When does it first snow in New York City? Central Park snowfall tracker

When the first measurable snow of the season has come at Central Park in Manhattan in past winters, how much snow a season brings, and how often December 25 has had snow on the ground. Every date and total comes from NOAA's daily record for this one station; the medians, shares and counts are our own calculations, and this season's total comes from the latest National Weather Service report.

Data updated: October 28, 2026, 7:41 AM EDTDates and totals are read from NOAA's daily record; medians, shares and counts are computed from our copy with fixed rules, and no forecast or commentary is added.

Short answer

As of the latest National Weather Service daily climate report for Central Park (for October 27, 2026), there has been no measurable snow so far this season; in the Central Park record, the median date of the first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) over the last 30 complete seasons is December 14, with the earliest at October 29 (2011-12) and the latest at February 1 (2022-23).

Central Park snowfall at a glance

Median first measurable snow: December 14last 30 seasons
Earliest and latest: October 29 to February 1last 30 seasons
This season so far: 0.0 inNWS report for October 27, 2026
Average season total: 27.1 inlast 30 seasons
First measurable snow before December 25: 23 of 30complete seasons

This season so far, from National Weather Service reports

Read from the latest daily climate report for Central Park (the report for October 27, 2026): the snow section's season total since July 1 and the snowfall for that day. The date of the first measurable snow is shown only when our consecutive reports prove it; if reports are missing around the first snowfall, no date is given. 'Normal' is the National Weather Service's term for its 1991-2020 average.

Measure	Value	Note
Snowfall since July 1	0.0 in	From the report's season-to-date line; a trace counts as zero in the total.
NWS normal since July 1	0.1 in	The National Weather Service's 1991-2020 normal for this date, as printed in the report.
Snowfall on October 27, 2026	0.0 in	The report's snowfall for that day; T means a trace.
Snow depth in the report	0 in	Depth on the ground as printed in the report.
First measurable snow this season	None so far	Season total is zero as of the report.

The last 15 snow seasons at Central Park, newest first

Each season runs July 1 to June 30 and is named for the two years it spans. 'First trace' is the first day with a trace or any measured snow; 'first measurable' is the first day with 0.1 inch or more; 'first 1 inch day' is the first day with 1 inch or more. Totals add the daily snowfall. Seasons marked incomplete are missing too many daily values, so no figures are given.

Season	First trace	First measurable (0.1 in+)	First 1 inch day	Season total (in)	Snowiest day
2025-26	November 11, 2025	December 14, 2025	December 14, 2025	43.4	11.4 in, January 25, 2026
2024-25	December 3, 2024	December 21, 2024	December 21, 2024	12.9	3.0 in, February 8, 2025
2023-24	November 28, 2023	January 6, 2024	January 16, 2024	7.5	3.2 in, February 13, 2024
2022-23	December 11, 2022	February 1, 2023	none	2.3	0.9 in, February 27, 2023
2021-22	November 13, 2021	December 24, 2021	January 7, 2022	17.9	7.3 in, January 29, 2022
2020-21	December 2, 2020	December 16, 2020	December 16, 2020	38.6	14.8 in, February 1, 2021
2019-20	December 1, 2019	December 2, 2019	December 2, 2019	4.8	2.1 in, January 18, 2020
2018-19	November 15, 2018	November 15, 2018	November 15, 2018	20.5	6.4 in, November 15, 2018
2017-18	November 20, 2017	December 9, 2017	December 9, 2017	40.9	9.8 in, January 4, 2018
2016-17	November 20, 2016	December 11, 2016	December 17, 2016	30.2	9.4 in, February 9, 2017
2015-16	December 28, 2015	January 17, 2016	January 23, 2016	32.8	27.3 in, January 23, 2016
2014-15	November 13, 2014	November 26, 2014	December 10, 2014	50.3	7.5 in, March 5, 2015
2013-14	November 12, 2013	December 8, 2013	December 10, 2013	57.4	11.0 in, January 21, 2014
2012-13	November 7, 2012	November 7, 2012	November 7, 2012	26.1	6.3 in, February 8, 2013
2011-12	October 29, 2011	October 29, 2011	October 29, 2011	7.4	4.3 in, January 21, 2012

Our own counts

Not in the source: these are our calculations from the daily record, using only seasons with complete data. They describe the past, not what comes next.

