Do you need a snowblower in Alpena, MI?
Your answer for Alpena
Gas single-stage
Alpena gets enough snow that shovelling it all is a real job, about 7.7 tons a winter on this driveway, but storms over 8 inches are uncommon.
Before you buy, check the intake height against the deepest storm above, and plan to clear before the city plow leaves its ridge of heavy slush at the end of the drive.
How much snow Alpena gets
- Snow a year
- 59 in
- Storms of 5 in or more
- 2.8 a winter
- Storms of 10 in or more
- about once every 3 winters
- Days with snow on the ground
- 95
Heavy, more than most snowy cities. That is about 1.7 times what a typical snowy US city gets. It tends to stay, so each storm lands on the last one.
On a two car driveway that is about 7.7 tons of snow to move in a season, and a 10 inch storm weighs 2,600 pounds.
When the snow comes in Alpena
- Oct0.1
- Nov3.0
- Dec16.6
- Jan15.6
- Feb14.4
- Mar6.2
- Apr3.5
Snow worth clearing runs from November to April, heaviest in December. Start and service a machine in October.
Alpena and its neighbours
Alpena is number 19 of 90 Michigan towns here for snowfall; Sault Ste. Marie gets the most at 120 inches.
| Town | Miles | Snow | Two car, paved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bay City, MI | 105 | 49 in | Gas single-stage |
| Sault Ste. Marie, MI | 107 | 120 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Midland, MI | 107 | 49 in | Gas single-stage |
| Traverse City, MI | 108 | 101 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Cadillac, MI | 113 | 74 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Saginaw, MI | 117 | 41 in | Gas single-stage |
Where these numbers come from
Read next: Snowblowers on a gravel driveway and Single-stage or two-stage.
NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals from Alpena Wwtp, 1.2 miles from Alpena. A normal winter, not this winter's forecast. Snow is weighed at 6.24 pounds a cubic foot, fresh and fairly dry; wet spring snow can weigh three times that.