Do you need a snowblower in Great Falls, MT?
Your answer for Great Falls
Two-stage snowblower
Great Falls averages 66 inches a year, among the snowiest towns in the country. Volume alone needs a two-stage machine.
Before you buy, measure the garage door and the storage spot: these machines are wide and heavy.
How much snow Great Falls gets
- Snow a year
- 66 in
- Storms of 5 in or more
- 2.5 a winter
- Storms of 10 in or more
- about once every 10 winters
- Days with snow on the ground
- 60
Extreme, among the snowiest towns in the country. That is about 1.8 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 8.6 tons of snow to move in a season, and a 10 inch storm weighs 2,600 pounds.
When the snow comes in Great Falls
- Aug0.3
- Sep0.8
- Oct5.2
- Nov9.2
- Dec9.6
- Jan9.2
- Feb10.1
- Mar10.1
- Apr9.4
- May1.9
- Jun0.3
Snow worth clearing runs from October to May, heaviest in February. Start and service a machine in September.
Great Falls and its neighbours
Great Falls is number 3 of 8 Montana towns here for snowfall; Bozeman gets the most at 91 inches.
| Town | Miles | Snow | Two car, paved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helena, MT | 71 | 37 in | Cordless single-stage |
| Belgrade, MT | 119 | 91 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Bozeman, MT | 126 | 91 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Butte-Silver Bow, MT | 128 | 15 in | A shovel is enough |
| Missoula, MT | 135 | 50 in | Cordless single-stage |
| Kalispell, MT | 149 | 54 in | Gas single-stage |
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 Great Falls International Airport, 4.3 miles from Great Falls. 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.