Do you need a snowblower in Fort Dodge, IA?
What clears snow in Fort Dodge
Gas single-stage
Fort Dodge gets enough snow that shovelling it all is a real job, about 5.1 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 Fort Dodge gets
- Snow a year
- 39 in
- Storms of 5 in or more
- 1.9 a winter
- Storms of 10 in or more
- about once every 5 winters
- Days with snow on the ground
- 68
Moderate, a typical snowy-city winter. About 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 5.1 tons of snow to move in a season, and a 10 inch storm weighs 2,600 pounds.
When the snow comes in Fort Dodge
- Oct0.4
- Nov2.8
- Dec7.9
- Jan8.6
- Feb11.8
- Mar5.6
- Apr1.5
- May0.4
Snow worth clearing runs from November to April, heaviest in February. Start and service a machine in October.
Fort Dodge and its neighbours
Fort Dodge is number 6 of 41 Iowa towns here for snowfall; Mason City gets the most at 44 inches.
| Town | Miles | Snow | Two car, paved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boone, IA | 35 | 36 in | Gas single-stage |
| Ames, IA | 44 | 27 in | Gas single-stage |
| Carroll, IA | 46 | 35 in | Gas single-stage |
| Storm Lake, IA | 53 | 36 in | Gas single-stage |
| Grimes, IA | 61 | 38 in | Gas single-stage |
| Johnston, IA | 61 | 38 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 Ft Dodge 5NNW, 5.3 miles from Fort Dodge. 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.