25 Snowiest Cities in America, from Detroit to Rochester

Total snowfall has dropped in recent years, as average winter temperatures have increased—but you can’t keep a good blizzard down. Just in time for the brunt of holiday travel, a snowstorm descended on the Midwest yesterday, promising up to 12 inches of snow for the middle states.

To rank the snowiest cities in the U.S., The Daily Beast considered average snowfall per month during the winter months of the last year (December 2011–March 2012 and to date December 2012) of the 100 largest cities in the U.S. Data on the number of days per month during that period with a maximum and minimum temperature equal or less than 32 degrees was used for a tie breaker.

Clockwise from top left: AP Photo (2), Getty Images (2)

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 1.92

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 0

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 17.8

Charlie Litchfield / AP Photo

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 1.92

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 2.2

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 15

Michael Conroy / AP Photo

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 2.22

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 0.4

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 6.2

Stephen Brashear / Getty Images

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 2.44

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 2.4

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 14.8

Kiichiro Sato / AP Photo

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 3.88

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 3.6

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 19.6

J.D. Pooley / Getty Images

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 3.96

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 3.4

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 18.4

Scott Olson / Getty Images

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 4.048

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 3.8

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 22.6

Nati Harnik / AP Photo

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 4.12

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 2.8

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 23.2

Jay Janner, Colorado Springs Gazette / AP Photo

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 4.56

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 4.8

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 21

Nati Harnik / AP Photo

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 4.62

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 1.8

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 19

Steve C. Wilson / AP Photo

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 4.72

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 4.2

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 19.4

Steve Pope / Getty Images

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 5.08

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 3.2

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 18.4

Carlos Osorio / AP Photo

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 5.6

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 3.2

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 18.4

Michele Quattrin, mQn Photography / Getty Images

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 6

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 4.2

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 18.8

Darren Hauck / Getty Images

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 6.16

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 3.8

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 18

Ken Love, Akron Beacon Journal, MCT / Newscom

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 6.22

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 9.6

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 22.2

Tom Dahlin / Getty Images

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 7.06

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 2.2

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 17

Keith Srakocic / AP Photo

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 7.2

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 3.4

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 18

John Normile / Getty Images

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 7.44

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 5.6

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 20.6

Andy Manis

galleries/2012/12/21/25-snowiest-cities-in-america-from-detroit-to-rochester/25-snowiest-cities-cleveland_dgmzhy

Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 7.48

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 3.2

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 15.6

Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 8.06

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 6.2

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 23.2

Ingrid Barrentine / AP Photo

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 8.84

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 3.8

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 23.2

Ed Andrieski / AP Photo

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 10.38

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 3.6

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 18.4

Emily Zoladz, Grand Rapids Press / AP Photo

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Avg. snowfall per winter month (inches): 11.38

Avg. days with max. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 3.8

Avg. days with min. temp. ≤ 32° per winter month: 19

WAYNE SCARBERRY

25 Snowiest Cities in America, from Detroit to Rochester

The Daily Beast figures out which major cities have seen the most snow in the last year.