Do you need a snowblower in Boston, MA?
What clears snow in Boston
Two-stage snowblower
A storm of 10 inches or more hits Boston about once every 1 winters. That is deeper than a single-stage intake can swallow.
Before you buy, measure the garage door and the storage spot: these machines are wide and heavy.
What a Boston winter brings
- Snow a year
- 49 in
- Storms of 5 in or more
- 3.1 a winter
- Storms of 10 in or more
- about once every 1 winters
- Days with snow on the ground
- 46
Heavy, more than most snowy cities. That is about 1.4 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 6.4 tons of snow to move in a season, and a 10 inch storm weighs 2,600 pounds.
When the snow comes in Boston
- Oct0.2
- Nov0.7
- Dec9.0
- Jan14.3
- Feb14.4
- Mar9.0
- Apr1.6
Snow worth clearing runs from December to April, heaviest in February. Start and service a machine in November.
Towns near Boston
Boston is number 28 of 58 Massachusetts towns here for snowfall; North Adams gets the most at 85 inches.
| Town | Miles | Snow | Two car, paved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winthrop Town, MA | 4 | 49 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Chelsea, MA | 4 | 49 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Everett, MA | 5 | 49 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Quincy, MA | 5 | 51 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Somerville, MA | 6 | 49 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Cambridge, MA | 6 | 49 in | Two-stage snowblower |
Where these numbers come from
Read next: Single-stage or two-stage and Why storm depth matters more than snowfall.
NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals from Boston Logan International Airport, 1.6 miles from Boston. 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.
- Days with snow on the ground come from a second nearby station, because the closest one does not record snow depth.