Do you need a snowblower in Helena, MT?
Your answer for Helena
Cordless single-stage
Plenty falls in Helena, about 4.8 tons a winter on this driveway, but it comes in shallow storms a small cordless machine can take in.
Before you buy, check the battery is rated to clear the whole driveway in one charge in the cold, or get a second battery. Batteries lose range below freezing.
How much snow Helena gets
- Snow a year
- 37 in
- Storms of 5 in or more
- 1.0 a winter
- Storms of 10 in or more
- almost never
- Days with snow on the ground
- 57
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 4.8 tons of snow to move in a season, and a 10 inch storm weighs 2,600 pounds.
When the snow comes in Helena
- Aug0.3
- Sep0.2
- Oct2.8
- Nov5.4
- Dec7.7
- Jan6.6
- Feb6.6
- Mar4.6
- Apr2.9
- May0.1
Snow worth clearing runs from October to April, heaviest in December. Start and service a machine in September.
Towns near Helena
Helena is number 7 of 8 Montana towns here for snowfall; Bozeman gets the most at 91 inches.
| Town | Miles | Snow | Two car, paved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butte-Silver Bow, MT | 57 | 15 in | A shovel is enough |
| Belgrade, MT | 69 | 91 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Great Falls, MT | 71 | 66 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Bozeman, MT | 78 | 91 in | Two-stage snowblower |
| Missoula, MT | 97 | 50 in | Cordless single-stage |
| Kalispell, MT | 156 | 54 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 Helena Regional Airport, 2.7 miles from Helena. 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.