but April snow is not rare. After April 15, a 1-inch day came in 5 of the last 30 winters and a 2-inch day in 4, the latest on April 24, 2005. Measurable snow fell as late as May 10, 2020. Over Detroit's full record, NWS Detroit/Pontiac counts measurable snow after April 15 in 32 percent of years, and its biggest late storm left 6.0 inches on May 9, 1923.

Snow outside our staffed season is handled case by case. For how often plowable snow comes in the heart of winter, see how many plowable snows per winter.