Count	Result	How it is counted
First measurable snow before December 1	5 of 30 seasons	The last 30 seasons, counting only the 30 with complete data; the first measurable day came before December 1 of that season's first year.
First measurable snow before December 25	23 of 30 seasons	Same seasons; the first measurable day came before December 25.
December 25 with snow on the ground	2 of 25 years	Last 30 Decembers; snow depth of 1 inch or more reported for December 25. No usable depth value for 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, left out of the count.
Average season total, last 10 against the 20 before	21.9 in against 29.8 in, a difference of -7.9 in	Last 10 complete seasons (10 with full data) against the 20 before them (20 with full data); difference is the first average minus the second.
Season total against the NWS normal	0.0 in against 0.1 in	Snowfall since July 1 in the latest report against the National Weather Service's 1991-2020 normal printed in the same report; 'normal' is the National Weather Service's term.

Related tracker

New York City weather against normal and records

Note

This is one weather station, Central Park in Manhattan, not a citywide figure. Central Park does not describe the weather in every borough.
Station record: the Central Park record we use is NOAA NCEI's GHCN-Daily. Its snowfall record starts January 1, 1869 and its snow depth record March 12, 1888. The National Weather Service keeps its own combined (threaded) official records for New York City, which can start earlier or differ, so the figures here can disagree with record statements from the National Weather Service.
Definitions: measurable snow means 0.1 inch or more of snowfall in a day. A trace is snow too light to measure; GHCN-Daily flags it with a T and stores 0.0, and National Weather Service reports print T. Trace flags dated before September 1 are ignored when finding a season's first trace. A snow season runs July 1 to June 30; 'complete seasons' are seasons that have fully ended.
Missing data: a day with no value, a value that failed a quality check, and a value the source marks as presumed zero all count as missing. A season is shown as incomplete, and left out of every count, when more than 5 days between October 1 and April 30 are missing, or when any day is missing before its first measurable snow.
White Christmas in this page means 1 inch or more of snow on the ground reported for December 25 in the daily record; the time of day of the depth reading can differ by station and year.
Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Climatology Network - Daily (GHCN-Daily), and NOAA National Weather Service daily climate reports. Calculations are our own; this page is not endorsed by NOAA or the National Weather Service. Cite GHCN-Daily as Menne et al. (2012), doi:10.7289/V5D21VHZ.
Data through October 24, 2026: GHCN-Daily runs a few days behind, and our copy was last fetched October 28, 2026, 7:41 AM EDT. The 'this season so far' table is read from the National Weather Service report for October 27, 2026. Nothing here is a forecast.

Frequently asked questions

When does it usually first snow in NYC?: In the Central Park record, the median date of the first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) over the last 30 complete seasons is December 14. The earliest was October 29 (2011-12) and the latest February 1 (2022-23). These dates describe one station.
What is the earliest snow on record in NYC?: In the Central Park record we hold (seasons with complete data, 1869-70 to 2025-26), the earliest first measurable snow of a season came on October 15 (1876-77) and the earliest trace or any snow on October 10 (1925-26, 1979-80). The National Weather Service's own longer records can differ.
How much snow does NYC get in a winter?: Over the last 30 complete seasons, a season at Central Park brought 27.1 inches on average, from 2.3 inches (2022-23) to 61.9 inches (2010-11). The last 10 seasons averaged 21.9 inches.
Has it snowed yet this season in NYC?: As of the National Weather Service report for October 27, 2026, Central Park has had no measurable snow this season.
How often is there a white Christmas in NYC?: In our count, a white Christmas means 1 inch or more of snow on the ground reported for December 25. Central Park had it in 2 of the last 25 years with a depth value.

Source and terms

NOAA NCEI GHCN-Daily: Central Park, New York daily snowfall (SNOW) and snow depth (SNWD). Terms: NOAA NCEI GHCN-Daily (Version 3) use and access constraints: citation and disclaimer. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Historical Climatology Network - Daily (GHCN-Daily), Central Park station (USW00094728). Calculations are our own; not endorsed by NOAA. Data retrieved: October 28, 2026, 7:41 AM EDT. Source data runs through: October 24, 2026. Computation: newyork24.
NWS Central Park daily climate report (CLI, OKX office). Terms: NWS: public domain unless noted (Disclaimer, Use of NOAA/NWS Data and Products). Source: NOAA National Weather Service, Central Park daily climate report. Comparisons and conversions are our own calculations; not endorsed by NOAA/NWS. Data retrieved: October 28, 2026, 4:31 AM EDT. Source data runs through: October 27, 2026.